Accident mars first day of Shefffield tram-train pilot
THE UK’s first tram-train services have begun in South Yorkshire, although the opening day was marred by a collision between one of the new vehicles and a lorry on the tram section of the network.
Opening-day services were heavily patronised, with passengers keen to try the new experience. The accident, which involved 399204, took place in midafternoon on October 25, where tram lines cross Staniforth Road in Sheffield. The vehicle was dragged from the rails in the collision with a lorry. Three people received minor injuries, with one being treated in hospital. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has commenced an investigation.
Mired in delays and cost overruns, and subject to a damning National Audit Office (NAO) report, the pilot project involves seven new Class 399 tram-trains.
They operate over the Sheffield Supertram metals before joining Network Rail metals. Passing through Rotherham’s heavy rail station, the line terminates at a new platform close to an out-oftown shopping centre.
Under the pilot nature of the project, services will operate for two years. However, with significant work having been carried out to ensure the ‘399s’ can operate on Network Rail (including electrifying three miles of railway at 750V DC - the same as Supertram), tram-trains are likely to continue until at least the end of the current Supertram franchise (operated by Stagecoach) in 2024.
“It’s been a long time coming, but we’re glad it’s here,” said Steve Edwards, from the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (one of the project partners).
“The challenges the project has met have been well-documented. It’s the first time the technology has been used in the UK. There are differences between the tram and rail network - this project has been about understanding those differences and how we can make the two systems work closely together to bring benefits to the population of South Yorkshire.”
When the project was first signed off in 2012, the budget for the necessary infrastructure work was estimated at £15 million. It has cost £75m, with the service beginning some two and a half years late - almost three years since the first of the tram-train vehicles was delivered by Spanish manufacturer Vossloh (now owned by Stadler).
According to the NAO report, it was considered for cancellation twice, before being saved only by its pilot status and the expectations that lessons learned can be applied elsewhere in the UK.
Simon Coulthard, the project sponsor for Network Rail, said:
“We’re excited for its prospects here and also in other city regions across the UK. The National Audit Office did their investigation, which we fully accepted. It highlighted some of the issues around changing specification, the electrification, and how we came to choose the system we did.
“Local transport authorities are asking us today to help us develop their own strategy and understand where tram-train fits in. It’s really encouraging to see they are not dissuaded, as some might be on the face of it by our experience here.”
Three tram-trains an hour will depart from a new platform at Rotherham Parkgate shopping centre, travelling towards Sheffield. See Wolmar, pages 50-51 See feature, pages 56-59