Blackpool Transport gets ORR tram improvement notice

The Office of Rail and Road, which overseas safety on British public transport, has issued an improvement notice to Blackpool Transport as a result of concerns about bogie wear on the fleet of Bombardier (now Alstom) trams that are used to provide its service. The notice states ‘You have failed to take so far as is reasonably practicable appropriate measures to control and mitigate known risks associated with bogie degradation which could give rise to derailment or collision. I require you to remedy those said contraventions, or as the case may be the matters occasioning them, by 19 June 2026’. ORR says decisions on whether bogies may be returned to, or remain in, operational service should be based on defined decision criteria and the effectiveness of remedial measures. Decisions should be implemented and documented as effective before any vehicle fitted with these bogies is returned to or remains in operational service. 

 

The notice was issued on 6 May but made public only on 2 June. Blackpool Transport has responded by stating, ‘Working closely with the ORR, we have already made improvements to our reporting processes, primarily the way risks and and associated mitigation measures are documented. While the improvement notice identified shortcomings in documentation associated with some specific repairs, we would like to assure customers that safety has always been our top priority, with appropriate measures put into place to address any potential risks. We will also continue to work with the ORR, suppliers, industry partners and other key stakeholders to ensure trams remain one of the safest forms of public transport’. 

 

Blackpool took delivery of 16 Bombardier Flexity trams in 2010-2012 and two more in 2016-17. It is understood a bogie overhaul programme at Starr gate depot saw a number of trams taken out of service, with a reduced timetable introduced. The operator also has a fleet of heritage trams, that currently see limited use, with the majority stored in the Rigby Road depot, which is not presently accessible due to safety concerns. The 18km Blackpool tramway, which has been operating since 1885, it mostly along the seafront Promenade, noted for its salt atmosphere and sand in the tracks during winter storms.