There’s been a tramway in Blackpool for well over 100 years. Blackpool trams have seen the Fylde Coast change and grow and evolve into the place it is today.
Up until 2011, the “Heritage” cars were the service fleet trams. Operating every day except Christmas Day, they travelled along the tram lines, carrying residents and visitors from A to B.
Then a multi-million pound upgrade transformed the Blackpool tramway. The tracks were all relaid and a new, modern fleet of low-floor trams are now the service fleet.
However, the original Blackpool trams – with their distinctive ‘clickety-clack’ as they drive along – are still much loved. They’re as integral to Blackpool as fish and chips and the donkeys on the beach.
A selection of trams from the original system were restored and returned to passenger carrying duties. So old and new Blackpool trams now operate side by side.
Many of these original trams are over 80 years old and have been retained and superbly renovated. It’s a unique experience as nowhere else in the UK can you still ride a Heritage Tram on the line for which it was originally built.
Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours run most weekends throughout the year and daily during most UK school holidays. Of course you can also catch a famous Autumn Illuminations Tour and ride aboard one of the illuminated trams.
Did you know? The Blackpool Tramway is the first and only continuous operating electric tramway in the UK?
In the late 1800’s, huge numbers of working class people started coming on holiday to Blackpool. Transport had to be improved to cope with demand.
Blackpool’s permanent electric street tramway was the country’s first, and opened on 29 September 1885. It originally ran from Cocker Street to South Shore – and has operated there ever since.
Back then, in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the tramway was far more extensive than it is today. In fact, trams were a popular method of transport in most towns throughout the UK.
Back in the day, Talbot Square was previously a busy interchange for trams. The Marton route branched right at Talbot Square to head along Clifton Street, Abingdon Street and Church Street in front of the Winter Gardens.
Also diverging from Talbot Square outside the Town Hall was the Layton route. Before closing in 1936, it once went all the way along Talbot Road as far as the cemetery at Layton Square.
History is repeating itself, as part of the Layton route is presently being reinstated for the modern day. New rails have already been laid at Talbot Road in readiness for the tramway interchange with Blackpool North Station.
On 3 April 2012, after a four year, £100m upgrade, the modernisation of the Blackpool Tramway was complete. Visit Fylde Coast went along to the launch event held in Fleetwood.
The old tram cars didn’t suit modern access rules for disabled passengers. They have high steps up to the tramcars from the floor and an absence of suitable platforms. Without these adaptations and improvements, the tramway service would have had to cease.
So the huge project to modernise the tram way for the twenty first century began. The £100m of investment included new tracks and platforms plus a completely new tramway system for the future.
The modern, burgundy Flexcity Bombardier trams are a pleasure to travel on. They’re smooth and comfortable to ride on and vastly improve the passenger experience.
We caught a couple of the new trams on Blackpool seafront, in summer 2020 when they were back in service after closure for coronavirus lockdown –
They made their very first passenger journey along the Fylde Coast in April 2012, marking the start of a brand new era of transport for residents and visitors.
Everyone loves the heritage trams. Part and parcel of Blackpool, they certainly haven’t been put out to grass! These vehicles operate as a heritage attraction, using their own special heritage tram stops which are separate to the new platforms.
Heritage Tram Tours operate at weekends throughout the year and daily during school holidays. Plus, look out for special events throughout the year.
Here at Visit Fylde Coast we love the fleet of Illuminated Heritage Trams. We know you do too!
These favourites come out at night, during Illuminations season. You might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them at other times of the year too!
The next video isn’t much more than a glimpse! Watch closely, it’s a very brief look at the Western Train…
Festooned from one end to the other with thousands of lights, they’re a tradition in this seaside town. You can also ride them during the popular Illuminations tours.
The tramline stretches right along the Fylde Coast, mostly hugging the coastline.
At South Shore it terminates at Squires Gate – at the big tramshed near to the seafront.
The line runs the whole way along the seafront at Blackpool and through Bispham, along the coast to Anchorsholme.
There it parts from the seafront to go through the town centre at Cleveleys. It continues inland to briefly meet Fleetwood seafront near to the North Euston Hotel and RNLI station at the Esplanade.
There are stops all the way along the route. With trams coming along every 20 minutes it’s not only an ideal way to get around, it’s also a good way to see the coast!
Have a look at the homepage of the Live Blackpool website for more of the latest updates.
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