Shutters down, empty departure boards and an eerie quietness isn't what you'd expect to find at Piccadilly train station on a normal Saturday afternoon.
20.09.2022 - 14:31 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A tram driver who dragged a woman 40ft along a platform when her bag was trapped in the doors was 'unaware' of the accident, a new report has revealed. The passenger's hand was stuck in the strap of her bag which was trapped in the doors of a tram at the Shudehill Metrolink stop, according to the report.
She was dragged approximately 13 metres before freeing herself and falling onto the platform, sustaining injuries to her face and hand, the report says. However, the driver was not aware of the accident when the Bury tram pulled away towards Manchester Victoria at around 11.17am on May 27, instead focusing on a tram signal and on pedestrians and vehicles in the road ahead.
A 'safety digest' published by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) today (September 20) says the driver didn't complete the final safety checks.
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It says: "This accident occurred because the driver did not complete the final safety checks of the platform before moving the tram away from the tram stop. This meant that they were unaware that the passenger was in an unsafe position when they made the decision that it was safe for the tram to depart."
According to the report, the driver checked that the green 'doors closed' light had illuminated in the cab before starting to drive the tram away from the stop. The 'door interlock system', which confirms that doors are closed, is designed to automatically reopen the doors if objects at least 30mm thick are detected.
However, the driver was 'unaware' that thin objects could be trapped in the closed doors and not detected by this system, according to the RAIB report. The driver reported undertaking the first CCTV check
Shutters down, empty departure boards and an eerie quietness isn't what you'd expect to find at Piccadilly train station on a normal Saturday afternoon.
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