From Saturday 2nd July, vintage trams will be running again at Crich Tramway Village in Derbyshire after some essential safety work was completed.
Tram operations were suspended on 18th May following a visit by an inspection team from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
The inspectors found two traction poles, which hold up the overhead line in the depot area, had become corroded. They were deemed to be a safety risk, which resulted in the tram depots, the main exhibition hall, and children's soft play area being cordoned off.
New traction poles were required, and these were donated by NET operator, Nottingham Trams Limited, who were quick to offer both support and the urgently needed replacement poles. Replacement of the traction poles was carried out by specialist contractors, Pod-Trak Ltd.
Following its reopening on Sunday, 3rd July, the Classic Motorcycle Day at Crich Tramway Village will go ahead with trams in operation.
Information on opening dates, times, and prices at Crich Tramway Village can be found at https://www.tramway.co.uk/plan-your-visit/tickets
Don't forget, RailAdvent Plus members get 15% discount off Crich Tramway Village standard admissions tickets, click here to find out more
Graeme Wigglesworth, Engineering Manager at Crich Tramway Village, said:
“This important safety work had to be carried out before we could permit access to the affected areas to safeguard the public, our staff and volunteers. We are extremely grateful to Nottingham Trams Limited for their support and are pleased to say that the work has been carried out efficiently by Pod-Trak Ltd. The overhead line is now in good working order and trams are no longer restricted to 4 mph.”
Trevor Stocker, Head of Operations at Nottingham Trams Ltd said:
“We are proud to be able to support Crich Tramway Village where we can and on this occasion our Engineering team were able to help, which is great news.”
Dr. Mike Galer, General Manager, Crich Tramway Village said:
“I am delighted that we are able to re-open again with all facilities. I am grateful to all the volunteers and staff at Crich who worked tirelessly to resolve the issues and to do so much more while we were closed.
“As a thank you to Nottingham Trams Limited, we will be offering NET staff free admission to Crich Tramway Village for the rest of this season. We will also offer discounts to local residents living within 5 miles of Crich for the month of July 2022”.
One of the new masts can be seen behind the tram, Blackpool 167. Credit: Crich Tramway Village.
This is Certainly (most Definitely) Jolly Great News…. I always knew that Delightful Transportation Destination would be back up and running it’s Superb Fleet of Steet Trams, especially following on from that setback that’s since become done & dusted.
A Jolly Well Done and Congratualtions Also in Order, to the National Tramway Museum (and Village) with a Bright & Colourful Future Ahead.
Good news that they are back up and running. Really good support from Nottingham Trams.
Question for the directors. Why did they not identify the problem before ORR came to inspect. Something is clearly not right with the SMS if this can be allowed to happen.