Freezing fog halts Metrolink

Manchester Metrolink services were suspended during the morning rush hour of Thursday 18th February between Oldham Mumps and Rochdale Town Centre due to freezing fog. Rain overnight had left moisture in the air which then froze overnight leaving ice on the overhead wires preventing trams from picking up a reliable power source. Passengers on the affect section were advised to either use bus or rail services whilst the issue was rectified. It is not known whether ice breaker trams were run during the night to try and prevent this problem.

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10 Responses to Freezing fog halts Metrolink

  1. Frank Gradwell says:

    Yet again this awful system falls foul of something that happens every year!

    If you live beyond the frontier town of Shaw this is no joke!

    • Ken Walker says:

      Being at Shaw wouldn’t have been any good!

    • David Butterworth says:

      The Shaw to Rochdale section of the Metrolink system is usually the only one which is affected by icing up of the wires owing to its elevated and quite remote location at the foot of the Pennines. Since it has been an exceptionally mild winter, perhaps complacency has crept in and de-icing has not been carried out in time. In most winters we have many frosty days in Oldham and surrounding locations.

      Your ‘awful system’ comment is entirely unjustified. People who actually live on the Metrolink routes consider the system a fine one, which has removed a considerable amount of car journeys from the streets of Manchester and surrounding towns. Witness the sheer volume of passengers (if you ever visit Oldham) which use the trams. Also we eagerly await the second city crossing, due to open early in 2017. True your negative comment may result from the disruption and upheaval whilst the works are ongoing, but that will change and a more reliable system, free from the present constraints should be the end product. Also there are plans to go out to the Trafford Centre eventually.

      Furthermore, some consider that the system should be extended even further to more closely match Continental systems like Prague for example. Even as things stand we have the best system in the country, one which will be unmatched for some considerable time.

  2. Nigel Pennick says:

    In the early 1960s, the trolleybus operator in Maidstone sent out vehicles which sprayed anti-freeze onto the wires in freezing fog and similar wire-icing conditions, so that the service was not disrupted by ice. Perhaps Metrolink could do the same over 50 years later.

  3. Aidan Croft says:

    At Supertram, our trams just plough on through, giving a nice firework display of blue arcs!!

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