New look for new trams

GMPTA Councillors Whitmore, Colledge and Knowles with the new look model tram.

40 new Metrolink trams will bring a splash of yellow to Greater Manchester when they start to arrive next year and they will run to Rochdale when the Metrolink line via Oldham is complete by 2012.

Transport leaders on Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA) unveiled the new look on a model tram earlier today (Wednesday 8 October).

The trams will be yellow at the front, and have yellow and silver sides. The new colours will also be used inside the trams, and full-length glass double doors will make them feel lighter and brighter.

The trams, which have already been ordered and are costing just over £2 million each, will be added to the Metrolink network over the next three years. They will run on the existing system as well on the new line to Rochdale.

Councillor Matt Colledge, Chairman of GMPTA, said: “The new look trams will be just part of the improvements we’ll be making to Metrolink over the next few years. In fact, the expansion of the network will see it nearly double in size so the new trams will soon be running across Greater Manchester.”

Councillor Keith Whitmore, Vice Chairman of GMPTA, said: “It’s amazing how much people associate Greater Manchester with trams. This new design will really make the trams stand out, with the exciting new livery giving an impression of speed and movement. I’m looking forward to seeing the first of the new look trams arrive next year.”

Councillor Richard Knowles, Chairman of GMPTA’s Development and Operations Committee, said: “The Metrolink network is now more than 16 years old but the new look trams will take it firmly into the twenty-first century. The vibrant new colours look great and are highly visible, helping to improve road safety.”

The new look was developed by Manchester-based design agency Hemisphere. Grant Windridge, Creative Director, said: “Our aim has been to create a bright and iconic tram that is easily recognisable on the streets. We chose yellow not just because of its high visibility but also because its traditional association with confidence and optimism echoes Greater Manchester’s attitude and values.”

The 1.6-metre-long model tram unveiled today will be taken to London next week to show politicians and transport industry experts. A special event has been organised by GMPTA at the House of Commons to promote Greater Manchester’s future public transport network.

The new trams are being built by global transport company Bombardier in partnership with Vossloh Kiepe. The new model already operates in several European cities, including Cologne, Bonn, Rotterdam and Stockholm.

Up to 200 passengers will be able to travel on each of the new trams, and the wide double doors will make it easy for people with wheelchairs or prams to get on and off them. Bombardier is building the trams at its sites in Bautzen in Germany and Vienna in Austria.

Nearly £600 million is being invested on expanding the Metrolink network over the next three and a half years. Construction work will start next year and trams are due to begin running to Rochdale in spring 2012.

The Metrolink network could be extended even further in the future using money from the government’s Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) and a loan supported by the introduction of a limited, peak-time only, congestion charge.

The TIF package of up to £3 billion includes extensions to Rochdale town centre.

A formal consultation on the TIF proposals is currently taking place and a referendum will be held in December.