The Rail Industry Investigation Branch (RAIB) has decided not to continue its investigation into the derailment of a tram in Manchester in April, as it believes that there are no significant safety lessons from the incident.

The Branch opened the investigation in April, after a tram came off the rails at Piccadilly tram stop. No one was injured. There was minor damage to the tram and to the infrastructure.

The derailment took place at around 13:39 on 5 April 2026. A Metrolink tram en route from Ashton to Bury derailed as it approached the Piccadilly tram stop in Manchester.

The tram was formed of two coupled sets, and was travelling at about 8 mph (13 km/h). The left-hand wheel of the leading wheelset of the rear bogie of the leading tram climbed up and over the running rail, causing the derailment. At first, the driver of the tram was unaware of the derailment, so the tram
continued into the tram stop, where passengers disembarked.

During the course of its investigation, the RAIB concluded that the safety lessons from the incident are likely to apply only to trams running at low speed on tight curves in conditions where there is high wheel-rail adhesion, and therefore will probably apply only to the Manchester Metrolink tramway network.

The consequences of the derailment were minor due to the 10 mph (16 km/h) speed limit on the tramway on the approach to Piccadilly tram stop, and the investigators concluded that the consequences of any similar derailment are also likely to be low.

The RAIB’s ‘discontinuation report’ also outlines that KeolisAmey Metrolink is working to understand and address the causes of this derailment. The company, which operates and maintains the tramway, is commissioning a university to carry out a vehicle dynamics study, aiming to understand the derailment
mechanism and to identify contributing factors.

In circumstances like this – where an incident has low consequences, safety lessons apply only to that locality, and the company involved is pursuing an investigation – the RAIB has the power to discontinue its own investigation and scrutinise the company’s. This is the course of action that the RAIB has decided to take in this case.