The Not-So-Super-Tram

[DaveH]

I have always been a big fan of the Sheffield Supertram since it started in 1994, mainly because we live close to the route and it is a quick, efficient, reliable and reasonably priced way of accessing the City.

Or so I thought.

We recently returned from a touring holiday in Europe. We had visited Eastern European Cities, all of which have there own tram systems which are also clean, reliable, efficient and cheap.

Some of these, like the trams in Prague, Brno, Bratislava and Budapest have been around for years and are in countries which have only come out of Communist rule in the last 20 years so they would not have spent a fortune on building them.

Even so, they run on time, every tram is full and there is one every couple of minutes or so. If you buy tickets in advance from a "Tabac" or similar they are very cheap, and you can buy a fixed time ticket to ride all forms of public transport a bit like our "day rider" for next to nothing.

We were very impressed with the Europeans love of and use of trams.

However, when we returned to Sheffield on the evening of Sunday 14th August we were dropped off in Sheffield Interchange.

A short trip by tram from Commercial Street to Manor Top would soon have us home, - or so we thought.

We struggled with our luggage and bags of duty free stuff up through Fitzallen Square to Commercial Street. We had just missed a tram, so we waited.... and waited.... and waited.

Eventual a woman in a yellow dayglow top who looked official came up to us and asked if we were waiting for either the Halfway or Herdings Park tram. When we said "yes we are" she informed us that due to line works at the City Road / Spring Lane junction the trams were not running and that there was a "tram replacement bus" we could catch just around the corner on Haymarket. So we did.

Now the only the thing that was "tram replacement" about the "tram replacement bus" was the fact that we were charged Supertram prices for riding on a bus. It did not follow the tram route, did not stop at all the tram stops and did not stick to a tram timetable. Thinking about it, there is no way it couls as tram track frequently deviates from the road and buses can't stop at tram stops due to the platform height being designed for tram floor levels and not buses.

We had thought, on leaving Sheffield Interchange, of cutting through Midland Station and catching the tram there. Good job we didn't. The bus didn't go that way as the section of track behind the station has no road access.

We did eventually get back to Manor Top, having taken about an hour and a half from arriving back in Sheffield to getting home, - a journey which with the tram would have taken us about half an hour.

Although I appreciate that track maintainence is neccessary, and that Sunday evening is probably the best time to do it, - and I am still a big fan of the Supertram, this experince did leave us feeling that that the eastern European tram system looked a lot better than our own.

...and they don't even call their tram system "Super"!

[Stuart0742]

C'mon, even in Eastern Europe they must have roadworks/track works that disrupt their services.

Moral to this story is to get a taxi.

[Guest bus man]

This work as been advertised for ages .

[DaveH]

C'mon, even in Eastern Europe they must have roadworks/track works that disrupt their services.

Moral to this story is to get a taxi.

Yes they do. While we were there Vienna was having a lot of track work done but most of it seemed to be the building of extensions to their existing system.

As for getting a taxi, - no thanks!

Vastly overpriced charging, drivers with dubious backgrounds and records, driving standards which often seem to prove that experience counts for nothing.

I prefer to arrive safely so I'll wait for the bus or the tram I think. Or get a lift off of trusted family and friends whose driving I have more confidence in.

[DaveH]

This work as been advertised for ages .

I wish someone had told me about it beforehand and then I could have made alternative arrangements.

I didn't know about it.

Where do they advertise maintainence work, delays, planned closures and the like?

It would be useful to know.

[Guest bus man]

On the website i seem to rememeber that this work was one which was rolled over from a pre planned one earlier in the year due to various reasons.

[DaveH]

On the website i seem to rememeber that this work was one which was rolled over from a pre planned one earlier in the year due to various reasons.

Thanks bus man,

Perhaps I should check out this website more often

http://www.supertram.com/

[Waterside Echo]

I saw this and thought of 'DaveH' Courtesy of Yorkshire Post Magazine. 27/08/11

[DaveH]

I saw this and thought of 'DaveH' Courtesy of Yorkshire Post Magazine. 27/08/11

Exactly the sort of experience I have had with taxis W/E

..and one of the reasons why I NEVER use them!