The Light Rail Transit Association

Not-For-Profit UK Based Light Rail Transit Association

The LRTA is a not–for–profit UK based organisation and has members throughout the world. Free of any trade or political affiliation; it is the world’s leading organisation concerned with the achievement of better public transport through light rail, tramway and metro systems in towns and cities world–wide.

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Special Membership Offer

We are offering 3 months free digital trial membership to potential new members see Special Offer for further information.

Next Steps for Heritage Tram Operations and Preservation Outlined

A Statement has been released by LRTA Past President and MD of Blackpool Transport, Jane Cole, concerning the future of the Blackpool Heritage Tram operations.
See Statement on News page

Annual General Meeting – 2024

The 2024 AGM was held on Friday 27^th September at the Novotel in Charleroi, Belgium.and on Zoom.

The post of Treasurer and three ordinary Council Members were up for election. See the AGM page for further details and deadlines.

Following the AGM on the Friday there was an evening reception at the Bois du Cazier Museum, commencing with a guided tour of the specialist tram exhibition and on the Saturday night the Annual dinner was held at the Novotel.

On the Saturday and Sunday (28-29 September) there were two excursions.

On Saturday there was a visit to the Tramway de l’Aisne (110km/68.4 miles), featured in a classic trams article in the November 2023 issue of TAUT. The line from Pont d’Erezee via Forge a la Plez to Lamormenil is operated by Vicinal autorail and trailers. There is also a small museum at Pont d’Erezee.
The AGM weekend concluded on the Sunday (29 September) with a visit to the ASVi Museum at Thuin (21km/13 miles) and a ride on the line to Lobbes also featured in another TAUT article.

Go to AGM 2024 for full details

The Tramcar will Return

Members’ Day – Volks Electric Railway – Brighton

The last Members’ Day was held in Brighton on Wednesday 31st July 2024.

The day started at 12:45 with a talk about the Volk’s Electric Railway followed by a ride on the line and a visit to the Depot. Last year the railway celebrated 140 years since it opened and this year it has been awarded the ‘2024 Railway of the Year’ by the Heritage Railway Association.

See Brighton Members’ Day for further details.

Trams – The Green Machine – General Election Campaign 2024

For nearly 80 years the LRTA has promoted the development of modern trams and light rail. Climate change is real and all political parties are in theory committed to net zero. The LRTA wants to see the next government invest in transport solutions which are 100% Clean and Green.

We believe a MINIMUM of 5 Light Rail Schemes should be developed in the next Parliament and are asking Parliamentary Candidates to pledge to support up to 5 tram schemes in the next Parliament and join a reconstituted All Party Parliamentary Light Rail Group.

For full details see our General Election 2024 pages.

Magazine Special Offer

The Association has a number of copies of Tramway Review and Tramways and Urban Transit/Modern Tramway from the 1960s up to 2021 which it is offering to members and supporters for the cost of processing and shipping. For more details go to Magazine Special Offer

LRTA Launches Landmark Book ‘The Trams Return’ at AGM

To mark 1000 editions of Tramways & Urban Transit and its predecessor The Modern Tramway, published continuously since 1938, the team behind the magazine have assembled a roster of expert authors to chronicle the sad decline and subsequent renaissance of tramways and light rail.

With both archive material and new content – as well as many unseen images – The Trams Return explores the reasons for the tramway’s disappearance from so many cities in the post-war period, and how the mode has since been reborn, evolved and adapted to support the growth of over 400 cities around the world.

Also highlighting the contributions of the people and organisations who kept the faith, The Trams Return places all these developments into the vital context of social, political and economic change that has brought us from closures and disposals to openings, expansion and the application of today’s cutting-edge technology.

With a foreword by UITP Secretary General Mohamed Mezghani.

A4 softback format with 224 pages, 260 colour and 33 black & white pictures, plus 5 maps and 3 detailed tables. The book was released at the LRTA Annual General Meeting on 18 September 2021 – members will qualify for a 10% discount on the cover price of £28.00 + Shipping. On Sale Now

Purchase ‘The Trams Return’

LRTA Members’ meetings continue online

The series of online discussions and presentations using the Zoom platform started in response to the pandemic have proved so popular with members around the world that we will be continuing with them. These are open to all LRTA Members and and are held monthly, usually on the third Wednesday of each month at 16.00 (UK Time). This is quite a commitment for the Association and any member worldwide who would like to present a talk should contact Paul Rowen at chair@lrta.org with details.

Go to the Members’ Online Meetings Page for further details.

A recording of the latest talk is available for Members to view. See the ‘Past Meetings’ section of the ‘Members’ Online Meetings‘ page.

LRTA Area meetings – Many Areas are holding physical meeting

Physical meetings are now being held by many Local Areas again. See the meetings page for both physical and online meetings.