The Railway Magazine – July 2019

Metro Track Record

86 •The Railway Magazine• July 2019

CAFwinsDocklands contract

Nexus reveals

bidders for

new T&W fleet

NEXUS, the public body that
runs theTyne &Wear Metro,
has announced three firms are
bidding to build and maintain
the next fleet of 42 trains.
CAF, Hitachi Rail and Stadler
will submit final bids this summer,
with a decision expected in
January 2020.
The government is putting
£337million towards the
projected £362m cost of the new
fleet and a maintenance depot at
Gosforth.
The first new trains are
expected from late-2021, with
the current fleet being phased
out from 2022-2024.
The design brief includes trains
that will operate efficiently and
robustly to provide a step change
in availability and performance
with a bright modern appearance.
Other requirements include
trains that improve passenger
flow and dwell times at stations
through improved seating
layouts, wider doors and aisles,
and a layout to encourage flow
of passengers through the
vehicle.

Newhighpoint

forlightrail

LIGHT rail and tram use in
England increased by 1.9% in
the year ending March 2019
to reach new highs for
passenger journeys and vehicle
miles, according to the latest
government figures.
More than 272million
passenger journeys were made
on the eight light rail and tram
systems in England.
Journeys in London (Tramlink
and DLR) rose by 1.2% to
150million and outside of
London (West Midlands Metro,
Nottingham ExpressTransit,
Sheffield Supertram, Manchester
Metrolink, BlackpoolTramway,
andTyne &Wear Metro) they
increased by 2.8% to 122million.
Passenger journeys increased
on all but LondonTramlink and
Sheffield Supertram.
Overall, vehicle miles rose by
4.1% to 22.5million – breaking
down as a fall in London of
1.2% to 5.8million, but a rise
elsewhere of 2.6% to 16.7million.
The number of carriages stayed
the same on all light rail and
tram systems.

TRANSPORT for London has

awarded the contract to design

and build a fleet of 43 trains for

the Docklands Light Railway

(DLR) to Spanish firm CAF.

The deal includes a support

agreement to provide on-going

technical support services and

spares.

The five-car trains will be a

similar length to the three-car

sets currently in use, and will be

based on CAF’s Metro design.

Thirty-three trains will enter

service from 2023 to replace the

DLR’s oldest rolling stock – the

Bombardier B90 series, which

have been in service since

1991 – with the other 10 used

to increase capacity and service

frequencies across the network.

The DLR will continue to use

57 Bombardier B92 trains (built

1993-95) and 24 Bombardier B2K

trains (built 2001/02).

The CAF trains will have a

number of new features, such as

audio and visual real-time travel

information, air conditioning,

mobile device charging points,

multi-use areas for pushchairs,

bicycles and luggage, and

dedicated wheelchair spaces.

TfL first advertised for a new

fleet in May 2017 and in

November that year selected

four bidders.

The losing firms were Alstom,

Bombardier, and a consortium of

Siemens and Stadler.

How the new CAF-built

Docklands Light Railway

trains should look when

introduced in 2023.

WestMidlandsMetrocelebrates20yearsofservice

WEST Midlands Metro has

marked 20 years of operation

by unveiling a specially

designed livery on tram No. 19.

Services were officially

launched between

Wolverhampton St George’s

and Birmingham Snow Hill on

May 30, 1999 with an extension

through to Grand Central

(Birmingham New Street)

opening in 2016.

Today, Metro trams travel a

total of more than 2,000,000km

per year and carry more than

seven million passengers.

The network is due to expand

again later this year with a short

extension from Grand Central

to Centenary Square in the

centre of Birmingham.

However, there are also

plans to treble the size of the

current network, with further

expansion to Dudley, Brierley

Hill, Hagley Road, Digbeth,

Bordesley Green and Solihull

• which should see annual
  passenger numbers hit 30
  million.

Right: West Midland Metro

tram No. 19 sports the special

20th anniversary livery at Black

Lake, near West Bromwich, on

June 1.JOHNWHITEHOUSE

RAIB investigates near-miss

betweenManchestertrams

THE Rail Accident Investigation

Branch is looking into a signal

passed at stop and a subsequent

near miss between two trams at

the Deansgate to Castlefield tram

stop in Manchester on May 17.

The incident happened during

the evening peak when a tram

from Manchester Airport to

Victoria passed through the

centre platform of Deansgate

to Castlefields, failing to stop as

required at the platform.

It then passed a stop signal at

the far end of the platform while

travelling around 9mph, and

entered the section of line that

leads to St Peter’s Square.

Passing the stop signal

placed the tram in a conflicting

movement with another that

was departing from the adjacent

platform.

The driver of the second tram

realised what was happening

and bought their tram to a stop

before a collision occurred.The

first tram continued on to

St Peter’s Square.

There were no injuries, but a

potentially serious accident was

only narrowly avoided.

CRUMPSALLTURNBACK:A view on May 24 of Crumpsall Metrolink

station, on the Bury line, where a third platform and turnback siding

is being built for the planned new cross-city service toTrafford Centre.

At this time the points had been installed but the trackbed into the

new platform was still being prepared.GREG MAPE

COMPILED BY

PAUL

BICKERDYKE

Call: 01507 529589

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