Serious incident on Sheffield Supertram 2/9/22

[Pit_buzzer]

Two reported dead as emergency services deal with a ‘multi-agency’ incident on Sheffield tram tracks

There are unconfirmed reports of two fatalities in an incident on Sheffield’s supertram tracks last night.

www.thestar.co.uk

Reports of 2 fatalities in a serious incident on the Meadowhall line last night. Doesn't seem to be much detail as yet

Sheffield trams: Unconfirmed reports of fatalities as emergency services deal with serious incident​

There are unconfirmed reports of two fatalities in an incident on Sheffield’s supertram tracks last night.​

Services on the tram train were suspended for several hours last night, and trams are not going past Sheffield Arena on the yellow line because of the incident.

South Yorkshire and Rescue Service said last night: “We are in attendance at an on-going, multi-agency incident on the Stagecoach Supertram line in Carbrook, Sheffield.
“Please expect delays and avoid the area whilst we work.”


Reports on social media suggested that there had been a collision.

Other messages on social media described passengers stuck on trams between the arena and Meadowhall for several hours

 

[Towers]

Interesting that the article states there were reports of people "stuck on trams for hours". Are passengers not able to be 'detrammed' in such circumstances, seems abjectly daft if not?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The state of local journalism really is atrocious isn't it?

Pretty much every "source" in that article is just a quote from a tweet.

 

[_toommm_]

Interesting that the article states there were reports of people "stuck on trams for hours". Are passengers not able to be 'detrammed' in such circumstances, seems abjectly daft if not?

Similar to a fatality on Network Rail, there needs to be dignity for the people involved, both those injured/deceased, and the driver who will undoubtedly be affected by what they have just witnessed. There’ll need to be a clean-up, and there’ll be procedures to make sure the tram is safe and able to move to the next location the passengers can de-tram.

 

[Towers]

Similar to a fatality on Network Rail, there needs to be dignity for the people involved, both those injured/deceased, and the driver who will undoubtedly be affected by what they have just witnessed. There’ll need to be a clean-up, and there’ll be procedures to make sure the tram is safe and able to move to the next location the passengers can de-tram.

Oh definitely, I was referring more to what the article seems to suggest is trams stuck behind the incident tram further along the network.

 

[_toommm_]

Oh definitely, I was referring more to what the article seems to suggest is trams stuck behind the incident tram further along the network.

Ah, fair enough. In which case you’d hope that the trams would be allowed to return to the nearest station in rear, what with most of the Supertram network being driven by line-of-sight.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Similar to a fatality on Network Rail, there needs to be dignity for the people involved, both those injured/deceased, and the driver who will undoubtedly be affected by what they have just witnessed. There’ll need to be a clean-up, and there’ll be procedures to make sure the tram is safe and able to move to the next location the passengers can de-tram.

On Metrolink they just open the doors on street sections, with a ladder for those unable to jump down. It's more like a bus. Most of Supertram is on street or next to it.

Edit: they're also low floor so not an awful lot different from a high floor bus!

 

[Pit_buzzer]

I'm wondering if a tram train was in the queue and held on the network rail section where I imagine the rules for evacuation are much more stringent

 

[eastwestdivide]

Article says it was at Carbrook, i.e. not on the Network Rail section

 

[Pit_buzzer]

I'm thinking more of the trams queuing because of the incident backing up onto network rail

 

[eastwestdivide]

I'm thinking more of the trams queuing because of the incident backing up onto network rail

See what you mean, but as it’s line of sight (no signal sections) from Meadowhall South, plenty of room for all the trams to get away from the NR section. No doubt we’ll find out more in due course

 

[duncanp]

The BBC are saying that a man died after being hit by a tram.

Sheffield: Man dies after being hit by tram

Police are investigating the circumstances leading up to the death on Friday night.

www.bbc.co.uk

Sheffield: Man dies after being hit by tram​

A man has died after being struck by a tram in Sheffield, police said.
The incident happened at about 21:15 BST on Friday, on a stretch of track that runs to the rear of IKEA, off the A6178 Sheffield Road.
The man had been on the track when he was hit, South Yorkshire Police said. His family has been informed and are being supported by officers.
Investigations have been continuing on Saturday and officers are keen to hear from witnesses.
Stagecoach Supertram declined to comment.

 

[tbtc]

I’m not wishing to speculate on this particular incident and don’t claim to have any specific knowledge, but to give context, at this stop the only way in/out is at the north west corner, where there is a path heading to IKEA/ Retail Park (90%+ of passengers) or towards a footbridge over the parallel freight line, towards the canal (minority of passengers)

unsurprisingly, as it serves IKEA/ Smyths Toys Superstore/ Ninja Warrior / McDonalds etc its busy at weekends and there are families trying to control excited kids

Although there’s a flat route crossing the tracks at the Sheffield end of the platforms, this is the far side from the entrance/exit and i don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone use it, the flat route crossing the tracks at the Parkgate/ Meadowhall end is closest to the entrance / exit/ IKEA etc

So it’s not impossible for a passenger to get off a service from Parkgate/ Meadowhall and need to cross the tracks on the flat at the north west corner of the station, and not realise that, since their Sheffield-bound tram pulled in (and they got off, walked to the far end of the platform), a service from Sheffield towards Parkgate/ Meadowhall had pulled into the north western platform and it’s no longer safe to cross the tracks. Or even that (since stops are by request) a service is heading to Parkgate/ Meadowhall without stopping and you don’t have long to react to it bearing down on you - I say it’s not impossible because I’ve been caught out like that myself, stupidly assumed that the far line was short and it was safe to cross, unable to see because the tram is just got off obstructed my view. Stupid of me, I know, but I’ve seen others make the same mistake

someone was killed a few years ago at Woodburn Road, a station with a similar layout to IKEA, a few stops on the Sheffield side - he didn’t seem to know that there was a tram on the other tracks and proceeded to cross - as he was obstructed by the tram he’d got off, the driver of the other tram had virtually no time to break - this tram was travelling at 13mph as it wasn’t using this request stop (Woodbourn Road isn’t a busy stop) - details are here : https://www.gov.uk/raib-reports/fatal-collision-at-woodbourn-road-sheffield

As I say I don’t know/ am not speculating on the number of potential reasons for this incident, I’m just trying to give some context to the station layout and explain that I might have been hit by a tram there myself a few years ago, expecting everyone to cross the tracks with no indication of whether there is a tram there seems like the kind of thing that was more acceptable in the early ‘90s than it would be today

 

[Pit_buzzer]

I'm thinking exactly the same, tram stood in one platform and alighting passenger /pedestrian crosses without realising the opposite direction is a request stop with the potential for a non stop tram bearing down on them

 

[yorksrob]

We had a crossing at Woodlesford on the main line a few years ago, where a passenger would cross the line, but not necessarily see a train coming the other way (as the train they'd alighted from was still in the platform obscuring the view).

The solution was a footbridge.

 

[ricoblade]

I had that very thought when alighting Supertram, coming from town, at Midland Station yesterday. The flat crossing is "behind" the tram in that direction so it makes sense (to me) to check what's coming the other way before crossing.

 

[Bletchleyite]

We had a crossing at Woodlesford on the main line a few years ago, where a passenger would cross the line, but not necessarily see a train coming the other way (as the train they'd alighted from was still in the platform obscuring the view).

The solution was a footbridge.

For a tramway a push button pedestrian crossing may be more fitting.

 

[yorksrob]

For a tramway a push button pedestrian crossing may be more fitting.

It depends whether pedestrians are liable to think that the light is for the tram they can see, rather than the other tram approaching behind it.