Hi guys!
If I may I'd like to tackle some of the points raised by numerous parties in this thread in the hope of shedding some light on some aspects of the tramway upgrade. I don't disagree with a lot of what is said, but I do think that a lot of people are missing the bigger picture. Please don't take that the wrong way as it's true of the majority of 'typical' Blackpool enthusiasts, though each often has their own reasons - the most common of which is simply not knowing the facts. Eek - this is starting to sound bad... it's not meant to be! Moving on!
As I think someone mentioned, the upgrade of the tramway was urgently needed and, whilst not having it would probably have saved the old fleet for a few more years, would likely have ended in either the complete closure of the tramway or a much slimmed down ride along the Prom on increasingly ageing and unreliable tramcars in the not-too-distant future. Remember that the majority of the fleet are getting on for 80+ years old, still with original equipment (And even newer vehicles such as the Centenaries use much older equipment salvaged from scrapped trams!) and certainly not disabled accessible. The tramway infrastructure was in an extremely poor state, highlighted by the double decker bans of the early 2000s, and it was unlikely that the tramway would have kept going for much longer. The Government grant-funded upgrade works, whilst losing some of the 'character' of the system, are at least ensuring its continued survival and allowing some of the old fleet to be retained in both a modified and unmodified condition. It also allows the tramway to remain operating as a public transport system beyond 2020 when the full DDA regulations come into force. Also - can you imagine the uproar if 80 year old buses or trains were still providing every day services? People complain that locals do not use the trams but that is simply because they are so unreliable! Look back into the tram's heyday (Even as recent as the early 2000s) and daily there would be frequent trams to Fleetwood and back largely full. As the service levels declined due to unreliability the custom moved to the Line 1 bus - and if the bus got withdrawn then it's pretty certain that another operator would move in and operate it - at least until the upgrade is complete! BTS have definitely found themselves in a Catch 22 there. Finally on the old fleet... there's the old saying that 'Walter Luff would be turning in his grave if he knew his trams were still running' - remember he was a man of modernisation that was looking to get rid of the Balloons etc after only a 20 year life span with the advent of the ill-fated Coronation vehicles. He'd be welcoming the Supertrams with open arms, and certainly this is no different to new fleet introductions in the 20s (Standards), 30s (Streamliners), 50s (Coronations/Twin cars), 70s (OMOs) and 80s (Centenaries)!
Do remember that the upgrade work is Government-funded and not by the company. For them, then, there is no expenditure to make back and only the operating costs, though of course the taxpayer pays to upgrade the trams then pays to use the trams etc etc! Certainly the fares are frequently commented on as being too high, but it is very much expected that new fare systems in line with the other UK second generation tramways will be introduced from next year onwards. Blackpool Transport will also be operating the trams under contract to the Council (With the trams being in a Council livery) so more regulation may well be enforced - probably a good thing.
It's an urban legend that tourists will wait for a vintage green and cream tram to come along in place of a Centenary or Jubilee - they come to ride a tram, full stop, and very few care what it is. The people that let such vehicles go past are often the purists - 'proper' enthusiasts will get on anything most of the time! A tram ride for novelty value will remain with the new fleet - remember only 5 UK cities currently have tramways, and there are certainly a lot more than 5 cities in the country. It's unlikely that everyone will have experienced modern tram vehicles so the novelty value will still be there - it happens when people visit any of the 5 tram cities already, so the same will be true for Blackpool. Furthermore, I have heard many tourists actually complain about the vintage trams, demanding to know why they are not like Nottingham/Sheffield/Manchester etc. Long gone are the days when people solely identified a tram as a rackety old thing - modern ones are just as much of an appeal.
Do remember also that the advert liveries bring in much-needed revenue for the tramway, and - with the exception of contravision over the windows - are actually well liked by enthusiasts and visitors alike. It's much easier to say to your friends "I rode the Wall's tram and the SEALIFE tram" rather than "two green and cream ones'", for example. They also bring a splash of colour to the tramway in what is becoming an increasingly corporate world, whilst it can also be argued that green and cream is extremely outdated - remember that red, cream and teak lasted for only around 30 years! Other tramway systems went through liveries even quicker - and still do. Metrolink and Tramlink spring to mind.
Nine balloons are to be retained from the end of this year - 700/7/9/11/13/18/9/20/24, whilst 701/23 will also be retained as reserve trams if additional Balloons are needed and 706 and 717 will be retained as heritage cars - for the time being! It changes on a monthly basis as to whether these latter two will be getting doors or not, though skirts are likely for 706 when it gets an overhaul at some stage - a requirement of the Railway Inspectorate. These vehicles are planned to be used on a peak-season Pleasure Beach-Little Bispham/Cleveleys service to bolster the 10 minute Supertram service, though the logistics for this are proving difficult to solve so watch this space.
The Centenary and Jubilee trams look like buses because there was nothing else to do in the 70s and 80s when they were built. The former were built by a company that had only dealt with buses whilst the latter in house by Blackpool Transport. As a concept they were actually very successful, and it was only down to money that further Balloons were not converted into the one-man-operated trams. Nothing to do with the concept being a failure - very much the opposite. Indeed, the OMO trams of the seventies saved the tramway by cutting costs. The heritage nature of the system has always been understood (Why else would we have trams preserved from 1884 and 1898?) but it has never been a goal of the system which is first and foremost a public transport method. Yes vintage trams have operated but only ever on specials and over limited segments at one time. Plus, as I have already said, it is the novelty of riding on a tram, not a double deck Balloon car, that people look for. They'll get on a Jubilee if it comes because it is a tram!
You raise a good point with the Millenniums which are a showcase as to what a modern Blackpool fleet could look like. It's actually quite widely accepted that the design is modern and stylish, but certainly not at the expense of 1930s art deco streamline. (Though personally I disagree!) Would a new build fleet of those satisfy needs? I think so.
Conductors and 'the conductor experience' will be retained on the new system, though you seem to be mistaking the conductors for some elsewhere! The majority - at least on the tramway today - are interested only in breaks and going home, offering near zero customer service. Conductors are also present on the Nottingham NET and Sheffield Supertram, so are by no means unique.
The Jubilee trams are also not structurally unsound, so I don't know what you've been looking at either! Tired - yes - but then so is all the fleet. The underframes are straighter than nearly every Balloon car (as they were lengthened in the right place - the middle - and had some remedial work when they were overhauled) are much better than most Balloons all round, actually. 761 is just extremely unreliable electrically.
The most modified Balloons that have ever been mooted are 10, and realistically it's unlikely to even reach that. 701 and 723 are being retained but will probably never receive the work, it being much cheaper and better value for money to fit them to also-retained 717 if it comes to it, which is already fully refurbished and not needing any rebuild work apart from the 'porches' bolting on. 600 & 602 are both also rumoured to get widened platforms and driver operated doors, though this is only a rumour at this stage and I must stress is not confirmed (but not denied, either) by Blackpool Transport! Indeed - 602 may never carry passengers again, the only refurbished and serviceable Boat being 600.
It is certainly looking likely that there will be a 'relaunch' of the Circular Tour from days gone by during the summer months, operating from a fixed point to a fixed point (North Pier-Little Bispham-Pleasure Beach-North Pier) during the summer months utilising the retained vintage fleet. This will certainly include Standard 147, Coronation 660, Balloon 706, and possibly also Bolton 66 and Standard 143. The Stockport car will be leaving Blackpool for a new home imminently, whilst Box 40 will probably never run in Blackpool again as it is does not contain air brakes or electric windscreen wipers, and, due to being a Museum car rather than a 'vintage' car (owned by the Tramway Museum Society as part of the National Collection) will probably not receive the necessary low voltage modifications to allow it to run. It's widely expected that the car will move to the TMS store at Clay Cross, though this is not confirmed. Please see my fleet list summary in another thread for a full list of what will be staying and what won't. The toastrack tram, assuming you mean B&F 2, was visiting only for the 125th Anniversary celebrations last year on loan from the TMS, and is unlikely to return to Blackpool again for similar reasons to Box 40. Replica Vanguard 619, a sort-of-but-not-quite 'toastrack' has passed to the Manchester Tramway Museum Society at Heaton Park.
Any non-disabled accessible vehicle - be it tram, train or bus - will be limited by law to 20 days service - not including private hires or possibly pre-bookable 'service' tours - each year under the DDA from 2020 onwards. This is not set by Blackpool Transport.
The Boats would not be suitable to carry ramps due largely to a lack of space on board to store them out of the way. Any trams without modifications will also be unable to stop at the new platforms, and a ramp would be too steep from street level. Remember too that trams have shorter dwell times than trains, and when there's a Flexity following time cannot be wasted getting ramps in and out! Similar reasons for the driver operated doors being added. The extensions will likely take on a half-height version of the doors seen on the Balloon trams.
The Brush cars would all be suitable for gaining widened doors in a similar fashion to the Balloon cars, suitably modified, however none are being retained for service use by Blackpool Transport due to their low capacity. Neither the Centenaries nor Jubilees would be suitable for conversion for a large number of reasons, notably their step entrances and narrow aisleways. They're also passenger flow cars so you board at the front and alight at the middle, meaning both doors would need to be treated. However this is neither an option nor going to happen as none of either class will be retained by BTS - 644/6/8 confirmed sold, 641/7 being negotiated and 761/2 also sold. 761 for a new Museum in Fleetwood and 762 for the National Collection if accepted - otherwise to a private individual. No uncertainty with them I can assure you!
In summary, as another point raised it, every tram that could be feasibly modified is being so - all others are sold or retained as vintage cars.
All 6 twin sets are sold, though only buyers for two are currently publicly announced - Set 2 to Crich and Set 6 to the LTT. Set 1 is reserved for Merseytravel and Set 3 by a known private individual, though these have not been publicly announced as yet as I say. The twins are also very much out of favour as they are (allegedly!) slow and require a good crew to operate well. They also take double the maintenance and double the expenditure owing to the fact that most things are duplicated.
I think that's everything!
Jack
Ugh, The no. 1 bus. 
Plus of course you paid your fare to a Conductor, a proper cheery northern one, who not only gave you a ticket but a bit of cheery banter too! It was very definitely an experience you just won't find anywhere else, which marked it out as special.
I would have thought a ramp carried on board would be a better solution. Seems to work ok on trains! I presume that Princess Alice is to retain the original doors? Though quite possibly she might end up with those awful skirts fitted around the front I guess. Are these to become a requirement, or are they just considered a good idea?
Be interesting to see how Blackpool cope though in practice the second conductor at the moment is really only there to open and close the doors rather than sell tickets! Depends on loadings.