The UKTram Owners and Authorities Group has set out a series of priorities aimed at delivering practical benefits for the light rail sector, following its latest meeting last month.
The session, chaired by Chris Hopkinson, Head of Metro Operations at Transport for West Midlands, brought together representatives from networks across the UK to share updates and shape plans for 2026. Vice Chair Stuart Lowrie, Public Transport Manager for the City of Edinburgh Council, also supported the meeting.
The group heard a presentation from ITS Leeds, which provided an update on ongoing work around new service and station appraisals. The presentation highlighted the importance of robust data and evaluation in planning future light rail developments.
Members also discussed integrating the Urban Transport Group and its members into future meetings to strengthen collaboration between light rail and wider transport sectors.
Looking ahead, the group aims to produce practical outputs that capture best practice and support both established systems and those in the early stages of planning new schemes.
Reflecting on the meeting, Chris Hopkinson said: “New to the role of Chair, I want to make sure these meetings deliver value for the sector and capture the many great things happening across light rail, helping established system owners and those in the early steps of developing their schemes to deliver the best they can.”
At the next meeting, members will discuss KPI regimes used across the UK, with the aim of developing a sector-wide best practice paper.
