Metrolink Derailment

[Craig]

I though someone else would have posted this by now.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7480690.stm

Trams resume following derailment

Metrolink services are returning to normal in Manchester after a tram derailed in the city centre.

A city-bound late-night shuttle service tram came off the tracks at the junction of Moseley Street and Princess Street on Sunday.

One person was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Services are running as normal between Altrincham and G-Mex, and between Bury and Piccadilly. Services to Eccles have also resumed but there are some delays.

Moseley Street was closed to traffic and part of Princess Street was shut earlier while a crane was brought in to remove the tram.

Music fans

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is staging an inquiry and has carried out investigations at the scene.

Philip Purdy, from Metrolink, said: "Besides the damage to the vehicle and trying to get the vehicle back on the tracks, you can obviously see there's been some damage to the overhead cable.

"The biggest issue is trying to get the overhead wire back in place so we can run future services."

A Metrolink spokesman said they did not have an exact figure for the number of people on board, but said there were "quite a few".

Services do not normally run late on a Sunday, but the tram was part of a special shuttle service to transport those attending a Radiohead concert at Old Trafford cricket ground.

An eyewitness, who was standing in St Peter's Square when the crash happened, said: "The tram had just left the stop and was full of Radiohead fans returning from Old Trafford.

"The rear carriage left the rails, travelling about 20m (66ft) close to the tracks, then another 20m (66ft) or so after hitting the kerb.

"The only thing that stopped the tram going sideways was the kerb. It knocked over a power cable support before stopping.

"There was clearly nothing the driver could do."

 

[P156KWJ]

nice! not so long ago the first fatality on the NET system in Nottingham occured. Some idiot ran out of a bar on weekday cross late one saturday near the Lace market stop and was hit by a Phoenix Park service; then you get the moaners who said trams should be banned because they're dangerous :roll:

 

[Max]

nice! not so long ago the first fatality on the NET system in Nottingham occured. Some idiot ran out of a bar on weekday cross late one saturday near the Lace market stop and was hit by a Phoenix Park service; then you get the moaners who said trams should be banned because they're dangerous :roll:

Almost has echoes of this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/7481089.stm

 

[Metroland]

'An eyewitness, who was standing in St Peter's Square when the crash happened, said: "The tram had just left the stop and was full of Radiohead fans returning from Old Trafford.'

I bet they were even more cheery after that happened then...

 

[ffcphone]

Does anyone know how the tram actually derailed?

I walked along the same stretch just a few days later (when services were back running again) and I could not see any signs of rail replacement.

I initially thought the accident had happened at the traffic lights just up from St Peter's Square but clearly not. Plus it was the rear carriage which derailed so surely couldn't have been a broken rail or rail obstruction as the front carriage would have made contact first?

Not seen or read anything further on the cause for this one.

F

 

[spoony]

How are trams any more dangerous than buses?

 

[Aussie_Rail]

Trams are not dangerous. Melbourne has the largest tram network in the world and we have been running trams since 1895 and they are far safer than buses, the only people that get killed are those that either run out infront and don't see it or those that have an ipod stuck in their ear and don't hear it and get hit, and that doesn't happen very often either.

Trams are far more environmentally friendly than buses, carry more people than buses* and are possbily cheaper to operate. Also here in Melbourne, people prefer to travel by tram than bus because everyone knows where the tram goes.

*this depends on the class of tram compared to the class of bus.


AR