Nottingham tram derailed after driver missed track problem

The tram derailed after going over some points that were in an unsafe position

A passenger was injured when a tram derailed after the driver did not notice a problem with the track, an investigation has found.

The tram struck a pole supporting equipment during the derailment in Nottingham, dislodging a pane of glass that then struck the passenger.

The derailment happened because a set of points had not reset correctly after two other trains went over them.

There was an indicator to warn about this, but the driver did not spot it.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), in its summary of the investigation, said: "The driver believed that they would be informed if there were any issues with a set of points, but had not been so on this occasion.

"The driver had probably become conditioned to there being no issues at this location and was also possibly distracted."

The tram driver did not notice a "bar indication" showing that the points were in an unsafe position

The accident happened at 17:06 BST on 12 June, at the north end of the Bulwell tram stop.

It caused significant damage to the tram and infrastructure, and the line was closed until 23 June.

The investigation report states: "During the derailment, the tram struck and demolished a pole that supported overhead line equipment.

"This impact deformed the door frame sufficiently to allow a pane of glass to be released, which struck a passenger on the back and head.

"Other passengers were knocked on to the floor of the tram."

The investigation found Nottingham Trams Limited did not have an effective policy in place to inform drivers of points failures, and had not specifically assessed the risk of a driver incorrectly passing a lineside indicator.

The RAIB made three recommendations:

• A review of control room policy and procedures to ensure that clear and practical guidance is available to manage the response to engineering faults

• Improvement of risk assessments in light of the accident

• Consideration of human factors when assessing the effects of a proposed engineering change

The RAIB said it had also "identified a learning point to remind tram drivers to not make assumptions about the status of signals or indicators based on their previous experience".

Nottingham Trams Limited has been asked to comment.