PUSH HOUR!
BIZARRE SCENES AT METROLINK STOP AS DRIVER ASKS PASSENGERS TO GIVE TRAM A SHOVE
THIS is the astonishing moment Metrolink passengers were asked to push a tram to one side to help it move.
The incident was filmed by a shocked commuter as he waited for a tram at the Brooklands stop in Sale yesterday morning.
In the clip a group of laughing passengers standing on the platform can be seen attempting to push the tram away from the platform.
A Metrolink staff member can then be heard saying on the public address system: “Thank you very much everyone.”
Metrolink bosses explained that sometimes trams can become wedged against the platform.
A Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) spokesman said: “Because our network is 100 per cent accessible to allow for wheelchair and pushchair access, there is only a very small gap between the tram and the platform.
“One of the downsides to this is that if the tram or the track is out by only a few millimetres we can, on very rare occasions, have problems with the doors of a fully loaded tram opening or closing, as happened today. As a precautionary measure the operator is now checking the vehicle and track to ensure the correct gap is available.”
Danny Vaughn, TFGM’s head of Metrolink, thanked passengers for going the extra mile.
He said: “I’d like to thank customers for rolling up their sleeves to help keep Greater Manchester moving. The video which was seen perfectly sums up how people in Greater Manchester deal with life in general, they get stuck in and look out for each other.
“Thanks to the action of the driver and those on the platform, the tram was able to continue and not delay any other services.
“I’d like to thank everyone involved for helping out – I’m sure they will be pleased to know it is not something we will be expecting customers to do on a regular basis when they travel.”
The clip was shared on social media by Twitter user @JBwol.
It is understood the tram was packed with passengers and the driver was unable to shut the doors.
According to witnesses the driver got out to try to close them manually, but when they shut the tram was unable to move so he asked for people to push the tram to get it moving again.
@JBwol wrote: “Passengers at Brooklands this morning being asked to push the tram to one side to help get it going. #WeDoThingsDifferentlyHere. “You know you’ve got a strong passenger base when they can’t get on a tram because it’s too busy, but they’ll still help you get it moving. Absolute soldiers.”
He added: “I thought it was nice people help, but also kind of sad that this is our transport system. I don’t want the driver to get in trouble.” Another passenger on the platform, Sam Dyson, from Brooklands, said: “I was about to get on the tram, the doors seemed to jam. It was there for about five minutes like that – eventually the driver came out of the cabin to try and sort it out.
“On the Tannoy the driver said ‘Can everyone push against the tram?’ It managed to move away.
“It was a bizarre experience, but it seemed to work.”
See the video at manchestereveningnews.co.uk
On the Tannoy the driver said ‘Can everyone push against the tram?’ Passenger Sam Dyson