There were major delays for four hours on Manchester Metrolink after a power failure at the operations centre on Monday 19th May. There were no trams between 1000 and 1400 whilst the problem was solved.
The problem initially started late on Sunday 18th May when a power failure hit the area surrounding the Metrolink depot and operations centre at Queens Road. United Utilities managed to restore connections to the residential areas but the operations centre was not so lucky.
The overhead had power but there was a complete failure in the power for the signalling and communication systems. Metrolink managed to get through the morning rush hour period by using an emergency generator but this eventually struggled to cope with demand and also broke. A second – and more powerful – generator was sourced but it took four hours for services to even start again.
A Stagecoach Metrolink spokesman said: “We are unsure of the precise nature of the problem which led to the loss of power. United Utilities was informed and we did what we could to keep trams running. We managed to get through the peak morning rush-hour but the first generator was just not powerful enough to cope with demands on it, and eventually stopped. We didn't put out notices warning passengers of problems because up to that point we believed we could keep the system going. Once the generator failed, we had no means of operating signalling equipment on the network, communicating with our drivers, or operating passenger information systems at stations."
Many passengers complained about the lack of information they received with some stuck on board trams for up to two hours. Eventually some trams had to be evacuated using ladders to track level.
Source: Manchester Evening News