Trams have returned to Talbot Road for the first time in 60 years.
The First Rider Prize Draw winners were amongst the lucky few that got seat on the first passenger tram to travel up Talbot Road since 1963.
The new Blackpool North tram stop sits just below the Holiday Inn hotel which opened on 1 May 2024.
The tracks have been extended by a total of 600 meters, meaning trams can now travel up Talbot Road, terminate at Blackpool North Station, and travel back down towards Starr Gate or Fleetwood. See tram timtables.
A Better Blackpool
We're committed to making Blackpool better for everyone and our town is currently seeing some exciting changes, including new places to shop and eat, more things to do, new housing, better public transport and more modern streets and public spaces.
We want to create a more attractive place to live, with a thriving economy and more jobs for local people – and the tramway extension is just one of many new benefits to our town.
The tramway extension project has been funded by Blackpool Council and Lancashire Growth Deal and is part of Blackpool’s £2bn regeneration programme. The tramways extension will make transport across the town easier connecting people to opportunities for jobs, travel, and leisure.
Find out more about regeneration in Blackpool.
History of Blackpool Trams
Blackpool is well known for its pioneering electric powered trams, and the tramway is one of the oldest electric tramways in the world. It has now also reached iconic status due to its longevity.
The Blackpool Electric Tramway Company began operating in 1885, originally running trams from Cocker Street to South Shore. The line soon expanded to Fleetwood, which operated until 1920.
In 1920, Blackpool Corporation took over the whole operation - this included eight miles of track and three depots, two in Fleetwood and one in Bispham.
Over the next 92 years, the tramway expanded across the town to make convenient public transport links. It then contracted when the use of buses became more popular in the 1950s and 1960s.
In 2012, following a four-year regeneration, the brand new Flexity2 trams were launched, marking a new era of the tramway to comply with modern accessibility rules. The new modern tramway was launched on 8 September 2011 and opened to the public on 5 April 2012.
Find out more about the history of Blackpool's tramway on the Heritage Tram Tours.