A new £23m tramway extension has been opened, connecting passenger trams to Blackpool’s main railway station for the first time in more than 60 years.
The opening of the 600m track extension from the Promenade at its junction with Talbot Square to a new tram terminus at Blackpool North was celebrated at a special event on June 12. The first fare-paying passengers will be able to use the service from June 16.
From that date, trams will leave and arrive at the new North Station tram stop roughly every 15 minutes between 5.45am and 11.45pm.
As a general guide, trams going south to Starr Gate will leave on the quarter hours, with trams going north to Fleetwood Ferry leaving on the hour and half hour, although the timetable will be adjusted based on need.
These routes will work alongside the mainline tram operation, which continues to run between Starr Gate and Fleetwood between 5am and 11pm.
To support the additional journeys created by the extension, two new Flexity-2 trams have been added to the running stock.
The new tram stop sits alongside the Holiday Inn hotel and Marco Pierre White New York Italian restaurant, which opened in May this year. Tram passengers are able to walk through to Blackpool North train station via a new underpass. More than 2m passengers use Blackpool North each year.
The extension and tram terminus stop form part of the Talbot Gateway regeneration area, which also includes Blackpool Council’s headquarters, a Sainsbury’s superstore and multi-storey car park. A civil service hub with capacity for 3,000 workers is under construction and due to open next year.
In May this year, development company Muse submitted plans for a 53,000 sq ft office, intended as a second civil service hub for the area.
The £23m tramway extension was funded by Blackpool Council and received £16.4m from the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Deal funding.
