NUH celebrates two-year anniversary of tram bridge
This week marks two years since a tram bridge opened at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust’s Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC), which has dramatically increased the number of people using public transport to get to one of the country’s busiest hospitals.
Staff, patients and visitors have direct access to the B Floor level of the hospital from the dedicated QMC stop on Nottingham’s tram network. The bridge has led to an increase in the number of visitors now choosing to use public transport to access QMC. It is the first hospital in the country to have its own tram stop.
Andrew Chatten, Director of Estates and Facilities at NUH, said: “You can see the difference the tram has made to our patients, visitors and staff on a daily basis. We knew it would be a great asset for the Trust and two years on, we have been proven correct. Tram use in the city has increased by a million more journeys in the last year, while journeys to QMC have doubled in the two years since the bridge has opened, so we’re excited to have this popular transport link as part of our partnership with Nottingham Express Transit (NET).”
Stephanie Moss-Pearce, NET Marketing Manager commented: “The QMC tram stop is one of the busiest on the network, helping thousands of people every day to get to work, travel to appointments or to visit friends or family without the worry of getting stuck in traffic or finding a parking space.
“Since it opened, the bridge connecting the platform and the QMC has also acted as a symbol of the ongoing relationship between NET and the first hospital in the country to have its own dedicated tram stop."
Tram volunteer Patricia Petman, who had the honour of opening the bridge, said: “The bridge has made a tremendous difference to visitors, they are getting right into the heart of the hospital with large areas within easy reach. In many ways it’s more convenient than the main entrance.
“People are very complimentary of the tram service since the opening of the bridge. The footfall has increased and we’re helping hundreds of people a day. And it’s nice to get a ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye’ as they leave.”