RAIB probes Supertram crash

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is investigating a collision between a tram and a car in Sheffield.

The accident happened at Staniforth Road at 1625 on November 30 2018, and the occupants of the car and a passenger on the tram suffered minor injuries.

Initial investigations suggest that although there were issues with the operation of the tram, which Stagecoach Supertram is investigating internally, RAIB says the circumstances of the accident “do not indicate the potential for safety learning for the tramway sufficient to justify further investigation”.

However, the body attended a similar incident at the same location on October 25 2018, and so has written to the chief executive of Sheffield City Council advising that a riskbased review of the junction and the road traffic signals is carried out and that prompt action is taken based on the findings of the review.

It also noted that the positioning of a pole supporting the overhead catenary had the potential to worsen the outcome of the November 30 accident.