Major disruption for Manchester’s Metrolink after ‘unstable land’ warning stops trams

A major part of Manchester’s Metrolink tram network has been suspended until further notice after unable land made it unsafe to run services.

Transport for Greater Manchester, which owns Metrolink, said services on part of the Oldham and Rochdale line have been impacted.

In a statement, the organisation said that track and other equipment have been affected by “land movement” and that “detailed investigations” are ongoing to identify the cause.

It added that specialist teams are also being brought in to help fix the issue.

‘Absolutely the right thing to do’ – Metrolink boss

Pete Sommers, TfGM’s network director for Metrolink, said: “I’m sorry for the impact this will have on people’s journeys.

“The decision to suspend services is not taken lightly but is absolutely the right thing to do to ensure the safety of our passengers, staff, and the wider public.

“We are working hard to understand what is causing this and ultimately how we fix it, but this is a complex and serious incident that is unlikely to be quickly resolved.

“We will of course ensure customers are kept fully up to date and will provide further information as soon as we have it.”

TfGM said that trams are currently unable to operate beyond Oldham Mumps and customers able to use their tickets on local bus services or a replacement bus service.

The issue comes after union members at Metrolink called a three day strike for later this month in protest over pay.

Staff will walk out from Thursday, July 25, to Saturday, July 27.

More than 600 members of the Unite union were balloted for strike action after being offered a 4.5 per cent pay rise.