Tram line still trouble hotspot
CRIME and antisocial behaviour on the Metrolink is on the rise, with the Rochdale-Oldham line still a hotspot for trouble.
The total number of recorded incidents rose by nearly a third in the last year, with most incidents occurring at night and during the school holidays.
There was also a ‘significant’ increase in ‘tramsurfing’ despite ongoing attempts to tackle the dangerous craze.
Greater Manchester councillors were updated on the tram network’s performance between last August and this summer in a briefing to the region’s transport committee.
As a result of byelaws being enforced on the Metrolink network, the total number of recorded incidents has increased from 1,570 in 2017/18 to 2,063 in 2018/19.
More than 63 incidents of tram-surfing, where people cling onto trams as they move, were recorded between July 2018 and the end of August this year.
The Oldham-Rochdale line remains a hotspot for crime, with incidents of antisocial behaviour, drug-taking and sexual harassment taking place within days of each other in May.
On average, 165 incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour per month were reported across the network, with the majority occurring at night.
The Observer reported a story in July of a woman who was groped on the tram on her way home from work and in June shocking footage appeared of a woman who appeared to be smoking a ‘crack pipe’ on board a Rochdale tram.
A higher number of incidents were reported at times that ‘closely correlated to dates of school holidays’, says the report.
But the number of crimes per month has reduced in recent months, which has been welcomed by the head of Metrolink, Danny Vaughan.
Speaking at the meeting on October 11, he said: “That’s not to say that it’s gone away but just to say that it is a relatively positive trend.”
But Oldham councillor Howard Sykes called for a list of incidents to be presented to the committee on a line-by-line basis.
“Having it lumped together potentially masks some issues,” said Coun Sykes.
“I’m particularly interested in the OldhamRochdale line because it has been a major issue.
“People are telling me we’re getting a hold of it, but I’m less than convinced.”
From mid-November, Greater Manchester Police will deploy a team of 50 uniformed officers to patrol the network in place of community support officers.
Mr Vaughan said the rollout was a ‘welcome development’ that Metrolink would be ‘watching closely’.
Despite growing numbers of incidents on the line, bosses say Metrolink has continued to thrive in popularity, with an extra three million journeys made in the year.
And a study commissioned by operators KeolisAmey Metrolink (KAM) revealed the city centre corridor between Cornbrook and St Peter’s Square is the ‘busiest section of light rail anywhere in the world’.