Man dragged 50ft by tram after safety system failed
BOSSES ADMIT ‘UNINTENTIONAL ERROR’ AFTER PASSENGER GOT STUCK IN DOORS
METROLINK bosses have admitted failings after a passenger got his hand trapped in tram doors and was dragged 50ft along a platform.
A safety system failed to register he was stuck, an investigation has revealed.
The man struggled to free himself as the driver pulled away at Bury Metrolink station.
He was dragged along the platform for 50ft during the incident at around 1.30pm on May 30.
The man approached the tram just as the doors were closing and put his hand between them, a report said.
A safety system, which does not detect slender objects, did not kick in.
A ‘doors closed’ light illuminated in the cab, leading the driver to believe it was safe to depart.
He told Metrolink bosses he thought the passenger was part of a large group that did not board after looking at a CCTV monitor.
The tram moved around 50ft –15 metres – before the driver realised the man was trapped and stopped.
The doors were opened and the passenger, who was not hurt, boarded.
Following an investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), Metrolink bosses admitted an ‘unintentional error’ was made in relation to guidance given to drivers.
In February, the RAIB issued urgent safety advise after an empty pushchair was trapped in the doors of a Nottingham tram and dragged 430m.
Drivers were advised ‘not to place sole reliance on the doors interlock system when deciding whether anything is trapped.’
Staff were briefed verbally and handed written guidance.
But, in a revised briefing document given to Greater Manchester drivers, the new advice was left out, in what Metrolink bosses say was an ‘unintentional error.’
All drivers have now been told check all CCTV monitors before setting off. Training has also been updated. RAIB chiefs said the incident showed the ‘importance of tram drivers not relying on [the interlock system] as an assurance that nothing is trapped in the doors’ and the ‘need for managers to provide comprehensive and consistent safety messages.’