Light rail is enjoying a major revival of interest in the UK. The LRTF represents the private sector and is a centre of excellence. Its members design, build, supply, support and operate rapid transit systems at home and throughout the world. The Forum¹s primary aim is to promote LRT, and it has unique access to both Government decision makers and its public sector partner UK Tram. As well as lobbying, it supports the industry¹s annual conference, which will be held in Manchester in 2011.
Also by becoming a LRTF member, you can login into our website for access to additional facilities including documents and a member's forum for further discussion with other members in the industry.
Light Rapid Transit Forum
David Begg chaired a fringe discussion at the Labour conference amongst bus companies ,PTEs, TfL , BCC, Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle MP and TRANSCOM member Lillian Greenwood MP .
For years, many transportation experts thought the success of a city's transit system depended directly on the strength of its central business district. Surveys supported this idea (one from 1988 showed that four in five "choice" riders worked downtown) and it's still considered the traditional view. So as cities began to decentralize and transit ridership began to decline, it was only natural to see the former as the cause of the latter.
2011 European Car Dependency Scorecard
UKcities bottom of Europe for car dependency
29 September 2011
New research published today (29 September) by Campaign for Better Transport reveals that UK cities are among the most car dependent in Europe, coming bottom of a study into car dependency.
Please see below link for information regarding Party Conferences for 2012.
http://www.epolitix.com/members/member-page/sites/transport-hub/pages/party-conferences-2012-4/
Transport Minister Norman Baker chose the 7th Annual UK Light Rail Conference in Manchester on May 17 to announce the Government’s approval for the £58 million tram-train trial between Sheffield and Rotherham.
7th ANNUAL UK LIGHT RAIL CONFERENCE:
A NEW DEAL FOR LIGHT RAIL
Manchester Conference Centre, Manchester, UK
16-17 May 2012
Booking discounts available!
To book, or for sponsorship details, call +44 (0)1832 281133 or email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Light rail in the UK is being recognised at last for what it can offer a better quality of life in cleaner cities, and regeneration of poor areas badly affected by industrial change, leading to new jobs at a time when they are needed most.
Worldwide winners at the 2011 Light Rail AwardsThe Honourable Artillery Company in London was a splendid venue for hosting the 2011 Light Rail Awards on Wednesday 5th October.
With over 200 guests from all over the world, the International interest in this years event was extraordinary, highlighting the significance of Light Rail on a global scale.
Please see below details of Fringe Events organised at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool and Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.
See attachment below for Tram Review news from Partnerships Bulletin's October 2011 edition which they have kindly allowed us to distribute on our website.
Whether it is labelled light rapid transit, light rail or tram, this mode of transport is popular with passengers. It is also good for economic growth and good for reducing carbon, both key objectives of the Coalition Government.
Many thanks go to Modern Railways magazine, who have kindly allowed us to publish an article from their March 2011 edition - Bank cards leapfrog ticketing technologies.
Nottingham City Council has selected Tramlink Nottingham as its preferred bidder to build two new tram lines to Clifton and Chilwell (NET Phase Two) and operate the extended tram network.
This announcement follows an extensive competitive process which adhered to European procurement rules involving a detailed evaluation of tendered proposals from two bidding consortia - Tramlink Nottingham and Arrow Connect.
Attached is a Network Rail appraisal including a section on GMPTE’s use of the new appraisal methodology.
Thank you to The Rail Engineer magazine for providing their article 'Cut before we bleed', published in their December edition. There are many issues covered which are relevant to Light and Heavy Rail.For further information, please visit The Rail Engineer website.
Copyright © 2010 The Rail Engineer. All rights reserved.
Please see link below to an article featured in the February edition of Modern Railways, written by Martin Fleetwood and Mary Bonar of Stephenson Harwood.
Around the ring road in 80 days - England’s worst and best cities judged on ‘car dependency’
By: Tim WattAugust 29, 2012 2:18 PMThe Campaign for Better Transport, a ‘green transport’ campaigning charity who’s president is Michael Palin, has rated 26 cities in the England for their dependency on the car - ranking London as top city, followed by Brighton and Hove then Nottingham as least car-dependent.
Liberal Democrat Transport Minister Norman Baker interviewed at a Transport Hub Fringe event yesterday 23 Sept :
Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle interviewed by Nick Watt of the Guardian in Manchester on Sunday 30 September said:The next Labour Government will continue with devolution of powers and funding to local bodies who are much better at making the right local decisions than she would be from Westminster
Pteg's Fringe Meeting Whitehall - 'Time to Let Go'- focused on how transport devolution is currently working and how it would work under a Labour Government.
LRTF is asked by Shadow Transport Minister to keep up the good work of promoting the case for Light Rapid TransitThe experienced Panel at LRTF's fringe event at the Labour Conference made a very strong case for the benefits of light rail.
CREATING COMPETITIVE CITIES
In association with the Light Rapid Transit Forum
Manchester Conference Centre, Manchester, UK
15-16 May 2013
Earlybird and group booking discounts available!
Call +44 (0)1832 281135 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
“Light rail is good for passengers, good for local economics, good for the local environment and it’s a mode of public transport that passengers really enjoy using – that is why I’m committed to doing everything we can to bring costs down to make it a viable option for more communities.”
Norman Baker, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
More than two years after a new tram network was scheduled to open in Edinburgh, a vehicle finally ran along a short length of track yesterday, bringing one of the UK’s most infamous construction projects within sight of completion.Read more
Development Patterns Along Three New Transit Lines



