We have often reported on cars getting stuck on Metrolink’s tracks after the driver has taken a wrong turn but never before has a car managed to drive onto a platform – until Tuesday 8th March that is. But this time it was not due to a confused driver taking a wrong turn but a Police chase which led the car to mount the platform at New Islington.
Reports in local media suggest that the Skoda car was stolen and was spotted by Police shortly before 1100 at which time they started a pursuit of the vehicle. In an attempt to escape the Police the car mounted the platform at New Islington but it would seem the driver soon realised a car driven at speed on a tram platform doesn’t mix and the Skoda soon fell from the edge of the platform nose first. There were three occupants of the car all of whom were arrested with two having to be taken to hospital for treatment.
Unsurprisingly the incident caused Metrolink services on the line to be temporarily suspended. The Altrincham to Etihad Campus and Rochdale Railway Station to Ashton-under-Lyne services were both terminated at Piccadilly Station whilst the car was recovered with a shuttle service also running between Clayton Hall and Ashton-under-Lyne. Trams were able to run through New Islington again from 1220 but Manchester bound services were unable to call at the stop until just before 1500.
Fortunately there were no passengers on the stop waiting for a tram at the time of the incident and no trams were in the vicinity otherwise the story might have had a different ending.
There are some photos of the stolen car on the MEN website.looks like he has tried to drive up the steps and demolished part of the platform furniture and ended up nose down over the edge of the platform.Pity the occupants of the car didn’t suffer more serious injury.
Can’t agree with that last comment… It’s cheaper and a lot less comfortable for them to be in a Police cell than a hospital bed…
Bollards or other car-proof barriers seem to be needed to prevent more events like this from injuring innocent passengers waiting for a tram.
Possibly a slight over reaction. How many times has this happened? It’s not like its every day. Most access ramps and stairs are too narrow in any case, just bad luck on this one.
Possibly, but what can happen once can happen again, and when it does, then questions may be asked why nothing was done to prevent it happening again.
Having seen the location now I can’t really see how they could do much more than they already have done. Bollards are unlikely to stop a vehicle that is travelling fast enough to climb a fairly steep set of stairs almost a metre high.
More events like this? How many events like this have there been? There was a barrier at the end of the platform, but clearly it was demolished, presumably due to the grossly excessive speed that the criminal driver of the stolen car was driving at while being pursued by the Police, speed that was high enough to enable the car to get up the steps onto the platform!
How about just putting the blame where it belongs, with the so-called driver.
I’m not too sure how you can barrier or bollard without causing issues to commuter flow or impeding disabled access. I could be wrong but I think there is a risk of panicking. At this rate ANY access wide enough for a car will be bollarded. Perhaps I should do the access at the side of my house in case a car chase goes down there!