Seaton Tramway win Outstanding Achievement award

Seaton Tramway win Outstanding Achievement award

Seaton Tramway receive the Morgan Award for Outstanding Achievements 2019 for their new Tram Station which opened in Seaton last June.

The management team at Seaton Tramway were invited to Birmingham last Saturday, 9^th February to attend the Heritage Railway Association awards 2019. Joined by other Heritage Railways across the UK, the association awards from only 11 Categories.

Seaton Tramway was entered into its Morgan Award for Outstanding Achievements for its new Seaton Tram Station, where it was up against the Isle of whites Steam Railway, The International Rail Heritage Consultancy Ltd and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.  

The new Seaton Station which opened in June 2018, is a new, state of the art station which is the result 10 years of planning and hard work. The new £3 million station Provides a contemporary, all-year round facility, café and gift shop, and allows visitors to immerse themselves in the fascination surrounding the history and operations of the tramway before boarding a tram and travelling back in time to a golden age of travel.

Chief Exec - Jenny Nunn commented “The new project has been a huge undertaking by the tramway and represents major investment in the tourism economy of Seaton. The town has witnessed a very successful regeneration project over the past few years, which has seen the addition of Tesco, Seaton Jurassic, Premier Inn and 220 Bovis homes. The new Tram Station will be one of the final pieces in the puzzle for the town’s regeneration project and a unique addition to the Southwest’s coastline. With the 301 square metres of internal space, it will enable the charity to attract even more visitors to the area than ever before.”

Almost 450 tonnes of ballast, 300 sleepers and over 190 piles were used in the project to lift the station two metres above the ground. The new building is home to four new platforms, which can house four trams each night, creating a stunning showroom displaying some of the famous heritage trams. Brand new interpretation allows an even more immersive visitor experience celebrating the fascinating story of the tramway.

The Station also includes café and gift shop, Claude’s, named after and dedicated to Seaton Tramway’s founder, Claude Lane. The Café boasts a new menu and is delighted to announce that it will be joining the effort in cutting the use of one-time-use plastics down to almost nothing including the offer of paper straws. The tramway hopes this is the first step of many in the journey to making Seaton a leader in green waste. ‘Claude’s’ will also contains a giftshop, offering a brand-new range of souvenirs & gifts.

Seaton Tramway has had immense support from local residents, businesses, volunteers and staff and has been gratefully supported by the ‘Making it Local’ programme, which is in part funded by the European Agricultural Fund and has granted the Tramway £100k for its continued support for rural tourism, cultural and heritage activities.

As part of Seaton Tramway’s new offer with Seaton Tram Station and their Heritage Lottery Project ‘Travels through Heritage and the Axe Valley’ the attraction is working with local groups & communities.

Seaton Tramway recently became number 1 top attraction out of 20 in the area on TripAdvisor, with its constant efforts in remaining East Devon’s best day out. Visit England also awarded the Tramway a 100% score for it’s customer service.

The Outstanding achievement award is a massive milestone in proving that it is a major player in the Heritage Railway world, Devon and National tourism. Every effort from the tramway staff has been put into creating the new station in Seaton, with it being the first new station to be built by a heritage railway in many years and has seen highly complex railway engineering works take place, work not seen in the area since the tramway moved to Seaton in 1970.