Blue & Yellow routes: Supertram announces reduced timetable drawn up to address driver availability issues
Blue & Yellow routes: Supertram announces reduced timetable drawn up to address driver availability issues.
A restricted timetable for Sheffield Supertram’s Blue and Yellow services, designed to solve driver availability difficulties, goes into effect today.
According to the operators, the timetable is just temporary and will remain in effect for a limited length of time.
As part of the temporary timetable, trams on the Blue and Yellow routes will run every 15 minutes rather than every 12 minutes. Sunday services, however, remain unaffected and operate according to the customary schedule.
Supertram has warned that the impacted services may be busier due to the lower number of trams, and customers should allow extra time during peak periods.
The blue route operates between Halfway and Malin Bridge. The Yellow route connects Meadowhall with Middlewood. The Purple Route and Tram Train services will be unaffected.
Sean English, Managing Director of Supertram, stated, “We’re now experiencing lower driver availability due to our ongoing driver training initiatives and higher sickness rates.
“To ensure a consistent service, we have decided to implement a temporary timetable on some routes.
We apologise for any delay and recommend that passengers check the current itinerary on the Travel South Yorkshire website or mobile app. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we endeavour to restore normal service as soon as possible.”
According to Supertram, the adjustments are intended to limit inconvenience and maintain the best reliable service across the network. All access agreements will remain intact.
The operator believes the adjustments to the Supertram driver training programmes are going well, therefore the temporary timetable will only be in place for a short time. Supertram said it will keep consumers updated when driver availability increases.
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) reclaimed public ownership of the Supertram network in May 2024, promising to invest more than £600 million in system improvements, including £110 million by 2027.
This comprises modifications of trams, track, control systems, and power supply, as well as the construction of a new Tram Train stop in Magna.
Initiatives such as permitting dogs on trams, pricing freezes, and lowering the price of a long-distance ticket to £3 beginning next year have also been implemented.
South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard plans to hold a public meeting to hear directly from people about their experiences and to answer questions on what SYMCA is doing to get Supertram back on track, including doing everything necessary to rectify problems, hire more staff, and communicate what is going on.
Read more on Straightwinfortoday.com
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.