Nottingham Express Transit

What Nottingham Express Transit does

Nottingham Express Transit (NET) operates the light rail tram network serving Nottingham, United Kingdom. Founded in 2004 and currently operated by Tramlink Nottingham Limited—a private consortium backed by Meridiam, Alstom, and Keolis—NET runs a 12.4-mile route with a fleet of 37 named trams across Nottingham, connecting key destinations including the University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham College, and the city centre. The network carried 15.5 million passenger journeys in the year ending 31 March 2024, a 7.4% increase in passenger kilometers versus the prior year. Core technology comprises overhead line equipment, platform validators, HD CCTV monitoring, and an integrated digital ticketing stack built around the NETGO! mobile application, Ticket Vending Machines at every stop, contactless bank card payment (including a tap-on/tap-off Short Hop product priced at £1.50 across nine zones), and the Robin Hood smartcard for multimodal travel.

NET's revenue model is anchored in transactional fare revenue across single tickets (£3.50-3.60), day tickets (£5.65-5.80), season tickets (annual £725, discounted to £525 in January sale), student academic year tickets (£275), and Under-19 six-month passes (£135). Secondary revenue streams include Park & Ride parking at Forest Park, advertising via partner Outdo, and the Workbytram corporate scheme providing discounted employer travel. Customer segments are diversified across daily commuters, university and college students (a primary segment with active freshers fair engagement), leisure and event visitors (including Goose Fair traffic driving 68,000 additional journeys, a 13% lift), and tourists. The concession runs until 2034 following a successful 2023-2024 financial restructuring with the Department for Transport and Nottingham City Council. Operational and safety initiatives include the Facing Point Indicator beacons (a UK light rail first), Operation Safenet with Nottinghamshire Police, and accessibility partnerships with Widgit and the Nottingham Sight Loss Council. The company reported gross profit of £8.24m against pre-tax losses of £26.3m (impacted by a £26.7m impairment) for FY2024.

Name

Nottingham Express Transit

Legal name

Tramlink Nottingham Ltd

Website

https://thetram.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Light Rail Transit Services

NAICS

Urban Transit Systems (4851)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

Private/Concession Commuter Rail Operators (THAIACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tram/Light Rail Stops & Stations (THAIALAC)

Keywords

• Light rail transport
• Urban tram services
• Public transit network
• Contactless ticketing
• Passenger rail operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from sale of single tickets, day tickets, season tickets, student passes, and Short Hop journeys. Ticketing available through NETGO! app, Ticket Vending Machines, contactless payment, and smartcard.
2. Park & Ride: Revenue generated from Park & Ride facilities at Forest Park and other locations, providing parking integrated with tram travel.
3. Advertising: Tram advertising partnership with Outdo, enabling businesses to advertise on trams and tram stops.
4. Corporate Travel Programs: Workbytram scheme offering discounted travel to local employers, and sector partnerships with hospitality, retail, and emergency services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Nottingham Express Transit (NET) operates a 12.4-mile light rail tram network across Nottingham using a fleet of 37 trams. The company sells passenger transit tickets including singles, day tickets, season passes, student and under-19 passes, and short-hop contactless journeys through its NETGO! mobile app, ticket vending machines, contactless validators, and Robin Hood smartcard integration.

Product overview

Nottingham Express Transit (NET) operates a single unified tram network across Nottingham rather than a modular software platform. The core service is tram operations with integrated digital ticketing through the NETGO! mobile app, Ticket Vending Machines, contactless bank card payment, and Robin Hood smartcard. Supporting products include Student Academic Year and Under 19 passes, Short Hop zone-based travel tickets, Season Tickets for commuters, Workbytram corporate schemes, and the Destination Discount rewards program. The network also features a tram naming initiative honoring local Nottingham figures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NETGO!: Mobile ticketing application for purchasing tram tickets including single, day, group and season tickets. Also allows journey planning and service updates.

Products and services

• NETGO! Mobile App Free mobile ticketing application allowing passengers to purchase single, day, group and season tickets, plan journeys, check service updates, and access rewards.
• One-off Tickets (Single and Day) Pay-as-you-go tram tickets including Adult Single (£3.50-3.60), Adult Day (£5.65-5.80), and Family Ticket (£12-15) options purchased via app, machines, or contactless validators.
• Season Tickets Weekly, monthly, and annual tram passes offering unlimited travel across the network; annual season ticket reduced to £525 during January 2025 sale (normally £725).
• Student Academic Year Tram Ticket Discounted unlimited tram travel pass for university and college students valid from September to July, priced at £275 (£0.82-£0.90 per day), available via NETGO! app.
• Under 19 (U19) Tram Pass Six-month unlimited tram travel pass for school students under 19, available at £135 during limited offers (normally £200) with special discount codes through participating schools.
• Short Hop Contactless Travel Ticket Contactless tap-on/tap-off payment option for short journeys within one of NET's nine short hop zones, priced at £1.50 via contactless bank card or £2 via Ticket Vending Machine.
• Robin Hood Network Smartcard Ticketing Smartcard-based ticketing integrated with the Robin Hood Network allowing multimodal regional travel across tram and bus services with single-card validation.
• Workbytram Corporate Travel Scheme Corporate travel program offering local employers discounted tram travel rates for their employees through aggregated business accounts.
• Destination Discount Rewards Program Rewards program offering exclusive discounts at partner retail, hospitality, and entertainment establishments across Nottingham when passengers present their tram ticket or season pass.
• Park & Ride Service Park & Ride service at Forest Park and additional locations providing integrated parking with tram travel to reduce city-centre congestion and parking demand.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% customer satisfaction rate with 95% would recommend NET
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nottinghamshire PolicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Operation Safenet launched by Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden in collaboration with Nottinghamshire Police and NET to focus on improving safety levels for passengers and NET staff on trams. Part of wider safety initiative.
• Nottinghamshire Wildlife TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose collaboration with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust on biodiversity initiatives including wildflower planting and hedgerow maintenance along tram network corridors. Joint project led by NET infrastructure manager Glenn Oakes won Global Light Rail Awards 2024.
• WidgitcoreTechnology or IntegrationVisual communication experts who partnered with NET to develop explanatory images and symbols on trams to empower individuals with travel or language barriers. Part of Accessibility for All campaign highly commended at Global Light Rail Awards 2024.
• Nottingham Sight Loss Council (NSLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to improve accessibility through development of audio guides and app accessibility features. NSLC visited NET depot to review accessibility provisions.
• Outdo (Advertising Partner)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNET's official advertising partner for tram and tram stop advertising. Businesses can advertise by contacting Outdo at 01422 322255 or [email protected].
• Robin Hood NetworkcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Robin Hood Network allowing multimodal travel. NET tickets and passes work within the broader regional transport network. Robin Hood Card users must comply with Robin Network Terms and Conditions.
• World Masters HockeyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership renewed for 2024 Indoor World Cup Nottingham, showing support for popular sports fixture. NET provides transportation to event venues.
• Nottinghamshire MindcoreOthersNET's Charity of the Year for 2026, chosen by staff vote. Aims to educate, inform, and build resilience of local community regarding mental health. Partnership aims to support mental health awareness initiatives.
• Consent CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroup of over 30 Nottingham businesses working to raise awareness of the importance of consent and challenge misinformation around sexual violence. NET participates as part of safety initiatives.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Express Group: Major UK transport operator running bus and coach services. Comparable through West Midlands Metro operations and broader UK public transport concessions, though bus-coach focused.
• Keolis UK: Global transport operator and Tramlink Nottingham consortium member. Operates multiple UK light rail and bus networks, sharing platform, ticketing, and operational expertise with NET.

Direct peers

• Edinburgh Trams: Single-line light rail system in a UK city, also operated in partnership with a private consortium. Highly comparable on network scale, urban tram operations, and fare-based revenue model.
• Blackpool Tramway: Historic UK urban tramway serving Blackpool. Comparable as a heritage-plus-modern light rail system focused on tourism and local connectivity.
• Manchester Metrolink: UK's largest light rail network operated by Keolis (a Tramlink consortium shareholder). Directly comparable on vehicle technology, urban tram operations, and concession-based model, though serving a larger metropolitan area.
• Docklands Light Railway: London automated light metro serving a defined urban corridor. Comparable on light rail operations, contactless ticketing integration, and urban passenger transit operations under a concession framework.
• West Midlands Metro: Midlands-based light rail network operated by National Express/Midland Metro. Comparable on light rail operations, urban transit ticketing, and concession-style delivery.
• Tramlink Croydon: South London light rail network operated under Transport for London. Comparable on urban tram operations, smartcard/contactless ticketing, and concession governance.
• Sheffield Supertram: UK light rail tram system operated under a concession structure, comparable to NET on rolling stock, urban passenger transit, and public-private operating model.
• Tyne and Wear Metro (Nexus): Major UK urban rapid transit system serving Newcastle/Sunderland region. Comparable on urban rail operations, ticketing infrastructure, and integrated regional transport network coverage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nettram
• Facebookfacebook.com/thetram.net
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nottingham-tram-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/nettram
• TikToktiktok.com/@nottinghamtram

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nottingham Express Transit