Commuters collapse on delayed trams

May 20, 2009

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TRAM commuters faced delays in Manchester today after a points failure.

Two passengers fainted during a 40 minute delay near Cornbrook.

One angry commuter told how the 8.10am service from Brooklands stopped 10 minutes later at Cornbrook - and didn't set off again until 9am.

She said: "We did not hear any announcements and nobody knew what was going on. It was very hot and there was no air conditioning on.

"One woman fainted on our carriage and another fainted in a carriage further down.

"A woman pressed an intercom to inquire. We just did not know what was going on and it was not a pleasant trip to work."

Transport bosses said engineers were sent out to fix the problem. Other trams were able to reach other stops but the service was stuck between Trafford Bar and Cornbrook.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive apologised for the delay and said: "Obviously people could not get off the tram due to safety reasons.

"Engineers fixed the problem but we are now manually changing the points, which should take until this afternoon. All services are up and running."

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MCFCANDY, M41 (20/05/2009 at 11:08)

And remind me how much the metro is per day????

And they wonder why so many people drive into the city centre.

The Very Cheeky Monkey, in the trees (20/05/2009 at 11:22)

"Commuters collapse on delayed trams"

How the hell has this country endured and won two world wars?

Britain is now a nation of whining, moaning, childish malcontents. This isn't what built the empire.

Mark, South Manchester (20/05/2009 at 11:28)

They pack em in like cattle & sheep.

deejayvu, everywhere (20/05/2009 at 11:29)

Just another reason why the privatised transport bosses didnt get the government hand out in the form of congestion charge loans. Get the basics right and people would have maybe had a bit more confidence in the transport system and voted in favour, instead you get incidents like this, rude bus drivers on an unreliable bus service, extortionate train fairs and is it any wonder you get an overwhelming 80% NO vote

Ace Shakespeare , manchester (20/05/2009 at 11:42)

manually changing the points
And the best technology that money can buy? you must be joking!!!

MPs gravy train, UK (20/05/2009 at 11:43)

Things go wrong from time to time. We accept that. But why no anouncements? Why no air conditioning? We really are third world sometimes.

The Man on Bury Bridge (20/05/2009 at 11:47)

They will never get people to use public transport until this sort of incident is eradicated.

When Metrolink took over from BR's electric train service they doubled the fare between Bury and Victoria, but the service was appalling compared to BR.

It is many years now since the Metrolink takeover, and things have still not improved.

Why aren't our MP's doing something about this?

Oh, I forgot - they are still trying to put right their "mistakes"/"errors in judgemnt" over their fiddles.

I'm just glad I'm retired.

Pushkin (20/05/2009 at 12:21)

Get Hazel Blears and David Chaytor to run the service with their Gravy Train!

Lisa Chan (20/05/2009 at 13:42)

I was on that particular tram this morning and we were sat there for about 45 minutes, there were no announcements, nothing! The driver must of known what was going on. It doesn't take too much effort to say what was the problem over the tannoy. The tram was also delayed by 5 minutes. People pay over £80 a month for this service and it is not acceptable. I tried to ring customer services to get some information but no-one picked up.

If they are to charge high prices, they have to justify them through efficient service, ticket machines that work and take card (there is always one on the Altrincham stop that always breaks down!) and clean tram stops.

Mr Paul Teeque - DEMOCRACY IS ALIVE IN MANCHESTER! WE WON!, Proud of his fellow mancs!!! (20/05/2009 at 13:44)

BAN THE TRAM! build more roads for our cars :- )

The Very Cheeky Monkey, in the trees (20/05/2009 at 13:55)

Lisa Chan: why don't you simply drive in and avoid having to travel on that stuffy train with all thse sweaty people?

Stacey Harriet (20/05/2009 at 14:37)

What drive in and experience the sort of delays occasionally affecting the tram every single morning? A mere 40 minute delay on the M60 is a good day!

I agree with others that people do moan too much these days when the slightest thing goes wrong, but I don't see why they couldn't have at least announced what was going wrong to the passangers.

Wor Bobby, Salford Quays (20/05/2009 at 14:56)

The people of Greater Manchester voted against the chance of a much improved public transport infrastucture.

What comes around comes around.. so just put up with what there is.

Lisa0291 (20/05/2009 at 14:59)

I wish I could drive in, but I am a recent graduate with student debt and I can't really afford the high insurance of someone my age, the petrol, road tax and the general maintenance on the car so public transport is my only option.

The Very Cheeky Monkey, in the trees (20/05/2009 at 15:14)

Stacey Harriet: "What drive in and experience the sort of delays occasionally affecting the tram every single morning? A mere 40 minute delay on the M60 is a good day!"

I don't experience a 40 minute on the M60! I travel from NE Manchester to MAnchester Airport everyday. I go through town in the morning and M60 home at night. Journey is 19 miles and takes 25 miutes ish every day.

Have you moaners thought of moving?

I agree with others that people do moan too much these days when the slightest thing goes wrong, but I don't see why they couldn't have at least announced what was going wrong to the passangers.
Stacey Harriet

Bury Pensioner., Bury. (20/05/2009 at 15:55)

The Metrolink is a national disgrace,people in other parts of the UK must be laughing at the state of this service. It is no use complaining to the MPs as they are too busy filling in their expense claim forms.

Ms B, Manchester (20/05/2009 at 16:19)

This is another reason why the people of Rochdale/Shaw etc are not impressed with having the trams. As I have stated on here previously, we have a good train service from Shaw; four trains per hour,two express and two all stops. I concede that there is overcrowding at peak times, but with a couple of extra carriages there wouldn't be a problem. Now we have the service until October when the line closes for two years in preparation for the tram, and everyone will have to be bussed into Manchester adding more traffic on the already congested roads. I have been travelling into Manchester for over twenty years and I have to admit that the trains albeit scruffy looking things, are more reliable than in the past.

sammyzue, Manchester (20/05/2009 at 16:38)

40 minutes on the M60 is VERY different! In your car you are sat in a comfy seat with a radio and climate control. On the tram in the morning you are stood up, usually in an uncomfortable position, crammed up against lots of sweaty smelly people, and with little air. It can be especially chlostophobic for shorter people like myself.

I think the state of the tramns is awful, I used to catch this very tram but have since started walking to work, it takes almost 50 minutes when it used to take 10 but I have personal space and am saving the outrageous £3.30 a day it used to cost to go just three stops in these conditions.

The trams have the potential to be fantastic, I just wish they could improve efficiency and capacity. Also no announcement is fairly outrageous.

MancunianHumbersider, Radcliffe (20/05/2009 at 23:50)

Ms B and others stop complaining. You really do not know how good you have it...and you know what I am going to say next. One word if I need to...Humberside. Nuff said.

MancunianHumbersider, Radcliffe (20/05/2009 at 23:54)

So the delays were caused by a points failure. Something City fans should be quite used to anyway.

David Ryan (21/05/2009 at 01:40)

With the TIF bid, they could have greatly improved the service. And driving into the City Centre from outside the M60 costs way more than £3.50, if you take into account, fuel, car parking, and general wear and tear.

But no, it seems the majority of the citizens in this great city were to keen to stick to their cars, as is so common in British society, rather than use public transport. I've lived in many cities with great transport infrastructure around the world. Manchester's could have been truly world beating.

RT, UK (21/05/2009 at 11:10)

There should have been some sort of emergency procedure to remove people off a tram delayed in this manner. An acceptable delay time decided until an emergency is called.

We should not be waiting for this to happen. There is no air circulation if the Tram is not moving.

Lets have someone in charge of them who is able to see this.

Ms B, Manchester (21/05/2009 at 13:11)

MancunianHumbersider: If you read my post properly, I state that where I live we ALREADY HAVE a perfectly good transport service which is going to be terminated in favour of a much more inferior one at great cost. The money being spent closing the railway could be utilised far better in areas where the transport system is not good....Hull for instance not!!!

James Yates, Hyde, Cheshire (21/05/2009 at 14:50)

Are character tests included in the selection of drivers? Are drivers told that in case of delays they must inform the customers "trapped" in the back about what is going on, or is it left to their common sense and common courtesy? (from Mancunians!) Do the "managers" not realize that people may have illnesses etc. and that overheated carriages can cause deaths? Do they not tell these drivers to check systems such as air conditioning etc. Or perhaps these drivers are such low-paid unskilled people picked from the job shop that your lucky if they don't run the trams onto the buffers at the terminus. Anyway, hiring such cheap labor will help to boost senior managers' bonuses, which is what it's all about I suppose, so nothing will be done about it. Corruption and robbing the till is endemic in Britain nowadays.

Are people hired to drive these traims tested to see if they have any common sense or common courtesy. Or is this beyond the horizon of the accountants/bookkeepers responsible for the system?

Stacey Harriet (21/05/2009 at 17:17)

The Tram still costs a fraction of the cost to drive into and park in the city. Whenever I go into the city centre I always park at Brocklands and take the Metrolink in. £3.50 seems like a lot, but it costs nearly twice that in petrol to get to the city centre, and then you have to pay for parking.

Would rather take the tram anyday.

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