The first of 22 new Alstom Citadis trams for Nottingham has arrived at NET’s Wilkinson Street depot.
Built in Barcelona the trams are scheduled to arrive at the rate of two a month via Southampton docks. The first five vehicles will enter service on Line 1 from next June. This is prior to Line 2, which will see Beeston, Chilwell and Clifton join the tram network, opening six months later.
Although ordered by NET as a result of the tram network expanding, the new trams will not be allocated to just Line 2 services but will see service across the network, supplementing the 15 Bombardier-built Incentro trams. In tandem with delivery of the new trams, the current fleet is being refurbished in order to provide passengers with a uniform fleet.
Although conductors are being abolished there should be no redundancies as staff are being given the opportunity to train as drivers. Passengers will be expected to purchase tickets from machines at tram stops. Revenue protection duties will be carried out by a team of roving inspectors.
The new trams will create 100 new jobs, making a total of 216 staff employed on the system. The depot at Wilkinson Street is being extended to accommodate the new rolling stock. The new trams will receive names and it looks as if they will follow the Incentro trams by being named after people associated with Nottingham.
Names currently carried include Mary Potter, founder of the Little Company of Mary Sisters in 1877 and William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army.
