Wheels not coming off new trams

Metrolink bosses deny that Oldham’s new £2 million trams are being damaged by Greater Manchester’s old railway lines before they reach the borough next year.

But they admit that work is being carried out on the new M5000 trams “to harmonise the vehicle and track.”

Wigan councillor Mark Aldred, a member of Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority — which owns Metrolink — demanded assurances from officials after being alerted by a member of the public.

He said: “I was told that the tracks were wearing out the wheels of the new trams.”

Both tram wheels and tracks have to be regularly reshaped using grinding machines because of wear and tear of metal to metal contact.

The process is normal and also happens across the railway network.

But Phil Purdy, the authority’s Metrolink director, said: “This is not about wearing out the track or the wheels, it is about the way the tram rides.

“There are some areas where we are not satisfied with the ride quality and we are looking at some options.”