The Tram-Train pilot service between Cathedral and Rotherham Parkgate for several hours on Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th April after the discovery of a fault on one of the Citylink vehicles which meant it was necessary to undertake checks by the manufacturer on the remaining tram-trains. Services were initially suspended during the evening of Tuesday 9th April and remained suspended initially on Wednesday 10th April before a two tram service resumed in the late morning. It is planned a full service will resume from the start of Thursday 11th April.
The issue with the Citylink tram-trains was related to a bracket on the structure underneath the vehicle which wasn’t “directly linked to the mechanical running of the vehicle but needed to be checked and reviewed before trams could re-enter service.”
Tim Bilby, Stagecoach Supertram Managing Director, said: “We are pleased that the vehicle manufacturer has found a solution that allows us to resume the Tram Train service and we are sorry for the disruption this has caused our customers today. Safety will always be our first consideration and it was essential that this work was done. We are running a half hourly service between Parkgate and Cathedral for the remainder of today and will resume a full service tomorrow morning. Once again, I would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”
Currently four of the Citylink tram-trains have the correct wheel profile for running to Parkgate with 399 201, 399 202, 399 203 and 399 206 all so fitted. 399 204 is back in Spain for repairs with 399 205 and 399 207 used on the conventional tram network.