Frost stalls tram network

Frost stalls tram network

Freezing temperatures and fog halted almost all Metrolink services on Saturday morning.

Angry passengers took to Twitter to complain and @jimmy54 said: Hundreds of millions spent on Metrolink trams and look what happens when there’s a little bit of ice and fog.”

@Julianlstaf added: “A little bit of frost and the whole Manchester Metrolink system shuts down.”

In a statement, Metrolink boss Peter Cushing, director at Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “I’d like to apologise for any inconvenience passengers may have faced as a result of the icy overnight conditions.

“This was not the first frost of the winter and we were aware it was going to freeze overnight. As a result, we had icebreaker trams out across the network throughout the night in an attempt to keep the overhead lines clear and the system operational.

“But a culmination of unusual and extreme conditions and a sudden worsening of those conditions early in the morning led to a number of failed trams.

“Services were launched first thing but because of the conditions, several vehicles failed at key points on the network and the decision was taken to suspend services on all lines, with the exception of Bury to Piccadilly.

“Replacement bus services were running on all other lines accepting Metrolink tickets.”