SNAEFELL Mountain Railway (SMR) services have been indefinitely suspended amid safety concerns after tram No. 2 ran through Bungalow on August 4, apparently following a braking failure (RM Sept).
Isle of Man Transport confirmed on September 25 investigations following the incident had “highlighted the challenges of operating heritage railway systems in a modern safety management environment”.
The statement confirmed that the Department of Infrastructure was working with the Health & Safety at Work Inspectorate to identify improvements as part of a comprehensive review, but addressing all the issues had proven difficult.
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The decision had therefore been made to “commit the skills and expertise of its Isle of Man Railways engineering staff to dealing with these matters, rather than to supporting day-to-day operations”.
Of the six-strong Snaefell tram fleet, No. 3 was effectively destroyed following a runaway on March 30, 2016.
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