Manx Electric Railway - Incidents

Incidents

Owing to the nature of the railway's open and ungated level crossings there have been a number of minor collisions, Since the increase in road traffic during the line's existence these have become more commonplace but are usually minor incidents; the seasonal nature of the line's operations has ensured that warning signage to alert motorists that trams are operating has been erected at the start of each season in recent times to eliminate this risk, however, on occasion incidents do still occur. There are a great number of occupational crossings throughout the line's route, some of which have restricted visibility to motorists. The most recent of these took place on Monday, 27 July 2009, when a vehicle carrying a mechanical excavator came into contact with the overhead wires supplying traction power to both the low road and the Snaefell Mountain Railway at a busy road crossing in Laxey; there were no injuries. Police and the railway's electrical engineering crews attended the scene of the incident, the report also said. It did not indicate what damage had occurred as a result of the incident. Service resumed the next day after temporary repairs to the overhead lines, which was to be permanently repaired over the subsequent couple of weeks. An investigation into the incident was scheduled to take place at a later time.

About 70 metres of copper overhead wire were stolen between late January and 14 February 2012 on the section between Laxey and Ramsey. Local police subsequently recovered the stolen material, however.