Improved Timetable from Saturday 22nd October

Tram passenger figures continue to be so encouraging that NET has decided to further improve the timetable to cope with demand at weekends.  From Saturday October 22nd, trams will now run every 5 minutes daytime Saturdays and 7-8 minutes daytime Sundays.

Patronage continues to grow at an excellent rate, suggesting an increase of over 20% year on year, well above even the most optimistic of targets.  This timetable change will enable the system to grow further in the years ahead and is particularly important as we head towards the busiest time of year – Christmas shopping.

The new services will mean a tram every 5 minutes between 08:00 and 18:20 Saturdays and a tram every 7-8 minutes between 10:30 and 18:00 Sundays.  Previously trams ran at intervals of 6 minutes on Saturdays and 10 minutes on Sundays.

The new Saturday service requires the use of 13 trams, up from the current 11 in service.  NET has 15 trams, one of which is used as a spare and one other is usually undergoing maintenance.  This means that no further enhancements are possible on Saturdays, without purchasing more trams.

The changes represent an extra 134 trips a week, with the total number of trips rising from 2,034 to 2,168.  Weekdays account for 338 trips each, Saturdays rise from 193 trips to 294 and Sundays rise from 151 trips to 184.

Passengers can pick up the new timetable from the NCT Travelcentre in the Old Market Square, from dispensers on trams and other city information outlets.

And fares stay the same...

NET will not be making any changes to fares at this time.

Colin Lea, marketing manager for NET said, “We are very encouraged by the continued strong growth in patronage and we are pleased to be able to offer further enhancements to the timetable.  Our belief is that if we keep it simple, with frequent trams and easy to understand fares, coupled with Park and Ride and integrated buses, we will continue to grow.”

Check out the new times online