All Tram-Train services between Cathedral and Rotherham Parkgate have been suspended after Stadler advised Stagecoach Supertram to withdraw the entire Citylink fleet. The advice same from Stadler, the company who constructed the seven vehicles for both the Tram-Train service and also to increase capacity on the remainder of the network.
It is not known the reasons for the advice but Stadler have been involved in rectification work on the fleet in recent weeks which had already seen a reduction in the Tram-Train service from three an hour to two an hour. This work had been due to be completed this weekend in time for a revised timetable with later services to be introduced from Sunday 15th December but presumably in the completion an issue big enough to cause the full withdrawal was discovered.
The service was first suspended for this reason during the evening of Friday 13th December with no further statement released since giving further details except to say it will remain suspended until further notice.
The week beforehand had seen other disruption on the Tram-Train service as there were issues with the overhead power supply on the Network Rail side of operations. It would seem this was down to ice on the overhead with Chris Gee, Head of Operations for North and East route at Network Rail, saying: “We’ve now made some adjustments to the settings of the overhead line equipment (it was too sensitive) and we are now confident that we have resolved the problem.”
Not a great week for the service but hopefully Stadler will be able to solve the problems being experienced with the Citylink vehicles soon to allow it to resume a normal service.