Being the kind of chap that I am, I've had a wee look at trams in Manchester.
30th April 2008 - computer failure at the control centre halted all the trams in the city, causing rush-hour chaos.
May 2004 - noise levels from passing trams was recorded at 94.9 decibels inside a house in Manchester. That's about as loud as the inside of a nightclub.
29th June 2008 - tram derails with about 300 people on board, demolishing a couple of the poles carrying the power lines for the trams. Two of the three Manchester tram lines were out of action for a full day.
27th August 2008 - tram and car crash causing traffic chaos.
April 2008 - an accident investigation found that a sharp curve (90 degrees in 40 metres) in the tram track was a contributory factor in a derailment in January 2007. That'll be a sharp curve like the one at the bottom of the hill where Edinburgh's trams are supposed to turn from North St Andrews Street into Queen Street, except that the Edinburgh curve will be sharper... Poor maintenance was another factor.
19th May 2008 - power failure stopped all of Manchester's trams for four hours.
27th September 2004 - tramline closed for three hours after collision with a truck.
20th July 2004 - rush-hour tram's emergency brakes keep seizing on
11th January 2005 - tram derails without warning and hits a pole carrying overhead power lines. Some tram services cancelled for a full day.
16th May 2005 - rush hour passengers stuck on trams for hours after control centre computer crashed.
22nd January 2001 - tram breakdown causes hour-long delays - for other trams.
10th January 2001 - tram travelling at 5 mph is derailed - by newspapers.
22nd March 2006 - tram derailed on bend travelling at 15 mph travelled 50 yards off the rails following a failure at a bend - similar to accidents in each of the two previous years.
21st December 2007 - Cold weather stops trams moving when the overhead lines freeze.
29th March 2007 - line blocked for an hour when tram drags car along road.
There are more incidents on the Rail Accident Investigation Boards website
Inspiring, isn't it?
2 comments:
Just back from Barcelona. Did you know that their famous architect, Antoni Gaudi, died after being run over by a tram? Just goes to show....
Roland Barthes, the French philosopher was run over and killed by a milk float as he walked home in the morning.
Some people disagree, pointing out that Paris doesn't have any milk floats, he had left a lunch engagement with Mitterand, and he was hit by a laundry truck - all of which are disputed.
Personally, I think a tram killed him...
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