4:51pm Sunday 15th April 2007
By Gemma Wheatley
The emergency services were pushed to the limit this morning as a serious tram derailment was staged in Croydon after a year's careful planning.
The operation was a multi-agency major incident exercise, involving all the primary emergency services including the Metropolitan Police Service, British Transport Police, London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service, First Tram Operations and Tramtrack.
The incident took place in the Lloyd Park tunnel at around 11am this morning and was based on the scenario of a tram derailing, causing a number of fatalities and serious injuries.
The tram, carrying 60 passengers, was supposed to have come off the tracks as it travelled towards the tunnel from New Addington.
Seconds later a second tram, carrying around 50 passengers, travelling in the opposite direction from East Croydon ploughs into the derailed tram.
The passengers were played by Metropolitan Police Volunteer Cadet Corps and the incident was acted out in the exact time that the rescue services would work to in a real situation - approximately three hours.
Inspector Ray Whiting, exercise co-ordinator, said: "The Major Incident Multi Agency exercise in Croydon was a huge success. It fully demonstrated the effective and co-ordinated response of the emergency services, supported by the local authority and led by Tramlink."
This exercise, called Exercise Mole, was designed to assist with meeting this requirement and provides all the emergency services with an opportunity to test their co-ordinated responses to a major incident.
It was also an opportunity for Croydon to test its Casualty Reception Centre.
Leaflets were distributed to local residents in the area to warn them about the exercise, which involved around 30 police officers as well as the fire brigade and ambulance crews.
Charles Tomlinson, head of safety at Tramtrack, said: "Regular emergency exercises are an essential means of testing our emergency plans and help to ensure that we can provide a rapid and co-ordinated approach to a range of potential incidents."
Inspector Whiting added: "There will be an operation debrief at the end of the exercise and these exercises assist us collectively in being further prepared for dealing more effectively with major incidents."
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