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.
Monthly Subscription: Enjoy more Railway Magazine reading each month with free delivery to you door, and access to over 100 years in the archive, all for just £5.35 per month.
Click here to subscribe & save
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.
Read more in November’s issue of The RM – on sale now!
