Leyland Bus
Member
Having Charity Status is not a gateway to receiving bags of cash either...
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Blackpool Heritage Tram Operations Suspended
- Thread starter tram21
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R
RailUK Forums
What do you mean?
But it would certainly be a help, presumably? It would also enable BT to separate out its finances, and quantify exactly how much is going into heritage ops.
But a separate organisation may need its own operating licence etc which brings its own costs and complications.
You only have to read the various threads on the preserved railways forum (elsewhere) to see that creating and developing an appropriate organisational structure is a very major task in itself beset by challenges.
Leyland Bus
Member
Indeed... there are probably few options open to BTS and most of them will be costly sadly...
This is certainly a good point.
Just because Blackpool Transport & Heritage Trams are two separate Organisations ("On Paper"), it doesn't mean that they can't share Resources, etc (such as Staff and Directors).
Nor does it mean that the Council no Longer has an involvement in the operation of the Heritage Trams. AFAIK, The organisation which owns & operates Showtown is technically run by Blackpool Council (with a few high ranking Councillors & Officials from Blackpool Council being on the board of Trustees). The Structure for Heritage should be set up in a similar way.
& If all else fails, then the council should look into the possibility of merging the Heritage Trams with Showtown (at least, as a short term measure)
Teds
Member
This tour will now be on a Flexity.
renegademaster
Established Member
I think it will be more pleasant for the enthusiast volunteer than not having any trams at all
Jonathan Lynch
Member
Ive driven with two in the cab in a driving experience pre upgrade. We were both fairly large men and didnt see any issue with it at the time. That was a full day with a break for lunch 10-5.
The Blackpool Lead continues to cover this story and has managed to eke out some more details
https://blackpool.thelead.uk/p/council-refuses-to-comment-on-suspensions
https://blackpool.thelead.uk/p/council-refuses-to-comment-on-suspensions
tram21
Member
The plot thickens even further!
Some more slightly unfortunate news, Brush car 622, the “Tigerrific Tram” - which had been in use as a static classroom at a local school - has been scrapped on site over the Christmas holidays, according to a report on Instagram. Rather a shame as the car appeared to be in good condition.
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It has been scrapped on site, there was a photo on FB.
bluegoblin7
Established Member
It is (was) an unrefurbished Brush car: it won’t be in good condition. Considering the state of some of the 90s refurbs, this should not be a surprise.
Paint is not synonymous with condition. You can’t save everything - it will almost certainly be of more value as parts; there’s already many Brush cars with secure futures in better condition.
Paint is not synonymous with condition. You can’t save everything - it will almost certainly be of more value as parts; there’s already many Brush cars with secure futures in better condition.
Hopefully some parts may have been salvaged, bit of a shame if not.
Update: Tramtown have posted on their Instagram feed that depot tours will recommence on Good Friday and over the four days of easter, and will then be available initially on Mondays and Saturdays going forwards, hopefully with further days added as volunteer coverage allows. Not trams on the Prom, but a promising sign at least!
Russel
Established Member
According to a BBC News Article, the heritage trams are set to return this year for the summer, but I'm struggling to find any more information, does anyone local know what is going on?
EbbwJunction1
Established Member
- Joined
- 25 Mar 2010
- Messages
- 1,632
These are two articles on Blackpool Transport's website:
With the summer season fast approaching, Blackpool Transport is boosting tram services with a new timetable as part of its ongoing commitment to meeting the transport requirements of Fylde Coast residents and visitors.
From Sunday, April 6, they’ll see a 50 per cent increase in services, with daytime trams running every ten minutes, seven days a week, and every 15 minutes in the evenings. The new timetable will also see some direct services between Fleetwood and Starr Gate significantly reducing journey times for many customers.
The enhancement is part of a wider relaunch of services which reflects feedback from customers and puts more trams into locations where they are needed to meet the evolving needs of passengers.
Jane Cole, Managing Director of Blackpool Transport, explained: “Following the opening of the North Station last year, we’ve carefully analysed how our trams are being used.
“We found that more than two out of three customers travel from the North or South into the town centre stops and, in response, the new timetable has been prepared to deliver swifter, more convenient services that reflect those travel patterns. The new timetable delivers a more robust service while maintaining excellent connectivity between light and heavy rail.”
Blackpool Tramtown, the home of Blackpool’s heritage trams has launched its new season with a whole new tour experience. From Easter, visitors will be able visit the tram engineering works within an exhibition hall experience giving visitors the freedom and time to walk around the exhibition and see the history of Blackpool’s rich tram heritage.
Paul Galley, Tramtown volunteer coordinator said “ I am delighted that Tramtown has survived all the challenges thrown at it and it’s stronger as a result. Through the hard work of our amazing volunteers this new visitor experience will not only save Blackpools heritage trams it will help regenerate the wider Bloomfield area.”
Bryan Lindop head of heritage at Blackpool Transport said “Being able to open the workshop to the public is something I have always desired but never been able to achieve until now. Initially, due to the limited amount of time available since we took over the workshop, we will open it as it is, adding to our displays as we go along, gradually evolving, improving and rotating some of the exhibits on a regular basis. Delivering this interim opportunity will provide an insightful flavour of just a small part of what we aim to deliver in the future.”
Jane Cole, managing director of Blackpool Transport contributed, “Creating access to as much of our heritage as possible during the interim period in which the Tramtown development is in the funding and delivery stages is key. This will enable the public to enjoy the uniqueness of our collections, and it enables us to present a meaningful precursor of the full scheme which is yet to come. The Blackpool Tram Works is phase 1 of our heritage plan whilst we endeavour to secure funding to get our heritage trams back in operation.”
We are opening the heritage engineering workshop to the public from Good Friday for all four days over the Easter period. Thereafter, we will initially operate every Monday and Saturday until further notice, with a view to steadily increasing this to extra days subject to volunteer availability. If anyone fancies joining our hardworking and dedicated team, please contact us. Opening hours will initially be from 10a.m. until 2pm with a separate opportunity to pre-book a guided workshop tour from 3 to 4pm.”
Tickets can be bought here
“We are now completely focussed on ushering in an enhanced frequency for our popular tramway. We have recruited more drivers to deliver the extra services and a new sales team to offer travel advice at busy tram stops, which will greatly improve the customer experience.”
The reinstated mainline service will run every 20 minutes and synchronise with trams running between Fleetwood, Cleveleys and Starr Gate that call at North Station. Together they will provide an evenly spaced, 10-minute, north and southbound service from North Pier.
“We are delighted to be able to introduce these service enhancements in time for the summer, but they are just the start of an ambitious programme of improvements to our tram and bus services that customers can expect to see over the next few months,” Jane added.
Further information about the new timetable can be found here: BPTramwayA4Leaflet_April2025.pdf
Neither of them specifically mention the actual heritage tramways services, but the reopening of Tramtown is good news, though.
Enhanced timetable marks the launch of a new era for Blackpool’s trams
3 weeks ago Fri 28th Mar 2025
With the summer season fast approaching, Blackpool Transport is boosting tram services with a new timetable as part of its ongoing commitment to meeting the transport requirements of Fylde Coast residents and visitors.
From Sunday, April 6, they’ll see a 50 per cent increase in services, with daytime trams running every ten minutes, seven days a week, and every 15 minutes in the evenings. The new timetable will also see some direct services between Fleetwood and Starr Gate significantly reducing journey times for many customers.
The enhancement is part of a wider relaunch of services which reflects feedback from customers and puts more trams into locations where they are needed to meet the evolving needs of passengers.
Jane Cole, Managing Director of Blackpool Transport, explained: “Following the opening of the North Station last year, we’ve carefully analysed how our trams are being used.
“We found that more than two out of three customers travel from the North or South into the town centre stops and, in response, the new timetable has been prepared to deliver swifter, more convenient services that reflect those travel patterns. The new timetable delivers a more robust service while maintaining excellent connectivity between light and heavy rail.”
New Heritage Tram Workshop Attraction for 2025
1 month ago Fri 28th Feb 2025Blackpool Tramtown, the home of Blackpool’s heritage trams has launched its new season with a whole new tour experience. From Easter, visitors will be able visit the tram engineering works within an exhibition hall experience giving visitors the freedom and time to walk around the exhibition and see the history of Blackpool’s rich tram heritage.
Paul Galley, Tramtown volunteer coordinator said “ I am delighted that Tramtown has survived all the challenges thrown at it and it’s stronger as a result. Through the hard work of our amazing volunteers this new visitor experience will not only save Blackpools heritage trams it will help regenerate the wider Bloomfield area.”
Bryan Lindop head of heritage at Blackpool Transport said “Being able to open the workshop to the public is something I have always desired but never been able to achieve until now. Initially, due to the limited amount of time available since we took over the workshop, we will open it as it is, adding to our displays as we go along, gradually evolving, improving and rotating some of the exhibits on a regular basis. Delivering this interim opportunity will provide an insightful flavour of just a small part of what we aim to deliver in the future.”
Jane Cole, managing director of Blackpool Transport contributed, “Creating access to as much of our heritage as possible during the interim period in which the Tramtown development is in the funding and delivery stages is key. This will enable the public to enjoy the uniqueness of our collections, and it enables us to present a meaningful precursor of the full scheme which is yet to come. The Blackpool Tram Works is phase 1 of our heritage plan whilst we endeavour to secure funding to get our heritage trams back in operation.”
We are opening the heritage engineering workshop to the public from Good Friday for all four days over the Easter period. Thereafter, we will initially operate every Monday and Saturday until further notice, with a view to steadily increasing this to extra days subject to volunteer availability. If anyone fancies joining our hardworking and dedicated team, please contact us. Opening hours will initially be from 10a.m. until 2pm with a separate opportunity to pre-book a guided workshop tour from 3 to 4pm.”
Tickets can be bought here
“We are now completely focussed on ushering in an enhanced frequency for our popular tramway. We have recruited more drivers to deliver the extra services and a new sales team to offer travel advice at busy tram stops, which will greatly improve the customer experience.”
The reinstated mainline service will run every 20 minutes and synchronise with trams running between Fleetwood, Cleveleys and Starr Gate that call at North Station. Together they will provide an evenly spaced, 10-minute, north and southbound service from North Pier.
“We are delighted to be able to introduce these service enhancements in time for the summer, but they are just the start of an ambitious programme of improvements to our tram and bus services that customers can expect to see over the next few months,” Jane added.
Further information about the new timetable can be found here: BPTramwayA4Leaflet_April2025.pdf
Neither of them specifically mention the actual heritage tramways services, but the reopening of Tramtown is good news, though.
This is a hot topic in the Blackpool Trams News thread found here.These are two articles on Blackpool Transport's website:
Enhanced timetable marks the launch of a new era for Blackpool’s trams
3 weeks ago Fri 28th Mar 2025
With the summer season fast approaching, Blackpool Transport is boosting tram services with a new timetable as part of its ongoing commitment to meeting the transport requirements of Fylde Coast residents and visitors.
From Sunday, April 6, they’ll see a 50 per cent increase in services, with daytime trams running every ten minutes, seven days a week, and every 15 minutes in the evenings. The new timetable will also see some direct services between Fleetwood and Starr Gate significantly reducing journey times for many customers.
The enhancement is part of a wider relaunch of services which reflects feedback from customers and puts more trams into locations where they are needed to meet the evolving needs of passengers.
Jane Cole, Managing Director of Blackpool Transport, explained: “Following the opening of the North Station last year, we’ve carefully analysed how our trams are being used.
“We found that more than two out of three customers travel from the North or South into the town centre stops and, in response, the new timetable has been prepared to deliver swifter, more convenient services that reflect those travel patterns. The new timetable delivers a more robust service while maintaining excellent connectivity between light and heavy rail.”
“We are now completely focussed on ushering in an enhanced frequency for our popular tramway. We have recruited more drivers to deliver the extra services and a new sales team to offer travel advice at busy tram stops, which will greatly improve the customer experience.”
The reinstated mainline service will run every 20 minutes and synchronise with trams running between Fleetwood, Cleveleys and Starr Gate that call at North Station. Together they will provide an evenly spaced, 10-minute, north and southbound service from North Pier.
“We are delighted to be able to introduce these service enhancements in time for the summer, but they are just the start of an ambitious programme of improvements to our tram and bus services that customers can expect to see over the next few months,” Jane added.
Further information about the new timetable can be found here:
I'm personally not a fan of the timetable. Despite it being an "upgrade". It's actually a Downgrade if you're travelling beyond North Pier in either direction.
With Heritage not running This Year (at least until Autumn), it would have been nice if they could have found a Use for B Fleet Ballons on LRT Specials.
The reopening of Tramtown may not mean the return of Heritage Trams anytime soon. But the signs certainly look promising. It's a totally and improved experience from before. The workshop has been transformed into a dedicated visitor centre with some of the Trams on Display.
AFAIK, the main reason why Heritage trams are suspended is due to the roof on the main Tramshed. The sooner it gets fixed, the sooner the Heritage Trams come back.
I'm looking forward to it. I'll certainly be making a trip to Blackpool soon to support this & i'd encourage others do the same to ensure the future of the Heritage Trams in Blackpool.
There's currently a Lottery Heritage fund bid in the works for the main Tramshed so the more visitors Tramtown gets, the better it is as it supports the Lottery bid.
It would be nice if we could see the B Fleet rolled out this year in the absence of Heritage Trams
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This line is of interest, from the quote from Jane Cole in the article linked above:
“The Blackpool Tram Works is phase 1 of our heritage plan whilst we endeavour to secure funding to get our heritage trams back in operation.”
Given that the trams exist, the crews are voluntary, and the depot in which they are stored and maintained is seemingly central to future plans and not under threat, I’m curious as to what exactly that means.
Ms Cole was previously quoted as mentioning that ‘contractors’ would be used going forwards to undertake maintenance on the heritage fleet, which of course followed the sudden suspension of the heritage service for which no coherent explanation has yet been offered as far as I’m aware. We now have further slightly cryptic messaging regarding the situation. I would hope that ‘seeking funding’ isn’t going to lead to ‘cash strapped council, economic pressures, can’t afford it’ etc, but perhaps there are other intentions being lined up to find this money. Either way, the short notice cancellation of well booked Christmas events was unlikely to have been a help on the financial front, and it seems baffling that nobody appears to have stumbled upon the idea of just running the heritage service properly, with proper advertising and promotion, as a means of raising some funds.
Ho hum, we continue to wait patiently in the hope that things will return.
The ongoing commitment to development of Rigby Road as a heritage attraction is, of course, to be highly commended and will be a credit to Blackpool Transport, the local authorities and all those who help to see it through to completion.
“The Blackpool Tram Works is phase 1 of our heritage plan whilst we endeavour to secure funding to get our heritage trams back in operation.”
Given that the trams exist, the crews are voluntary, and the depot in which they are stored and maintained is seemingly central to future plans and not under threat, I’m curious as to what exactly that means.
Ms Cole was previously quoted as mentioning that ‘contractors’ would be used going forwards to undertake maintenance on the heritage fleet, which of course followed the sudden suspension of the heritage service for which no coherent explanation has yet been offered as far as I’m aware. We now have further slightly cryptic messaging regarding the situation. I would hope that ‘seeking funding’ isn’t going to lead to ‘cash strapped council, economic pressures, can’t afford it’ etc, but perhaps there are other intentions being lined up to find this money. Either way, the short notice cancellation of well booked Christmas events was unlikely to have been a help on the financial front, and it seems baffling that nobody appears to have stumbled upon the idea of just running the heritage service properly, with proper advertising and promotion, as a means of raising some funds.
Ho hum, we continue to wait patiently in the hope that things will return.
The ongoing commitment to development of Rigby Road as a heritage attraction is, of course, to be highly commended and will be a credit to Blackpool Transport, the local authorities and all those who help to see it through to completion.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
I can't help but wonder, having read a few newspaper articles on this, if there was some sort of falling out between the volunteers who previously maintained them (I think they were volunteers, or at least BTS staff who were doing it on their own time?) and the company? Nothing outright says that, but it sort of has that feel, and it isn't uncommon in voluntary organisations and settings to have that sort of blow-up. Hence a need to bring contractors in to replace them?
That doesn’t seem an unreasonable suggestion.
Either way, what is unquestionably needed is some proper basic strategy on how to market and run the operations, based on attracting a reasonable level of custom from what is one of the country’s biggest tourist areas!
I think I said before, BT has the luxury of countless bus and tram shelters all along the promenade, plus the regular tram fleet, plus the bus fleet - for heaven’s sake use some of the advertising space!
Sat in the back of Rigby Road as we speak are several ‘B Fleet’ Balloon cars which were modified at great expense to be compatible with daily operations. They’re unlikely to ever do much more than sit gathering dust, take the bloody roof off of one or two of them and run an open topped Prom service - imagine the earning potential for that in high summer! Likewise, get Princess Alice back in working order and do some summer tours and private hires. Yes, this all costs money I realise, but it’s painful to stand as a layman and see such blatantly obvious basic potential left sitting idle while those in charge scratch their heads and pretend that they can’t see a way forwards!
Either way, what is unquestionably needed is some proper basic strategy on how to market and run the operations, based on attracting a reasonable level of custom from what is one of the country’s biggest tourist areas!
I think I said before, BT has the luxury of countless bus and tram shelters all along the promenade, plus the regular tram fleet, plus the bus fleet - for heaven’s sake use some of the advertising space!
Sat in the back of Rigby Road as we speak are several ‘B Fleet’ Balloon cars which were modified at great expense to be compatible with daily operations. They’re unlikely to ever do much more than sit gathering dust, take the bloody roof off of one or two of them and run an open topped Prom service - imagine the earning potential for that in high summer! Likewise, get Princess Alice back in working order and do some summer tours and private hires. Yes, this all costs money I realise, but it’s painful to stand as a layman and see such blatantly obvious basic potential left sitting idle while those in charge scratch their heads and pretend that they can’t see a way forwards!
Agree with just about all of that, although I feel they need to go back to basics with what they have. Get a small number of them active, particularly Boat 600, and get them running to a timetable every 20 or 30 mins between north pier and pleasure beach. Run the first and last few journeys to bispham/little Bispham to capture some of the hotel trade
Drop the prices back down to entice people, have add-on fares for those that already have a ticket for the buses/flexities Even add a couple of stops at Tower/central pier - I've seen flexities delay heritage more than the other way around, so pretty sure this could be accommodated. Then market it more like a sightseeing tour that stops at the main attractions
Exactly this! Where do we send our CVs?!
tram21
Member
Surprised this hasn't been mentioned.
A recent article by the BBC doesn't exactly give great hope for the future...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g34ddwl46o
A recent article by the BBC doesn't exactly give great hope for the future...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g34ddwl46o
Where’s the fundrasier?! That isn’t a particularly substantial sum of money in the grand scheme of things.
I'm confused....
I've seen some articles say £25,000. But the BBC article says £150,000, Bryan Lindop has also mentioned the £150,000 figure in the following Video.
Why is there 2 different figures? & Which figure is the correct one?
Raising 25k in the next Three Weeks is a really big ask as it is, They'll struggle to reach that target unless they start up some sort of online fundraiser.
Raising 150k in Three Weeks will be nearly Impossible without a funding grant from either the Lottery's Heritage Fund, or Government.
I highly doubt they'll be able to raise 25k in Three Weeks. Never mind 150k.
I'll be honest: The chances of seeing a Heritage Tram out on the Prom this year is looking bleak. A much more realistic expectation would be to give Heritage a Fallow Year so they can resolve all their operation issues and bring them back next Easter.
I'm also surprised that there's currently no plan to run B Fleet Balloons in place of the Traditional Heritage Tours. I'd be looking for a way to utilise them in the absence of Heritage. It'd be nice to see them running a Promenade Service between Pleasure Beach & Little Bispham, calling at the LRT stops along the way.
I have to say that, to my sceptical mind at least, this looks less and less likely to be simple ineptitude and increasingly like something more sinister.
We’ve had a series of implausible, half baked excuses containing little in the way of detail or explanation - including one which seemed to seek to blame external safety requirements, and which the relevant regulator comprehensively debunked - and now we have a sudden funding crisis, against a backdrop of the operation having being suspended and unable to generate an income for the past six months. Hardly a surprise that the till is empty.
Something smells decidedly unpleasant to me, I only hope that the attentions of councillors and MPs are still there to aid the cause if things continue to deteriorate, as I’m afraid I fear that they will. As for a “fallow year”, I worry that might just be the death knell for the whole operation - after all, the longer the trams are away the easier it is not to bring them back.
We’ve had a series of implausible, half baked excuses containing little in the way of detail or explanation - including one which seemed to seek to blame external safety requirements, and which the relevant regulator comprehensively debunked - and now we have a sudden funding crisis, against a backdrop of the operation having being suspended and unable to generate an income for the past six months. Hardly a surprise that the till is empty.
Something smells decidedly unpleasant to me, I only hope that the attentions of councillors and MPs are still there to aid the cause if things continue to deteriorate, as I’m afraid I fear that they will. As for a “fallow year”, I worry that might just be the death knell for the whole operation - after all, the longer the trams are away the easier it is not to bring them back.