We look at reports from the light rail sector raised with CIRAS. What do they show?

Most of the health and safety concerns for the light rail sector reported to CIRAS since 2022 relate to equipment.

These concerns about equipment often reference the reliability or condition of assets, such as on-board cameras, handheld radios, or on-board heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

Rules and procedures have given cause for concern too—specifically, the effectiveness of internal processes for reporting equipment faults. Reporters have felt fault reports were not being acknowledged.

CIRAS also asks reporters to share their thoughts on the root cause of the issue they’re reporting. Reporters with concerns for light rail said most often that the cause was managers knowing about issues but not taking sufficient measures to fix them. CIRAS can help identify potential improvements in safety and reporting culture, as well as risks and concerns.

While our light rail reports highlight reporters’ specific individual experiences, there is only a small number of CIRAS reports for this sector. The data doesn’t imply there’s a widespread problem with fault reporting in light rail. However, it does tell us that, where people feel they’re not heard, they may be reluctant to report openly.

With each report we receive, we can alert the member so they can investigate and act. You can contact CIRAS if you work in the light rail sector. We protect your identity when we pass on your concerns.

light rail reports as share of all reports p1-7 24-25

light rail report themes p1-7 24-25

perceived root causes of light rail reports p1-7 24-25 graph

Light rail reports

Here are some of the reports raised with us. To read them, register on our website with your work email and sign in. Then, go to https://www.ciras.org.uk/reports, and use the search filter on that page to find reports for light rail, or for any sector or topic you choose.

  • Concern over a lack of training for engineers
  • Faulty tram airconditioning
  • Unreliable two-way staff radios
  • Concern over faulty cameras and in-cab monitors
  • Concern about the process following an operational incident and safety reporting culture
  • Faulty seats causing driver distraction
  • Concern over trespass and antisocial behaviour

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