I think there just needs to be one standard service from Star Gate to Fleetwood every 20 minutes at the very worst.
I go to Blackpool in 2 weeks and tbh I'm dreading what I'll find. When I went in June the, week of the extension opening, I stayed on the North Promenade, so wasn't too badly affected. This time, I'm staying in my usual hotel near South Pier. I spend a lot of time in Fleetwood,Cleveleys & Bispham and I just know that getting a tram, especially returning South will likely be hell. It's not as if you have the alternative of a bus. I don't care what excuses are made, BT have seriuosly cocked this up badly.
They need a serious rethink of the Timetable before the Illuminations. The current timetable won't cope with the demand for through passengers
I certainly hope this is the case, though we're still seeing trams being cancelled due to staff shortages, so doubt we're going to see too much improvement. Appears to be clear that their Timetabler has been asked to develop a timetable to a limited staff availability requirement.
If their Staff availability is so limited then why aren't they hiring more staff in March/April so they can take on more Staff to run an a full service. The last time they ran a full season with a 10 Minute Service (or better) was 2019. And the last time they ran a combined 7.5 Minute service (15 Min SG-FF service alternating with a 15 min SG-LB service) was back in 2021 (They might have run it in 2022 but I'm not quite sure). Is it because they don't have the appropriate levels of Funding to run an enhanced Service (10 mins or Better) anymore?
They did a proper 15 minute end to end timetable serving all stops (including the extension) on Tram Sunday. Why can't they make it a permanent thing? Especially during School Holidays?
Was any of that being operated with volunteer crews/heritage cars etc?
No, the heritage timetable was too busy with mini-tours and a static tram at Fleetwood to spare anything.
I wonder then if BT brought in sufficient crews on overtime to run the service for that particular day?
Surely it used the same number of crews as normal as the extra time for everyone to pootle up to North Station is offset by not going beyond Fisherman’s Walk.
No idea! Was just throwing out a random thought in response to surprise that they ran that service…
No. It was a 15 minute Frequency on the LRT service going the full length from Starr Gate to Fleetwood, and via the Diversion to North Station
I wonder if something similar could be done. I.e 15 minute Frequency for every stop on the Main promanade
Not sure how all the pensioners who can't get up the stairs, would cope with a balloon on market days? I know in the past it didn't seem to matter, but times have definitely changed. BT only realised the sense of using the twin cars on Fleetwood service in the immediate months prior to the shutdown for modernisation.
The complete opposite, the tramway is closed between Central and North piers
Oh fantastic, I am begining to wonder what purpose it actually serves
According to the website, 'trams will operate a split service', without elaborating on what a 'split service' constitutes, and the timetable doesn't seem to have been updated. Only with reference to later events is a 'split service' defined, and even then it is not expressly confirmed that the same service will prevail over the two days (10-11/8/24) of the air show.
It is published, just in the service updates rather than the news post.
It is necessary to suspend trams along the central promenade during the air show simply because of the volume of people; the prom is utterly packed and it would be both impractical and unsafe to attempt to run trams through those crowds. Makes sense really.
https://www.blackpooltransport.com/blackpool-event-diversions-2024
All it says is: The Tram Service will operate a split Service between Central Pier and North Pier between 12.30 and 1800. That might mean what it was intended to someone who already knows what the situation is, but I don't think it would mean a lot to a casual passenger. In fact, it rather gives the impression that the service is between Central Pier and North Pier, and nowhere else.
I think the T2s and T3s, as such, will be withdrawn entirely, but I do think there will be extras between Starr Gate and Little Bispham, or points in between. Surely, even BT couldn't do otherwise?
Presumably that menas that the "redundant" crossover just North of Foxhall will see some use?