Track’s poor condition to blame for tram derailment, report says

Rss |

Homepage |

E-mail this article |

12:54 pm, April 24, 2008
Track’s poor condition to blame for tram derailment, report says

By Simon Binns

A report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch of the Department for Transport into a tram derailment at Pomona Station has blamed the poor condition of the track and an inadequate maintenance set-up.

None of the 120 passengers were hurt in the accident, which occurred at 5.14pm on January 17, but the tram service was suspended for two days.

The 28-page report states: “The derailment was caused by the poor condition of the track, which resulted in the leading wheelset being derailed.

“Contributory factors include deficiencies in track inspection and maintenance, the design of the track and the contractual framework surrounding audits and repairs of the infrastructure.

“The contractual arrangements between Serco and GMPTE may have been causal to the derailment as they gave rise to a situation where Serco had no financial incentive to carry out repairs on the track at Pomona.”

The RAIB has made several recommendations as a result of the incident, including contractual arrangements to ensure repairs are carried out on the Metrolink system and a revision of the Metrolink safety management system, emergency equipment and evacuation of trams.

Comments? sbinns@crain.com