They go together like bread and jam: trams in the Blackpool and Fylde area seem inseparable from the resorts themselves. They’ve been driving along the golden mile for well over 100 years, and are set to continue for much longer!
Today’s Trams in the Blackpool and Fylde Area
Operated by Blackpool Transport, a first class public transport system serves the Fylde Coast today. The tram service carries passengers between Squires Gate and Fleetwood Ferry, and now to Blackpool North Station.
You’ve got a choice of ways to travel. Get quickly from a-b on the modern, new burgundy trams, or enjoy a sight-seeing ride in one of the Heritage Tram Fleet.
Take a look back at some of the interesting points through the evolution of today’s amazing public transport network.
Extension to North Station
The tramway extension from the promenade to Blackpool North Station is phase 2 of the Talbot Gateway project.
Tram lines have been laid along Talbot Road in readiness and work at the former Wilkinson’s supermarket site to build a new tramway interchange and hotel is now complete. It’s transformed this end of the town, and enabled tram journeys into the retail areas once more.
Evolution of Trams in the Blackpool and Fylde Area
It’s hard to imagine Blackpool Promenade in the days before the tramway. In fact it’s incredible to think of our forefathers riding on horse driven or gas powered trams – but they did!
- Way, way back in time, on 2 June 1884, a 2 mile long, narrow gauge electric railway opened in the grounds of the Winter Gardens. Once working properly, it proved to be a great inspiration for the electric tramway.
- It was Alderman McNaughton who laid the first rail of the Corporation Tramway on 13 March 1885, in front of Bailey’s Hotel. It was designed by Michael Holroyd-Smith.
- The line was officially opened on 29 September 1885 by Alderman Harwood, the Mayor of Manchester.
Blackpool has been first to invent, deliver and create many things and tramways are no exception. This was the country’s first, electric fare paying street tram. The tram named Blackpool Number 5 began running on a short line between Cocker Street and Dean Street.
Did you know? Henry Wilcock from Barnsley was the first to be killed by a tram, on 22 August 1887.
Blackpool’s tram system was first powered by electricity drawn from a groove in the track. But it soon filled with sand and water so by 1899 an overhead electric wire was installed and all the conduit removed.
On 10 September 1892 Blackpool Corporation took over the tramcars, becoming the first municipal operator of electric trams in the UK.
Connecting the Fylde Coast
The Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad Act of May 1896 paved the way for the Fleetwood and Blackpool tramways to join together. Work began on 19 July 1897 and a year later, on 1 July 1898 the first tram ran from Blackpool to Fleetwood.
The site of Sainsbury’s at Red Bank Road was originally the site of Bispham Tram Depot, also opened in 1885. A busy depot, at it’s height 36 trams were housed there, in sheds on 6 tracks. But eventually the last tram left and the sheds closed on 27 October 1963.
Did you know? Blackpool had its own Corporation Foundry, making the towns tram tracks, manhole covers, railings etc.
On 24 August 1893, the Blackpool, St Annes and Lytham Tramway Company was incorporated. It was then permitted to construct a tramway from Rigby Road at Blackpool, via Lytham Road and Clifton Drive, through St Annes to terminate at Clifton Square, Lytham.
The first step was to build a tramway extension from Manchester Square, Blackpool, along Lytham Road to South Shore Station to meet the Lytham St Annes system. A horse-drawn car operated another extension from Station Road to Squires Gate, and the tracks were extended slightly to Victoria Pier.
On 11 July 1896 the first part of the tramline opened. Running on gas from the British Gas Traction Company it ran between St Annes and Station Road in Blackpool. The gas powered system was also England’s first.
On 21 February 1897 the Lytham line opened. So Blackpool Corporation ran another line from South Station and along Station Road to join it.
Illuminated Trams
The Illuminated trams first appeared in 1897, to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee on 22 June. Five trams, illuminated with patriotic slogans, travelled along Blackpool promenade, copying Berlin’s celebrations for the birthday of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.
King Edward VII’s coronation was another illuminated tram opportunity. This time, 25 trams illuminated by red, white and blue patriotic lamps rode the seafront. These were the first of the illuminated trams to celebrate special national occasions, still running today as the trams we know and love.
Extending Tram Routes
In 1900 the Blackpool tramway was extended even further when the Promenade route was taken to the Gynn. In 1901 the Marton and Central Drive routes launched.
The Layton tramway loop opened on 18 June 1901, from Talbot Square along what’s now Talbot Road (then New Road) to Layton cemetery. By June 1902 it was fully open, ending the use of horse-buses. However, it was to close in October 1936 and is now served by the number 22 bus route.
Between 1902 and 1904 Blackpool Corporation Transport made a far-sighted decision to spend more than £300,000 to widen the promenade. They also replaced the congested street tramway with a segregated track – years ahead of its time. It created the 80 foot wide promenade with space for pedestrians, trams and motor traffic. It officially opened in 1905.
Lytham also had a tram depot to house the gas trams, at Henry Street until it closed on 26 February 1903. It was destroyed by a gale on 27 February 1903 and although the shed survived, the 13 trams inside were wrecked.
Squires Gate Tram Depot was another gas tram depot. However, the gas trams were found to be inefficient, the motion of the tramcar being described as ‘somewhere between that of a caterpillar tractor on bad ground and a buckjumping pony’!
The electric Lytham line opened on 28 May 1903, with the first car running on 4 June. Then in 1903 the Lytham line was extended to East Beach to serve the hospital.
Amalgamating the Tram Companies
The Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad Company was a private company and direct rival to the Corporation Tramway. However, in 1919 the eight mile tramway was sold to the Corporation by a brief new owner, Sir Lindsay Parkinson.
On 28 October 1920 all the assets of the Lytham line were bought by St Annes Council and rebranded St Annes Council tramways. Another rebrand followed in 1922 when the borough of Lytham St Annes was incorporated. The fleet had 56 vehicles by this time.
On 7 June 1936, the newly extended Rigby Road tram depot was officially opened. By now, with Walter Luff installed in the new post of Blackpool Corporation Transport General Manager, the public transport system on the Fylde is rapidly improving.
Contracting Tramways
However, by 1961, the Fylde Coast tramways were beginning to shrink.
Lytham Road tramway closed on 29 October 1961. Then on 28 October 1962 the Marton Tramway closed. The last tram to travel through the town centre was on 31 May 1963, carrying Cliff Richard and the Shadows to open the ABC Theatre. The tramway on Dickson Road soon followed when it closed on 27 October.
Did you know? Between 1962 and 1992, Blackpool had the only urban tramway in the UK. Other towns have since reintroduced tram systems.
And Improvements to Trams in the Blackpool and Fylde Area
But it wasn’t all bad news.
On 30 October 1972, new, one-man single deck trams began operating between Starr Gate and Fleetwood. They’d been funded by a 50% grant from the government, and were painted sun yellow and crimson.
A new One Man Operated (OMO) tram bench was installed in Talbot Square in 2021. One of four different types, it’s modelled on this landmark type of public transport.
Marking the tramway centenary, Tram Sunday was first held in Fleetwood in 1985. It’s been held on the 3rd Sunday in June ever since – apart from the years 2020 and 2021 of the covid pandemic.
The Fylde Coast tramway has appeared many times on TV. Probably the most famous is the time in 1989 when Coronation Street’s Allan Bradley was famously knocked down and killed outside the Strand Hotel. There’s even a blue plaque on the hotel to mark the spot!
- In 1994 a £9million upgrade improved the tramway and illuminations system, including new substations.
- Then from 29 October 2007 they were out of action for five months for the first time ever. Essential maintenance saw the installation of new crossovers and links and some rarely used spurs removed.
- On 3 April 2012 the £100million tramway upgrade was complete. We were fortunate enough to go along to the launch event at the North Euston Hotel in Fleetwood. Then on 4 April 2012 the new Squires Gate Tram Depot opened.
Future Tram Loop Aspirations
Ambitious Fylde Coast Tram Loop plans are on the table, which, given support could create a more cohesive Fylde Coast public transport system.
The aim would be to create continuous tram lines between Kirkham and Wesham and Poulton-le-Fylde via Lytham, St Annes, Blackpool, Cleveleys, Fleetwood and Thornton. The loop would also serve Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone, Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Hillhouse International Enterprise Zone.
There’s a long way to go to bring this vision to reality. But it would make a huge difference to public transport and trams in the Blackpool and Fylde area.
You might also be interested in ‘Horse Drawn to Palladium – 200 years of bus travel‘
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