Behind-closed-doors meeting before decision to halt Blackpool trams revealed as council refuses to comment on suspensions
Blackpool Council refused to comment on claims two members of staff have been suspended
Britain’s railway regulator visited Blackpool shortly before the shock decision to halt the resort’s heritage trams, it has emerged.
The revelation comes as council chiefs refused to comment on the suggestion at least one senior member of tramway staff has since been suspended.
The Office of Road and Rail, the independent economic and safety watchdog for the country’s rail network, came to Blackpool in October and November and met with the “full management team”, Blackpool Transport managing director Jane Cole said.
Her statement follows claims from one source, who requested anonymity, that two senior staff members have been suspending pending an investigation. The Blackpool Lead has chosen not to name the workers.
A separate figure, who is close to the decision-making process and also asked to remain anonymous, said they had been aware of at least one pending suspension following the ORR’s inspection and corroborated one of the names.
A council spokesperson would not be drawn on the issue, saying the authority will not answer questions about “staffing”.
Cole said: “We work closely with the ORR and keep them fully informed of key information. During their recent visits … they met with the full management team and, as always, we were completely open and honest with them.
“As previously stated, the decision to suspend the service is to give us the time to address operational issues. We have an opportunity to invest in and install new safety standard technology on our heritage vehicles, ensuring they meet the same high safety standards as our LRT services.
“While it may not be a regulatory requirement to implement these upgrades for operation, we believe doing so represents best practice and demonstrates our commitment to the highest levels of safety.”
After a visit in 2022, the ORR ordered improvements at Blackpool Transport’s Rigby Road depot, reportedly impacting the workshop capacity for the heritage tram fleet, which uses the site as its base.
A spokesperson for the regulator said it carries out “regular inspections across Britain’s railways” but added: “We don’t publish reports that may be produced following visits.”
The ORR does publish improvement notices on its website; as of Friday morning, its list of orders issued in 2024 contains no reference to Blackpool. Its most recent order was issued on November 11.
Blackpool Transport sparked anger last week when it announced that its heritage tram tours would be suspended - before later promising to get them back on track by the summer.
It has cited safety issues, though bosses have been told they have “serious questions” to answer about the reasons behind the suspension.
The timing of the decision, which led to thousands of people signing at least two petitions calling for the service to be saved, raised eyebrows, with it coming just before the start of the Holiday Express Christmas service, which saw passengers charged up to £20 for a ride through the Illuminations on the Illuminated Western Train tram.
Conservative councillor Emma Ellison, told The Blackpool Lead previously: “I know how popular the service is and that it gets fully booked very quickly, particularly at this time of year, so to suspend the service suddenly at this time of the year when it has bookings is a big red flag to me and financial reasons seem like the only answer to me, although I don’t know that for sure at the moment.”
In a statement, leader of the Labour-run council Lynn Williams said: “When people think of Blackpool they think of the tower, the piers, the beaches and of course our magnificent fleet of heritage trams.
“While there may a temporary pause in service, they absolutely are not going away. I, like everyone else in Blackpool, look forward to seeing them return in 2025.
“The decision to suspend the heritage tours is not a decision that Blackpool Transport Services has taken lightly but it is a necessary step to ensure that they can run effectively and safely in the future alongside the modern trams.”