Nottingham tram network records its lowest reliability figures

Almost one in 10 trams in Nottingham did not run as scheduled this summer as the city's operator recorded its lowest ever reliability rating.

A report by Nottingham Trams Limited said major incidents like the Nottingham attacks, a tram derailment, and a major communications fault all contributed to the figure.

Figures show reliability from the start of June to the end of July was 91.3%.

Reliability is the percentage of trams that run, even if delayed.

Figures due to be presented at a performance meeting on Tuesday show reliability during the summer fell to its lowest level since the network opened in 2004.

The previous lowest figure was 92.3% from a period covering November 2021 to January 2022, which operators say was partly due to a "significant increase" in tram staff off work with Covid-19.

Trevor Stocker, head of operations, said: "This has clearly been a difficult few months for the network, with services affected by a series of major incidents that were beyond our control.

"Whenever there is disruption on the network, for whatever reason, we share the frustration of customers and do everything we can to help them complete their journeys and to minimise any inconvenience.

"We are working hard to improve the resilience of services to ensure customers enjoy the levels of reliability they rightly expect, and in recent weeks we've seen the number of tram journeys completed on time return to the long-term average of around 96%."

The service was disrupted in June when a tram derailed in Bulwell and there was further disruption the following day when three people died and three others were injured in the Nottingham attacks.

In July, a major communications fault saw the whole network brought to a standstill before a car drove on to the tracks at the Lenton Lane Bridge and became stuck.

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].