The RAIB have announced they are conducting an investigation after a passenger in a “vulnerable condition” fell onto the tracks at the Ashton-under-Lyne on Tuesday 12th March. The passenger had alighted from the tram and had leant on the side of the tram and fell onto the track when the tram departed.
The incident happened at approximately 2255 with the RAIB description of what happened saying “The passenger, who was in a vulnerable condition, had alighted from a tram that had arrived at the stop. He then leant on the side of the tram as it subsequently departed. Once the tram had left, he was no longer supported by it. He fell from the tram stop platform and landed on the track.”
The man was not seen until the next tram arrived at the stop with the driver of that tram stopping short of him and calling the emergency services who took him to hospital.
The RAIB investigation will look at the actions of the driver of the departing tram, the training and guidance to tram drivers in considering when its safe to move a tram, the guidance to Metrolink staff relating to vulnerable members of the public on tram services, the way the incident was managed by the parties involved and any underlying management factors.
* In a similar recent incident on Stagecoach Supertram, widely shared on social media, a man was seen staggering towards a tram at Castle Square before he attempted to open the doors just as it was about to leave the stop. He then stumbled into the tram doors and is said to have lurched alongside the moving tram before losing his footing and falling onto the tracks and under the tram. The driver immediately stopped the tram and Supertram have launched an investigation. The man didn’t suffer any injuries and walked away from the incident. The incident led to Stagecoach Supertram warning passengers about the safe use of trams, including once the doors have closed and the tram is ready to depart they shouldn’t attempt to board.