To consider the report of the Head of Operations, Nottingham Trams.

Mike Mabey, Head of Operations at Nottingham Trams, presented a report to update the Committee on the performance and progress of the Nottingham tram system from 1 November 2018 to 31 January 2019, highlighting the following points:

(a)  the tram network celebrated its 15th Birthday on Saturday 9 March. Levels of punctuality (94.4%) and reliability (97.9%) were extremely high, while performance had improved due to a reduction in incursions onto the track, traffic collisions and traffic congestion;

(b)  the introduction of small cones had reduced the number of vehicles encroaching onto Lenton Lane Bridge and further road signage was being considered, but there had still been two drink driving incidents, which were difficult to prevent. The introduction of retractable bollards had been explored, but there are concerns about their reliability. Discussions are also underway with the Local Highway Authority regarding the introduction of deterrence measures at a number of other locations;

(c)  a media campaign has been undertaken to raise awareness about avoiding vehicle collisions with trams. The Local Highway Authority is investigating the possibility of updating traffic signal technology to improve traffic flow along sections of the Line One traffic corridor, which has the potential to assist in improving tram reliability;

(d)  there is a good dialogue with the East Midlands Ambulance Service and its control centre to avoid emergency vehicles parking on the tram tracks. Unfortunately, ambulances are not always able to respond to serious passenger illness or accidents on the trams immediately, so further planning is needed to identify places where a tram with a passenger requiring medical attention can stop so as not to block the tram tracks, while still being easily reachable by the emergency services;

(e)  when trams were particularly busy over Christmas, Travel Officers focused on central stops in the City to help manage passengers entering and exiting the trams, to assist in making the process more orderly and speedy, and to improve security. Consideration is being given to additional measures on platforms to improve passenger flow;

(f)  a special timetable was introduced for Bonfire Night to reduce the number of trams per hour from 8 to 7 (so trams had more time to load and unload passengers at busy stops and keep to time). There were no incidents during the switch-on of the City Christmas Lights or during the New Year’s Eve event held at the Old Market Square (as the Castle grounds were closed for renovation work), and the reduced timetable again worked well;

(g)  to improve defensive driving, the depot’s tram simulator (purchased in 2014 so that drivers could learn their routes when access to the tracks was limited) has been upgraded to present drivers with hazardous situations in a randomised way, to help improve their reactions to unusual situations;

(h)  the display on the tram ticket purchasing machines is now easier to use. Changes were made to some fares and tickets from 7 January 2019, with the introduction of student tickets and altering the labelling of ‘Return’ tickets to ‘Day’ tickets, as the usage of ‘Return’ tickets had caused confusion for some passengers. Although the price of tickets (which is set by Tramlink) overall has risen by less than inflation (and the price of season tickets has been frozen), the cost of some types of individual ticket has increased by a greater degree than others. Bus fares have also gone up, this year.

RESOLVED to note the performance and progress update for 1 November 2018 to 31 January 2019 from Nottingham Trams.