Light Rail Transit Association


The Light Rail Transit Association is a non-profit organisation whose purpose is to advocate and encourage research into the retention and development of light rail and tramway/streetcar systems. The LRTA publishes the monthly magazine Tramways & Urban Transit, and is based in the United Kingdom but with an international membership and remit.

History

The Light Railway Transport League was formed in 1937, renamed the LRTA in 1979. It was formed at a time when Britain's urban tramways were starting to decline.
Because of the decline, the association campaigned for modern light rail in the UK, as typified by some "Stadtbahn" systems in Germany. The openings of the Tyne and Wear Metro in 1980, Manchester Metrolink in 1991 and new tram systems in Sheffield, Birmingham, Croydon and Nottingham are very much in line with the aims of the LRTA.