For the second time in a week tram services in the UK have been affected by a derailment. This time it has happened on Nottingham Express Transit with significant disruption seen on the network throughout Friday 30th September after the derailment occurred shortly after 0730.
One of the Alstom Citadis trams left the tracks close to Highbury Vale with a spokesman from NET saying: “One of the bogies lost contact and alignment with the track. Engineers are investigating the problem.”
Whilst the tram was rerailed and damage to the track was investigated a revised service operated. It was initially reported that no trams were running between Wilkinson Street and David Lane but this area of no trams was later extended to cover between Wilkinson Street and Highbury Vale. Shuttle trams ran from Hucknall as far as David Lane and also on the Phoenix Park branch to Highbury Vale (but not joining the mainline here).
By the evening trams were running all the way through from Hucknall to Toton Lane but there was still significant disruption for the Phoenix Park branch with it still only possible to run shuttle services between Phoenix Park and Highbury Vale with anyone wishing to continue their journey into Nottingham and beyond having to walk the short distance to the Highbury Vale stop on the mainline to change trams.
The problem was fixed overnight and a normal service resumed from the start of service on Saturday 1st October.