List of modern tramway and light rail systems in the United Kingdom
This is a list of extant tramway and light rail systems in the United Kingdom. For a full historical list of all tramway systems that have existed in the country, see List of town tramway systems in the United Kingdom.
Operating systems[edit]
Location | System | Traction type |
Date opened | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Blackpool | Blackpool Tramway | Electric | 29 September 1885 | [1] |
Edinburgh | Edinburgh Trams | Electric | 31 May 2014 | Extension opened 7 June 2023 |
South London | Tramlink, formerly Croydon Tramlink | Electric | 10 May 2000 | [2][3] |
East London | Docklands Light Railway | Electric | 31 August 1987 | Light rail |
Greater Manchester | Metrolink | Electric | 6 April 1992 | |
Nottingham | Nottingham Express Transit | Electric | 9 March 2004 | [4] |
Sheffield and Rotherham | Supertram | Electric | 21 March 1994 | [5] |
Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland | Tyne and Wear Metro | Electric | 11 August 1980 | Light rail |
West Midlands (Birmingham–Wolverhampton) | West Midlands Metro | Electric | 30 May 1999 |
Systems under construction[edit]
- Coventry Very Light Rail – The Coventry Very Light Rail is a planned system of four lines around the city of Coventry. The first line to University Hospital Coventry is planned to open late 2023, or early 2024. The first tram vehicle left the construction line in late March 2021, and was taken on a showcase in the city, before being taken to Dudley for testing.
- South Wales Metro – Four light rapid transit lines are opening in the Welsh Capital of Cardiff as part of the current "Metro" plan Phase 1 in 2023, which will reach as far out of the capital as Hirwaun, a town 31 miles (50 km) from Cardiff Bay, as well as three new lines planned to open by 2026.
Proposed systems[edit]
- KenEx Tram – Thames crossing between Kent and Essex[6]
- Wirral Street Car
- Bristol underground metro
- HERT (Hertfordshire and Essex Rapid Transit)[7]
Cancelled systems[edit]
- Bristol Supertram
- CITI Belfast
- Cross River Tram
- East London Transit – built as bus rapid transit
- Leeds Supertram
- Merseytram
- Penistone Line Tram-Train
- South Hampshire Rapid Transit
- Thames Gateway Transit
- West London Tram
- Tees Valley Metro
See also[edit]
- Light Rail Transit Association
- List of guided busways and BRT systems in the United Kingdom
- List of town tramway systems in the United Kingdom
- List of trolleybus systems in the United Kingdom
- Rapid transit in the United Kingdom
- Urban rail in the United Kingdom
References[edit]
- ^ "History of our Tramway". Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ "Available Website". Railwaysofbritain.bravehost.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
- ^ "Available Website". Railwaysofbritain.bravehost.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
- ^ Turner, Keith (2009). Directory of British Tramways. Volume 2. Stroud: The History Press. pp. 88–89. ISBN 978-0-7524-4233-4.
- ^ "Sheffield's Trams in c1960". Cyberpictures.net. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
- ^ "KenEx Tram". Thames Gateway Tramlink Ltd. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
- ^ "Improving passenger transport - Hertfordshire Essex Rapid Transit". 28 January 2022 – via www.hertfordshire.gov.uk.