Nottingham Express Transit

Nottingham Express Transit

Locale	Nottingham
Transit type	Electrified Metro Tramway
Began operation	2004
System length	14.5 km / 9 miles
No. of lines	1
No. of stations	23
Daily ridership	9.7 million (per year) (April 2005-March 2006)
Track gauge	standard gauge
Operator	Arrow Light Rail

Nottingham Express Transit (or in short NET) is the light-rail tramway in the Nottingham area in England. The first line opened to the public on 9 March 2004, having cost £200 million to construct. The scheme took 16 years from conception to implementation. <googlemap lat="52.970973" lon="-1.181374" zoom="13" width="450" height="450" selector="yes" controls="large"> 52.988849, -1.206777, Phoenix Park Tram Stop 52.988994, -1.200551, Cinderhill Tram Stop 52.989477, -1.190702, Highbury Vale (Phoenix Park Line) Tram Stop 52.984853, -1.182041, David Lane Tram Stop 52.981636, -1.178359, Basford Tram Stop 52.972012, -1.178284, Wilkinson Street Tram Stop 52.973763, -1.176747, Wilkinson Street Depot 52.973399, -1.176983, Normal Stabling Point for Trams during Day 52.965294, -1.167126, Forest Park and Ride Tram Stop 52.965802, -1.167587, Interlaced Track 52.962327, -1.161316, High School Tram Stop 52.957949, -1.154895, Nottingham Trent University Tram Stop 52.95512, -1.151741, Royal Centre Tram Stop 52.953074, -1.15008, Market Square Tram Stop 52.952844, -1.145563, Lace Market Tram Stop 52.947956, -1.14547, Station Street Tram Stop </googlemap>

Development of the System

Existing Lines

Line 1

The route of the current line starts at Nottingham station to the south of the city centre, and extends north, passing the Lace Market, Nottingham Trent University, Forest Recreation Ground, and terminating at Hucknall.

This line 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 and the lines cross at each end of this section to run 'wrong side'. From Wilkinson Street north (for about 8 km), the tramline runs alongside an existing railway, the Robin Hood Line. At Highbury Vale, about halfway along the line, a branch turns west to end 1 km later at Phoenix Park, while the main line runs north to Hucknall. There are park-and-ride facilities at several stations. The tram also has a connection with Central Trains at Station Street (for Nottingham railway station), Bulwell and Hucknall and also with Midland Mainline at Station Street. All the construction works on Line 1 were carried out by Carillion.

The system has 15 Incentro articulated low-floor trams similar to those used in Nantes, built by Bombardier Transportation (formerly ADtranz); the Flexity Outlook Eurotram was also considered, but 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 80km/h (50mph). Tickets are sold on board by conductors. As of 31 January 2005, trams run every five minutes during peak times, running alternately to Hucknall and Phoenix Park. Plans are to extend this peak service from 7.30 to 18.30 every day.

The system is arguably the only 'new' tram system built in the UK to have been an instant success. Whilst others around the UK are now starting to carry the number of passengers that it was hoped for, Nottingham's system has exceeded the most optimistic predictions, carrying 9.7 million people in 2005. This assists the case for the construction of new lines. As of 2006 it is also the only light railway in the British Isles to operate 100% low floor trams.

Due to truancy, NET has had to eliminate the child all-day ticket. It now costs £1.00 for a child single. The all-week child ticket has increased by £1 and it now costs £2 for an adult single before 9am.

Prospective Future Lines

NET Phase Two is the collective term for the project to build extensions to Line One of Nottingham Express Transit (NET).

The extension consists of two new lines from the city centre terminus at Station Street. A bridge will be constructed across the top of .

Line 2

The Clifton route will go to the south of the City. It will serve the densely populated residential areas, including the Meadows, Wilford / Ruddington Lane area and the Clifton Estate, terminating at 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 though Wilford.

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

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

Line 3

The Chilwell and Beeston route will go to the south west of the city. It will serve 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, terminating at 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 9.8km, of which 59% is segregated. The journey time from the Old Market Square to the terminus will be 30 minutes.

Current outline designs show 15 tram stops, attracting approximately 5.1 million passenger journeys a year.

Project Progress

Programme Entry approval was given on 25 October 2006 with the Government agreeing to provide up to £437m 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 various documents which make up the City and County Councils’ application for the order are available to view at a number of venues from 26 April 2007 to 7 June 2007 when it will be submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport for consideration. It is expected that a Public Inquiry will be held, which is likely to take place approximately six months after the application has been submitted. The whole process, leading to a decision by the Secretary of State, is expected to take up to 18 months from the date of application.

Work on these lines is expected to begin in 2010, in two phases, with trams running from 2013. The tram scheme aims to reduce the number of car journeys into Nottingham by four million per annum.

Route

Line 1

Line 2 The proposed tram stops are: Meadows Centre Queen's Walk Wilford Village Wilford Lane Compton Acres Ruddington Lane Southchurch Drive North Rivergreen Clifton Centre Holy Trinity Pastures Avenue Clifton Park and Ride Line 3 The proposed tram stops are: Meadows North King's Meadow Gregory Street Queen's Medical Centre University of Nottingham University Boulevard West Middle Street Beeston Town Centre Chilwell Road Broxtowe College Bramcote Lane Eskdale Drive Inham Road Toton Lane Park and Ride

There are still concerns from local councilors and residents about Line 3. [1]

Previous Nottingham Tramway Systems

• For the horse and steam tramways from 1877 to 1902 see Nottingham and District Tramways Company Limited
• For the electric tramways from 1897 to 1936 see Nottingham Corporation Tramways

Trams

The five-section articulated 100% low floor Bombardier INCENTRO vehicles are 33m long and 2.4m wide. Every tram carried a name from a very early stage. All names are of local people. Names are vinyl transfers on diagonally opposite corners of the tram exterior. They are also on the front (in direction of travel) right hand side on the top of tram windows, in the same style as advertisements.

Safety

In October 2007, a 23 year-old Hucknall man became the first person to be killed by the current tram system. [2]

Names

• 201 - Torvill and Dean. Voted for by listeners of the local commercial radio station 96 Trent FM, Britain's best known ice skaters were born in Nottingham and won an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1984 Olympics.
• 202 - DH Lawrence. A Nottinghamshire novelist, born in Eastwood, famous for "Lady Chatterley's Lover"
• 203 - William "Bendigo" Thompson. Voted for by viewers of East Midlands Today. A bare-knuckle fighter.
• 204 - Erica Beardsmore. Hyson Green-based supporter of Nottingham In Bloom
• 205 - Lord Byron. Voted for by viewers of East Midlands Today. Nottinghamshire poet.
• 206 - Angela Alcock. Voted for by readers of the Nottingham Evening Post. A local Oxfam donations collector who has raised countless funds for charity.
• 207 - Mavis Worthington. Voted for by readers of the Nottingham Evening Post. A Homestart volunteer.
• 208 - Dinah Minton. Founder of the Headway charity.
• 209 - Sid Standard (renamed from "Sydney Standard" due to public demand). Nominated by Nottingham Evening Post readers. He ran a bike shop in Beeston for 27 years and was President of the Beeston Road Club. It is believed that he rode more than 500,000 miles on his bike in his lifetime.
• 210 - Sir Jesse Boot. Voted for by listeners of BBC Radio Nottingham. Former owner of Boots the Chemist.
• 211 - Robin Hood. Voted for by viewers of East Midlands Today. Famous local legend.
• 212 - William Booth. Founder of the Salvation Army.
• 213 - Mary Potter. Voted for by listeners of BBC Radio Nottingham. Foundress of the Little Company of Mary Sisters.
• 214 - Dennis McCarthy MBE. Former presenter of BBC Radio Nottingham.
• 215 - Brian Clough. Voted for by listeners of Trent FM. Local football manager, won the European Cup twice with Nottingham Forest.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nottingham Express Transit

• Nottingham Express Transit - official web site
• NET Phase Two - official web site for future extensions
• Take a virtual ride on the Nottingham tram
• Collection of Google Earth locations of Nottingham Express Transit stops (Requires Google Earth software) from the Google Earth Community forum.