No trams were able to run on Nottingham Express Transit until 0800 on Monday 24th March after a heavy frost caused problems. In a scenario which echoes previous problems on Manchester Metrolink the heavy frost meant that trams could not pick up power from the overhead wires and despite “specialised equipment” being sent out from 0400 to clear the wires no services were operated until 0800.
Jo Bentley, Customer services manager for Nottingham Express Transit, explained the problem: “The overnight conditions meant our early morning services were cancelled and replacement buses between Hucknall and Phoenix Park and Station Street were in operation. “We were able to re-introduce tram services just before 8.00am although minor delays continued for a period whilst the normal timetable became fully operational. The problems were caused by severe icing on the overhead lines. It only becomes an issue in the most extreme conditions when the trams can only intermittently pick up power and therefore cannot run. We sent out special equipment at 4.00am this morning in advance of services coming into operation but, initially, even this struggled to clear the build up of ice. Obviously we would like to apologise to our customers for the disruption and for any inconvenience this may have caused. They can be assured we were doing everything possible to get services up and running as soon as we could.”
The cancellation of all early morning journeys did not go down too well with passengers on their morning commute with the introduction of replacement buses also taking some time to implement. Tram services initially resumed between Wilkinson Street and Station Street before it was possible to run all the way to Phoenix Park and Hucknall.
Metrolink was a shambles as well this morning, so not just Nottingham.
When are passengers going to come first and proper buses found
rather than just saying you can use your ticket on the 135 service etc.
ever tried to get on a 135 into Manchester in morning peak anywhere after
Whitefield ?? There is a limp wrested apology on their web page this evening, seems ‘factors’ all ganged up together to stop most of the services.
Wish these people had faces and shed up somewhere rather than
continually hiding behind their ‘publicity machine’
Mike
And where do you suggest these buses magically appear from in the morning peak. Bus operators don’t have depots full of spare buses and drivers.
Are you suggesting that Metrolink have 100 buses kept warm in a garage somewhere ‘just in case’!! How long would it then take to deploy these Metrolink Buses to all parts of the system?
As crude as metrolinks fall back is, it’s the only logical way of doing it at short notice as the system is so big!!!
No it was a rhetorical question. I was trying to say that the deployment of buses in meaningful numbers at short notice is impossible especially at peak times.
Sorry Freel, I was making the same point as you Haha. It’s because the comments are moderated, they back up and as mine came second, it’s ended up lookin like an arsey response! I agree with your point in entirety!
Never had this problem in Sheffield despite having routes at higher altitude .
The climate in Manchester is damper than Sheffield. Frost requires airborne moisture!
Problem is not so much sub zero, but when it fluctuates above and below zero causing built up rain water/melted ice on the overhead to refreeze.
Sending a tram out to act as an ice breaker in advance of service is hardly “specialist equipment”…