You will have seen that in many places in Hyson Green and Forest Fields tram track laying work is complete with many other sections almost finished.

Once all the track is in place we will be able to make progress replacing the pavements and installing the poles that will carry the trams’ overhead power cables. We also have work to do at each of the six tram stops on the Hyson Green loop. All of these works will be completed in the new year and the first trams will be tested on-street in the Spring.

Track laying on Radford Road is almost finished now. As soon as it is, work will continue on the other side of the road between Terrace Street and Bobbers Mill Road. This will take about six weeks and we hope Radford Road will re-open to two-way traffic at the start of November.

City-bound buses that have been using Burford Road will return to Radford Road as soon as possible. This will allow Burford Road to become two-way again and Noel Street will become one way - northbound from Berridge Road towards Gladstone Street and southbound towards Gregory Boulevard, except between Gregory Boulevard and Terrace Street which will be one-way northbound.



While we are working on Radford Road we will need to close the side roads for short periods. Bobbers Mill Road will close at its junction with Radford Road for three weeks from mid-October. Wilkinson Street will remain one-way between Radford Road and the tram depot until the new year.

The first tram has now arrived at the depot. There will be 15 trams in all which will be coming in from the factory in Derby over the next few months.

Now that there are more and more sections of completed track on roads which are used by traffic it's important, if you are a motorist, to take extra care, especially in wet conditions. Pedestrians should also be aware that although the tram lines are laid flush with the road, it is possible to slip or trip on them, so again extra care should be taken. If you are a cyclist, you should try to avoid tram lines if at all possible, but if you have to cross them, then you must do so at a wide angle to avoid your wheels becoming caught in the track groove.

Thank you for your continued patience while our works are underway.
For any further information, please get in touch with the Tram Hotline on 0115 915 6600.

Trams help to regenerate the areas that they run through, because they provide a permanent, reliable and high-quality modern form of transport linking residential areas with amenities and workplaces.

Businesses relocating, property developers and estate agents are all aware of the benefits that tram systems bring to an area. They are among the first to invest in those areas as a result and to notice the positive effects of regeneration.

You may have heard through the local media about a couple in Cinderhill who sold their three-bedroom semi-detached house in just three days for £80,000 - helped by the fact that there is a tram stop nearby. Estate agents in Hyson Green and Forest Fields are confident that the tram is playing a part in boosting house prices and helping to create a buoyancy in the housing market.

The NET Project Office is often receiving calls from businesses, property buyers and developers eager to find out just where NET Line One runs in order to make the most of its benefits. This in turn will help to boost the prosperity and the look of the area, as new jobs are created and disused or rundown buildings are redeveloped and put to new uses.

Beyond this, there is a new potential for more people coming to Hyson Green to shop and eat, which again will help the local economy. And local people will have direct access to the city centre and all its work and training opportunities.

Along with the residents of Nottingham, colleagues here at ASDA in Hyson Green are watching the progress of the city's tram system with growing interest.

In association with NET, we are working hard to improve access to the store, ensuring that work on the tramway causes as little inconvenience to your weekly shop as possible. We are also committed to keeping you informed of all tram developments and estimated phase completion dates on a daily basis through dedicated boards positioned in
our foyer.

We'd like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all our customers for continued support and loyalty shown throughout construction work on the tram track, and emphasise our promise to offer quality and best value prices 'always'.

Regardless of changes brought about by the development, ASDA in Hyson Green will maintain the same family friendly, great value reputation that it has upheld in the com-munity over the last 12 years, enhanced by the added convenience of Nottingham's up and coming tram service.

Residents' parking schemes are set to be introduced in Hyson Green as part of introducing NET into the area.

Schemes proposed to come into effect later this year include Gladstone Street, Goodliffe Street, Belton Street, Beaconsfield Street (up to Russell Road), Cardwell Street, Carver Street, Fisher Street, Noel Street, Burford Road, Berridge Road (up to Russell Road), St Paul's Avenue, St Paul's Terrace and Pleasant Row.

Allocated bays will be provided, although this does not guarantee any individual a particular space. Residents wishing to make use of parking spaces will need to provide the Council with proof of residence and a motor insurance certificate. Residents can also apply for one visitor permit per household.

An assessment of local parking habits shows that the scheme should provide sufficient spaces for residents and their visitors, as well as some one-hour parking bays close to Radford Road for shoppers.

Hyson Green will be well served by tram stops once NET is up and running.

There are 23 tram stops on NET Line One, including five Park and Ride sites and one inside the proposed extension to the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre.

The design of Nottingham's tram stops have been finalised and approved by members of the Urban Design Forum. They will include a covered waiting area, real-time information displays, CCTV, good lighting and an emergency help button, as well as a PA system concealed in a name sign. The fittings will be finished in the NET brand colours of green, silver and white and will be kept to a minimum to avoid cluttering up the street.

Each platform is 31cm high and 35 metres long, with ramps at both ends. The layout of all the stops will be broadly the same to help the
visually impaired.

The first of Nottingham's trams are almost complete at the Bombardier workshops in Derby. The fleet of 15 Incentro trams - one of the latest tram designs from world leaders in rail technology Bombardier - will undergo testing in Derby before being brought to Nottingham from October onwards.

They will then be run on the off-street section of the track from October before taking to the on-street section from early next year. There will be a period of testing the system to the satisfaction of HM Railway Inspectorate and the Highways Authority - and it will give people a chance to get used to trams running on the streets.

For those who didn't see the full-scale tram replica in the Old Market Square last year, the trams are smart-looking modern vehicles in the NET colours of dark green, silver and white. Each one is 33 metres long, 3 metres high and 2.4 metres wide and comprises a driver's cab at the front and back, two passenger saloons at the front and back with seating, two passenger saloons largely for standing passengers and a central passenger section with seating.

There are 62 seats, space for 128 to stand comfortably and two areas set aside for wheelchairs. The internal layout and large windows help to create spaciousness on board and access is through four double doors and two single doors. The floors are level throughout and between the platform and tram is level step-on, step-off access suitable for people with wheelchairs and pushchairs.

The ride is smoother and quieter than on a bus and the tram will be given priority at junctions, providing greater punctuality and reliability - two of the factors which passengers most want from public transport.

Work on the two Park and Ride sites in this area - at Wilkinson Street and The Forest - will get underway this summer.

Between them, the sites will provide spaces for around 1,800 cars.

Each Park and Ride site will include properly laid-out tarmac-surface car parks with special spaces close to the tram stops for the disabled and motorists with young children, as well as parking facilities for cycles. There will also be CCTV surveillance cameras linked to the control room at the tram depot and security lighting, as well as landscaping.

In the case of The Forest, the facility will move from its current location - which will be returned to grass - towards the stop just off Noel Street South.