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Tram bosses to investigate cold weather procedures
Date published: 10 January 2013
METROLINK is reviewing procedures after trams from Shaw to Manchester were suspended yesterday due to “icy conditions” — despite temperatures being above freezing.
Rush hour commuters were furious about delays of more than an hour when the line was closed between 7am-8.15am..
Chronicle weatherman Damian Rodgers recorded temperatures of around 3 degrees C, but Metrolink bosses said small pockets along the line recorded lower temperatures.
A spokesman for the operators said: “We have a procedure to deal with adverse weather, including icy and cold conditions. If temperatures fall below zero we send out trams as ice breakers, to clear the overhead lines during the night before passenger services start.
“We are given 24 hours’ notice of conditions by a system that determines the action we take for the following day. (In this case) there was no indication temperatures would be below zero.
“In light of the disruption we are reviewing our adverse-weather procedure - with a specific focus on the Oldham line.”
Comments
Adverse weather, it was ABOVE freezing. How can people rely on the trams when within weeks of its launch it can run when theres a slight chill. People who use the tram to commute to work will have to find a more reliable way to travel in winter. This wont be the last we hear on this subject.
During the investigation I hope they can also simulate 'leaves on the line' and the 'wrong type of snow'. These terrible wrath's of Mother Nature can stop a 120 tonne Virgin Pendolino. Just imagine the havoc a rogue leaf could have on a brand new state-of-the-art tram!!
Metrolink save a few quid by not running an icebreaker, businesses lose thousands of pounds due to workers being late arriving as a result. Marvellous.
From the newspaper.
"You can get pockets of low temperatures which affect the current running through the lines"
Either the CERN collider or the Metrolink tram have a major design fault!!!
“We are given 24 hours’ notice of conditions by a system that determines the action we take for the following day. (In this case) there was no indication temperatures would be below zero." ======= Are these guys stupid or just misguided? Even the national weather news was forecasting cold weather with possible below freezing temperatures (especially early morning before sunrise). I really despair at the intelligence of so-called management these days.
So they did not run ice breakers but hang on. the time they stopped was 7am so they have send 4 trams upto shaw by this time. what happens when it -5 all night will a ice breaker every hour work and what if that ice breaker breaks down? they need to buy a de-icer unit that can be towed by the shunter
Have Your Say
Let's hope that something good comes out of this unacceptable situation.
By Dave from Chadderton @ 10/01/2013 11:54:19