Manchester Metrolink depot

Tram

The return of the tram to our city streets has been a major success story. Find out how we are working to bring the benefits of modern light rail systems to more of our urban centres.

Leading light - what light rail can do for city regions

Light rail is now playing a bigger role in the life of British towns and cities than since the heyday of urban tram systems between the First and Second World Wars.

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Light rail briefing

What is light rail and why should we build light rail schemes? Our briefing answers key questions on this high capacity, fast, frequent and cost effective mode of transport.

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How we work on light rail

 

Urban Transport Group Director Jonathan Bray is the lead staff member on light rail.

We work with UKTram as the lead UK national body for all aspects of tram and light rail development and operation. Our Light Rail group focuses on overarching light rail funding and policy issues.

Briefing

The role of LRT during and after the pandemic

This factsheet sets out examples and statistics on the key role that light rail has played in getting key workers where they need to be during the pandemic and the essential role it will have in building back better afterwards.

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Briefing
Continuing COVID Funding Support for Urban Public Transport cover

Continuing COVID Funding Support for Urban Public Transport

This report finds that if Government’s Covid-related financial support to urban public transport outside London ends (in March 2022), buses would soon be less frequent and more expensive, and patronage would be substantially lower than pre-Covid levels, potentially up to 30% lower.
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Continuing COVID Funding Support for Urban Public Transport cover

Resources for this topic

View documents, reports and other material.

Future Streets report cover

Report

Future Streets: Challenges and opportunities

Streets are often the most contested spaces in any town or city. There are a large number and wide variety of calls on street space (at least 160 legitimate calls), and they simply can’t all be met. This report seeks to help local highway and strategic transport authorities rise to the challenge of better street and kerbside management.
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Continuing COVID Funding Support for Urban Public Transport cover

Report

Continuing COVID Funding Support for Urban Public Transport

This report finds that if Government’s Covid-related financial support to urban public transport outside London ends (in March 2022), buses would soon be less frequent and more expensive, and patronage would be substantially lower than pre-Covid levels, potentially up to 30% lower.
Read more Download file
Leading light cover

Report

Leading Light: What Light Rail can do for City Regions

This report, produced by Steer for the Urban Transport Group, shows how Britain’s light rail systems have supported economic growth in the areas that they serve, promoted social inclusion and led to environmental gain, including a reduction in carbon emissions.
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Number crunch 2019 cover

Report

Number crunch 2019: Urban transport trends in changing times

This is the second in our Number crunch report series and provides an updated overview of the key trends over the last ten years, as well as taking a look at what the new and most recent data is telling us.

We are living in rapidly changing times. Big shifts are taking place in urban transport trends.

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Policy Futures for urban transport

Report

Policy futures for urban transport

The latest edition of Policy futures for urban transport emphasises how a new deal on funding and powers is essential to keep the UK's cities moving forward.

The report sets out the 10 key policy changes that are needed to make cities healthier, fairer and more prosperous.

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Horizon Scan

Report

Horizon scan of implications of technological and social change

This report aims to provide decision makers with a guide to the implications for urban transport of transformative social and technological change and how they can best respond. 

The report (which was produced in collaboration with Arup Foresight) identifies four key overarching trends: 

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Report

Light Rail and the City Regions Inquiry - Final Report

Report setting out the findings of the All Party Parliamentary Light Rail Group/pteg Light Rail and the City Regions Inquiry. The report includes a suite of recommendations for national government, local transport authorities and the light rail sector based on evidence submitted to the Inquiry.

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Report

What light rail can do for cities

This report sets out the case for investing in light rail. It is based on a detailed review of the available evidence held by the promoters of schemes in the UK looking at the benefits that have been delivered so far and how these have been achieved.

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Midland Metro

Press release

Tram and light rail providers welcome new Covid funding package

The Urban Transport Group, which represents the transport authorities responsible for tram and light rail systems in the English city regions, has today welcomed a new £56 million funding package from Government for tram and light rail systems outside London.
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Metrolink Tram

Press release

New report commissioned to highlight key role of light rail in city region COVID-19 recovery

The Urban Transport Group has commissioned a new report, from transport consultancy Steer, which will provide a comprehensive analysis and summary of the benefits of light rail as a mode, as well as setting out the economic, environmental and social benefits that UK tram and light rail systems have brought.
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Tyne and Wear Metro

Press release

Urban Transport Group brings together past and present Nexus leaders to celebrate 40 years of Tyne and Wear Metro at special event

The Urban Transport Group is bringing together the former boss of Nexus (the public body which operates the Tyne and Wear Metro) Mike Parker and its current Director General Tobyn Hughes for a special event to celebrate 40 years of the unique and pioneering light rail system. 

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Empty bus image

Press release

Report paints stark picture for future of bus and tram services without continued Government COVID-19 support

The future of local public transport services is at serious risk - including the potential for deep cuts to bus services and the temporary closure of light rail systems - without continued COVID-19 financial support from Government, according to a new report. 
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Number crunch 2019 cover

Press release

Changing travel habits in UK’s cities revealed in new data report

Fewer commutes per person, reduced car use in major urban centres and rapidly falling bus patronage – these are just some of the transport trends taking place in the UK’s biggest cities and city regions, as identified in the Urban Transport Group’s latest data report.
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Bus

Press release

National Infrastructure Commission is right to make devolved transport funding for cities a key test for Government’s future infrastructure plan

The National Infrastructure Commission’s call for Government to make devolved funding for urban transport to cities a key test of the Government’s forthcoming National Infrastructure Strategy is hugely welcome, says the Urban Transport Group.
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Yellow Metrolink and passengers

Press release

pteg welcomes Baker's Tram Report

Commenting on the report ‘Green Light for Light Rail' (launched yesterday by local transport Minister Norman Baker) Jonathan Bray, Director of pteg, said:
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Press release

Press release

pteg welcomes MPs’ tram report

Welcoming the publication today of the findings of the pteg supported All Party Parliamentary Light Rail Group inquiry into Light Rail and the City Regions, Geoff Inskip (lead Director General for pteg on light rail issues) said...
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Yellow Metrolink and passengers

Press release

MPs call for leadership to get trams back on more city streets

A cross-party Parliamentary inquiry (supported by pteg) into the future of light rail has found that light rail and modern tram schemes can help transform urban transport systems as well as the wider urban realm, promoting greener, smarter economic growth in the process.
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Press release

Press release

Tram inquiry continues

The joint, select committee-style inquiry by the All Party Parliamentary Light Rail Group and pteg holds its second hearing today at Westminster after getting off to a strong start with its first hearing, held on 27th Oct.
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Manchester Metrolink

Press release

Tram inquiry gets underway

The joint inquiry by the All Party Parliamentary Light Rail Group (APPLRG) and pteg will hold its first hearing on Tuesday 27th October at the House of Commons.

The Chair of the inquiry, Paul Rowen MP, today said:

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West Midlands

Press release

pteg and MPs group launch inquiry into getting tram schemes moving

Today pteg and the All-Party Parliamentary Light Rail Group (APPLRG) announced a select committee style inquiry into the prospects for modern trams in the UK and how barriers to tram scheme development and implementation can be tackled.
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Sheffield Supertram

Press release

Joint call for trams to be treated fairly

As the Government revises its major scheme business case guidance, Campaign for Better Transport and pteg have called for an end to the discrimination against trams.
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A tram in Zurich, Switzerland

Press release

pteg sets out agenda on where next for UK light rail

Speaking at the well attended All Party Light Rail Group’s Parliamentary reception last night, Geoff Inskip set out the perspective of Britain’s big city transport authorities on where next for modern trams and light rail in the UK.
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Press release

Press release

PTEs and TfL reaffirm commitment to the tram

Launching a new brochure on ‘what modern trams can do for cities’, Britain’s largest bloc of tram promoters – TfL and pteg – today, reaffirmed their commitment to developing and promoting tram schemes.
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Press release

Press release

PTAs respond to Government tram decisions

Responding to the recent decision by the Government to refuse funding for new tram schemes in Leeds, Merseyside and South Hampshire, Cllr Mark Dowd, Chair of the PTA special interest group (which brings together leading councillors from all seven of the UK’s PTAs), said...
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Press release

Press release

PTAs respond to Government tram decisions

Responding to the recent decision by the Government to refuse funding for new tram schemes in Leeds, Merseyside and South Hampshire, Cllr Mark Dowd, Chair of the PTA special interest group (which brings together leading councillors from all seven of the UK’s PTAs), said:

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Press release

Press release

Select Committee puts light rail back on track

The UK’s largest bloc of light rail promoters gave its wholehearted backing today to a new report from the House of Commons Transport Select Committee on the future of light rail and modern trams.
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Press release

Press release

pteg backs UKTram

A new National Tramways Forum, "UKTram" has been established following discussions between pteg, Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), Light Rapid Transit Forum (LRTF) and TfL London Trams (LT).
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Press release

Press release

We must learn from the French on tram schemes

‘Significant shifts in government policy, funding and legislation’ are required if new UK tram schemes are to emulate the success of their French counterparts, says a new report - Lessons from French tram schemes - published today by pteg.
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Briefing

Briefing on Light Rail

This briefing on Light Rail Systems answers some of the most frequently asked questions about this mode of transport, and presents the benefits that Light Rail can bring.

This updated briefing on Light Rail Systems answers some of the most frequently asked questions about this mode of transport, and presents the benefits that Light Rail can bring.

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