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Nottingham Express Transit

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This article is about trams from 2004 onwards. For trams 1875–1897, see Nottingham and District Tramways Company Limited. For trams 1897–1936, see Nottingham Corporation Tramways.
Nottingham Express Transit
File:Nottingham Express Transit logo.png
Overview
LocaleNottingham
Stations23
Service
TypeTram/Light rail
Operator(s)Tramlink Nottingham
Depot(s)Wilkinson Street
Rolling stockBombardier Incentro AT6/5
History
Opened9 March 2004
Technical
Line length14 km (8.7 mi)
CharacterY-shape network; city-centre street running
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Operating speed80 km/h (50 mph)
Route map
Template:Infobox rdt

"Nottingham" Express Transit (NET) is a light-rail tramway in Nottingham, England. The first line opened to the public on 9 March 2004, having cost £200 million (equivalent to £Format price error: cannot parse value "Error when using {{Inflation}}: |end_year=2024 (parameter 4) is greater than the latest available year (2023) in index "UK"." at 2024 prices)[1] to construct. The scheme took 16 years from conception to implementation. It is operated by Tramlink Nottingham, a consortium of Meridiam Infrastructure, OFI InfraVia, Alstom Transport, Keolis, VINCI Investments and Wellglade Group.[2] It was operated by Arrow Light Rail[2] from 9 March 2004 until 16 December 2011.[3]

Network

Line 1

From Nottingham railway station, south of the city centre, north past the Lace Market, Nottingham Trent University, Forest Recreation Ground to Hucknall. There are 23 stops, with provision for a stop between Basford and Wilkinson Street close to the site of the British Gas works, and there is a proposal for a stop at the redeveloped Broadmarsh Shopping Centre adjacent to the projected new bus station.

It is 14 km long, of which 4 km is on street. A little north of the city centre is a section about 1 km long where northbound and southbound trams follow different streets, crossing at each end to run on the 'wrong side'. From Wilkinson Street north for about 8 km, the line runs alongside the Robin Hood Line. At Highbury Vale, about half way, a branch turns west for 1 km to Phoenix Park, while the main line runs north to Hucknall. There are park-and-ride facilities at several stations.

Construction was by Carillion. It is arguably the only 'new' tram system in the UK to have been an instant success. Whilst others are starting to carry the number of passengers that was hoped for, Nottingham has exceeded the most optimistic predictions, carrying 9.7 million people in 2005. This bolsters the case for the construction of new lines. In 2006 it was also the only operation in the British Isles with 100% low-floor trams.

From 4 April 2005, trams run every five minutes during peak times, and every six minutes during the weekday daytime, alternating between Hucknall and Phoenix Park, dropping to every 10 minutes Monday–Saturday evening, every 15 minutes Sunday evening.

The tram connects with East Midlands Trains, CrossCountry and Northern Rail at Station Street, for Nottingham railway station; and at Bulwell and Hucknall, for the Robin Hood Line.

The main bus interchanges are at: Hucknall, for buses to the Hucknall Estates and Mansfield; Moor Bridge, for buses to Arnold; Bulwell Forest, for buses to the City Hospital; Bulwell; Cinderhill (via a short walk to Nuthall Road), for buses to Eastwood ; Wilkinson Street, for Medilink buses to City Hospital and QMC; Royal Centre; Old Market Square; Lace Market; Phoenix Park, for buses to Nuthall, Kimberley, IKEA and Ilkeston.

Tickets are currently sold on board by conductors. However, in January 2012 the new concessionaires, Tramlink Nottingham, announced an intention to replace the on-board conductors with a combination of station-based "ambassadors", platform-based ticket machines and electronic ticketing.[4][5]

An all-day tram ticket costs £3.50. A Kangaroo (all trams, buses and trains within the Kangaroo Zone) day ticket costs £4.00. In Hucknall, a Trent Barton Connect day ticket costs £3.90 (adult), £2.20 on bus (child). An adult tram single ticket costs £2.00. A Hucknall Hopper allows all day travel on the tram and a connection on Hucknall local buses (228 and 8AOT). A PayPoint 10-trip ticket reduces the cost to £1.70.[citation needed]
Concessionary fares are available only to Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County pass holders. City pass holders travel free, apart from Monday-Friday 0730-0930; County pass holders travel free, apart from Monday–Friday before 0930 (no concession) and 1600–1800.[citation needed]

Nottingham City Transport Day Rider tickets were accepted until 16 December 2011 when Tramlink Nottingham took over the running of the network. NCT EasyRider Citycards were also valid until 31 January 2012.[6]

Future lines

Supports for new tram bridge; the bridge awaiting sliding into position on 26 January 2013. Timelapse video of the bridge

NET Phase Two is for two extensions NET Phase 2 from Station Street. A bridge will be constructed across the top of Nottingham Station. NET Phase 2: stations

Phase 2

Phase Two is under construction and is an extension of the current Line 1 from Hucknall and Phoenix Park to Nottingham Station. Phase two will extend the line into Toton and Clifton. The new lines will be routes across the city - Line 1 from Hucknall will follow the same route into the City Centre until Nottingham Station (The Hub) - then it will continue to Toton Lane. Line 2 from Phoenix Park will follow the same route as it currently does into the City Centre until Nottingham Station - then it will continue to Clifton (A453).

Line 2

The Clifton route will go through densely populated residential areas to the south of the city, including the Meadows, Wilford/Ruddington Lane area and the Clifton Estate, to a new park and ride site serving the A453. It will cross the River Trent on the Wilford Toll Bridge, which will be widened to allow pedestrians and cyclists to continue to use it, and then use part of the Great Central Railway formation through Wilford.

The route is 7.6 km long, of which 63% is segregated. The journey time from the Old Market Square will be 23.5 minutes.

Current outline designs show 13 tram stops, attracting approximately 3.9 million passenger journeys a year.

Currently Line One features two northern termini and one southern terminus. When the line extensions open this will change to two routes. Line 1 will go from Hucknall to Toton Lane. Line 2 will go from Phoenix Park to Clifton.

The full Line 2 route from Phoenix Park to Clifton will feature 28 tram stops.

Line 1

The Chilwell and Beeston route will go to the south west of the city, serving the northern edge of the Meadows residential area, the ng2 development site, Queen's Medical Centre, the University of Nottingham, Beeston town centre and Chilwell, to a new park and ride site at the junction of the A52 road and Toton Lane, about one mile from junction 25 of the M1 motorway.

The route is 9.8 km long, of which 59% is segregated. The journey time from the Old Market Square will be 30 minutes.

The full line 1 will go from the current terminus at Hucknall to Toton Lane via the City Centre.

Current outline designs show 15 tram stops, attracting approximately 5.1 million passenger journeys a year. The full line 1 route will feature 37 tram stops, 15 of the 37 being on the new extension to Toton Lane. The journey time from Hucknall to Toton Lane will be 62 minutes.

Project progress

Programme Entry approval was given on 25 October 2006 with the Government agreeing to provide up to £437 million in Private Finance Initiative (PFI) credits. The local councils will also provide up to £141M in PFI credits. The two local councils (Nottinghamshire County and Nottingham City Councils) voted on 22 February 2007 and 3 March 2007 respectively to table an application for a Transport & Works Act Order.

The City and County Councils’ application for the order were available to view from 26 April 2007 to 7 June 2007 when it was submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport for consideration. A public inquiry was held in December 2007. The project was given the go-ahead by the government on 30 March 2009.[7][8]

Following the local elections in 2009, Nottinghamshire County Council indicated that it was no longer willing to contribute financially to the project, so Nottingham City Council decided to cover the shortfall and be the sole promoter. Nottinghamshire County Council confirmed that it would not obstruct the project.[9]

Funding was approved by the government on 31 July 2009.[10][11][dead link] Selecting and appointing the contractor was expected to take two years. Building work was expected to begin in 2011, in two phases, with trams running from 2014. The scheme aims to reduce the number of car journeys into Nottingham by four million per annum.

The scheme survived the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review ordered by the government.[12]

On 24 March 2011 the government confirmed that funding had been approved,[13] and at the end of the month the preferred bidder to build the new lines and operate the whole network was announced as Tramlink Nottingham.[13] The finalised contract was hoped to be signed by September,[14] but it was signed on 15 December 2011.[15]

Tramlink Nottingham is a consortium of Alstom, Keolis, Trent Barton owner Wellglade, Vinci, OFI InfraVia & Meridiam Infrastructure.[15]

The future

During the development of NET a number of possible routes around the city were considered. There are no detailed plans for further expansion, but during the tendering process for Phase Two, documents contained nine possible routes:

  • Hucknall to Linby.
  • The park and ride at Phoenix Park to Kimberley and/or Watnall
  • Nottingham to West Bridgford and then Gamston/Tollerton/Edwalton/Ruddington.
  • Queen's Medical Centre to Arnold, via Basford.
  • Nottingham to Gedling.
  • Nottingham to Gamston.
  • Chilwell to Ilkeston.
  • Clifton to East Midlands Parkway or East Midlands Airport.
  • Chilwell to Stapleford and/or Sandiacre.

The document raised the possibility of tram-train lines from Nottingham to Gedling and/or Bingham, and to Ilkeston.[16]

Kimberley, Eastwood & Nuthall Tram Action Group (KENTAG) campaigns for an extension from Phoenix Park to Eastwood and Kimberley.[17] In December 2012, Nottingham City Council agreed to seek money to conduct a feasibility study on the route.[18]

News that a station for the proposed HS2 line is likely to be built on the site of Toton Sidings, only a short distance from the planned Chilwell terminus has fuelled speculation that the line could be extended to the new station.[19]

Route

  • See map

Tram fleet

Main article: AT6/5
All NET trams are named, tram 205 carries the name of Lord Byron

The system has 15 Incentro AT6/5 trams, similar to those used in Nantes, built by Bombardier Transportation (formerly ADtranz) in Derby. The Flexity Outlook Eurotram was also considered, but was rejected as its large single-leaf doors did not comply with British door-alarm regulations.

The trams run on 750 volts DC and have a top speed of 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph). They are 100% low-floor vehicles articulated in five sections, and are 33 metres long and 2.4 metres wide.

From a very early stage, the trams have been named after famous local people. Vinyl transfers carrying the names are mounted on diagonally opposite corners of the tram exterior. Upon introduction they were also on the front right-hand side (in direction of travel) on the top of tram windows, in the same style as advertisements.

In 2013 Nottingham Express Transit announced that all trams would be refurbished and receive a new livery and interior.[20] The first tram to be refurbished was 215, followed by 214, 205 and 213.

 Class  Image  Top speed   Number   Built 
 mph   km/h 
Incentro AT6/5 50 80 15 2002–2003

Future fleet

A pair of new NET Citadis trams at Wilkinson Street depot in Nottingham

In preparation for the Phase Two extensions to Beeston and Clifton, 22 new Alstom Citadis 302 trams have been ordered. The first Citadis tram (216) arrived at the Wilkinson Street depot on 10 September 2013. Along with the current Incentro fleet, they will run test operation on the new lines from Summer 2014 to December 2014. The trams will also be tested on the current network when delivered.[13]

Incidents

  • On 6 October 2007, a 23-year-old man from Hucknall died after being hit by a tram when he stepped in front of it at Weekday Cross. His death was the first fatality since the trams were re-launched.[21]
  • In September 2008 a 17-year-old boy was struck in the leg.[22] He momentarily stepped out in front of a slowing tram close to the Lace Market stop. After an investigation it was found that the driver was guilty of no wrongdoing. The boy was admitted to the Queen's Medical Centre where he was found to have suffered a break, a sprain and a few heavy burns, but no long-lasting damage.
  • On 27 July 2009 the GMB held a strike in protest at a proposed paycut of 0.6% offered by Nottingham Tram Consortium. A maximum of five trams out of a normal service of 13 ran from 0600 until 1800 on the Hucknall route, with replacement buses running a shuttle from Phoenix Park.[23]
  • On 11 November 2011 a 44-year-old man from Barnsley died following an incident close to Wilkinson Street depot.[24][25]
  • On 28 November 2012, a 13-year-old girl was hit by a tram on the Bayles and Wylies footpath crossing, on the border of Bestwood and Hucknall. She was rushed to hospital but later died from her injuries.[26]

See also

References

  1. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Anticipated acquisition by Tramlink Nottingham Consortium of NET Phase Two concession" (report) (ME/5094/11). Office of Fair Trading. 2011-09-12. Retrieved 2012-02-01. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ "Changes to tram ticketing come into effect". Nottingham City Council. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  4. ^ "Conductors out and smartcards in under new tram company". Nottingham Evening Post. 2011-12-19. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  5. ^ "Conductors on trams face chop". Hucknall Dispatch. 2012-01-04. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  6. ^ Important News About the Validity of Easyrider Cards and NCT Tickets on the Tram. Nctx.co.uk. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.
  7. ^ Nottingham Express Transit (2007-04-27). "The NE(x)T steps for Nottingham Express Transit". Archived from the original on 2007-07-06. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
  8. ^ Nottingham Express Transit (2009-03-30). "Government backs Nottingham's Tram Extensions". Retrieved 2009-03-30.
  9. ^ "Tories promise not to impede tram extension". This is Nottingham. 10 July 2009.
  10. ^ http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/news/story?id=6110
  11. ^ http://nds.coi.gov.uk/clientmicrosite/Content/Detail.aspx?ClientId=202&NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=405456&SubjectId=36
  12. ^ "Comprehensive spending review backs light rail". Railway Gazette International. 29 October 2010.
  13. ^ a b c "Tramlink Nottingham named preferred bidder for NET Phase 2". Railway Gazette International. 6 April 2011.
  14. ^ [1][dead link]
  15. ^ a b "Nottingham tram Phase Two contract signed". Railway Gazette International. 15 December 2011.
  16. ^ "Tram bidders told of potential for new destinations". This is Nottingham. 2009-10-21. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  17. ^ "New campaign to extend tram line". Eastwood Advertiser. 2009-12-01. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  18. ^ "Progress made with tram link". Eastwood Advertiser. 2012-12-17. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  19. ^ "Nottingham 'must take advantage' of planned high-speed rail route". This is Nottingham. 2013-01-08. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  20. ^ thetram.net | NET – Nottingham Express Transit. TheTram (2013-03-08). Retrieved on 2013-07-17.
  21. ^ "First tram death victim is named". BBC News. 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
  22. ^ "Teenager hurt in tram incident". Nottingham Evening Post. 2008-09-02. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  23. ^ "Tram works carried out planned strike action yesterday after talks failed". Nottingham Evening Post. 2009-07-27. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  24. ^ "Man hit by tram near Wilkinson Street dies". BBC News Online. 2011-11-11. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  25. ^ "Tram victim was from Yorkshire". Nottingham Evening Post. 2011-11-15. Retrieved 2012-02-01. man who died after being hit by a tram in New Basford was a 44-year-old from Barnsley.
  26. ^ "Lindsey Inger killed in Hucknall tram collision". BBC News. 2012-11-29. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
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