Turbulent times for trams (From Croydon Guardian)

Turbulent times for trams

9:43am Tuesday 10th October 2006

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Croydon's tram chiefs have vowed to get the system back on track after a turbulent few months.

The borough's tram system was brought to a standstill last Wednesday when thieves stole copper from trackside cables - leaving commuters frustrated and angry at being stranded.

In July engineers were forced to excavate under platform one at East Croydon station to fix a problem beneath the rails.

Drivers recently threatened to strike and in September there were two horrifying knife attacks on the system.

Roger Harding, Tramtrack Croydon Limited's general manager, vowed to overcome recent problems to ensure the service remained an integral part of Croydon's transport system.

"We've had a few problems but there has been nothing that has been too major," he said, "Apart from last week's closure, which was due to people stealing.

"We've become an integral part of the Croydon community and the fact that people were so frustrated last week just goes to show how successful we've been over the past six years, as people really rely on us. We've just been a bit unlucky."

Mr Harding assured Croydon's road users that work on the proposed extension to Crystal Palace, which could see an extra six trams circulate the town centre, would not mean traffic jams in the town centre.

He added: "We can certainly handle the extension. The town centre has been subject to significant re-engineering so it's not as congested. The latest congestion problems in the town centre have been caused by work on the roads that have been forced on the council.

"But we are certainly ready to deal with what ever comes our way."

Peter Morgan, spokesman for Croydon Road Users Forum, said the Crystal Palace extension would inevitably lead to further town centre congestion.

"I'm certainly not as confident as Tramtrack is that the proposed extension will not lead to increased traffic in the town centre. It will bring more traffic and it is unlikely to relieve traffic. I don't even think there is a major demand for the Crystal Palace extension, surely they could spend the money on improving other aspects of Croydon's transport system?"

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