Metrolink delay unacceptable says Rochdale Lib Dem Leader

Councillor Andy Kelly and Irene Davidson at Newhey Metrolink Station

Rochdale Lib Dem Leader Councillor Andy Kelly has slammed Metrolink bosses after a morning of chaos on the trams.

Councillor Kelly says he received complaints from residents affected.

Commuters had to use their Metrolink ticket to catch replacement buses or pay to catch the train. Metrolink bosses blamed a mixture of freezing fog and ice forming on the overhead wires causing a fault in Derker. They have apologised.

Councillor Kelly said: "No-one denies that it was 'coldish' this morning - it shouldn't have been cold enough to cause such misery for local people. You'd have thought that a state of the art transport system could have withstood this morning's weather.

"I welcome the apology and explanation from transport bosses but would like to know what they are planning to do to avoid the system grinding to a halt again. That requires a full investigation and that needs doing now. The weather could be a lot worse so we need to do everything we can to ensure that we are prepared.

"It's not quite in the league of 'leaves on the line' but people expect better from a transport system they invest so heavily in."

Residents were told they could use their Metrolink Tickets to use existing and replacement buses.

Councillor Kelly said: "Anyone catching the train had to cough up peak prices. It became a choice of 'use the buses and be late for work' or pay again for the train. This can not be acceptable for an 'integrated' transport system and needs looking at."

A Transport for Greater Manchester Spokesman said: "We would like to apologise to anyone who experienced delay and was caught up in what would have been a very cold and frustrating situation. As soon as the problem occurred every effort was made restore a full service as swiftly as possible, and get people to their destinations by other means.”