Both lifts at Freehold tram stop are set to receive upgrades following repeated outages.

Users of the tram stop, which is only accessible by stairs or a lift, had raised concerns over the reliability of the lifts, with some residents saying that at least one of the two is out of service each week.

The lift on the eastbound ‘outbound’ platform had been out of order from November 16 until January 22.

Originally failing with a controller issue, repair teams suffered a setback after the lift was ‘severely vandalised’, causing ‘significant damage to the doors’ on December 7.

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The westbound ‘inbound’ lift also failed twice in this period, on December 2 and December 29 due to faults – meaning the stop was without any step-free access.

While transport bosses say both are now working, they have shared that the lifts will be upgraded to higher specification models in the future in the hope it will stop problems before they happen.

The higher specification models are set to be more resistant to vandalism and water ingress/moisture.

It’s hoped the upgrades will reduce the number of breakdowns, and, therefore, the amount of time the lifts are out of service.

Maintenance teams will be carrying out the upgrade work on one lift at a time in order to minimise disruption to passengers.

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Danny Vaughan, TfGM’s head of Metrolink, said: “As we move towards delivering the integrated Bee Network, having a fully accessible public transport system will play a vital role in delivering our ambitions.

“When there are problems with the Metrolink network, we work quickly to solve them as soon as possible for the benefit of our customers.

“With this in mind, I want to thank passengers for their patience while long-term repairs have been carried out on the outbound lift at Freehold.

“I also want to apologise to any passengers using the stop who have been inconvenienced during the repair period, which took longer than expected due to the lift being damaged by vandals.

“When a lift is out of service, the other lift can be accessed by passengers by using the track crossing at the stop.

“Passengers are welcome to contact Customer Services whenever they need assistance. In the unlikely event that both lifts are out of service, the team will also be able to advise passengers of the best options to reach their destination.”  

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