Alarming scenes in central Manchester after a Bee Network tram and a local bus looked to have collidedin a serious crash.
The incident between the Metrolink carriage and the Stagecoach bus occurred around Mosley Street near Primark right in the city centre.
Judging by photos, the tram looks to have been heading towards the Market Street/Piccadilly Gardens stop when it crashed virtually head-on into the oncoming bus.
The bus driver’s seat looks to have been completely caved in by the oncoming tram and while the vehicle itself has been evacuated, passengers can be seen on the tram.
Credit: Supplied/The Manc Group
Although full details are still unknown, the official Bee Network account shared a post detailing “severe disruption”, explaining that both Metrolink and bus services will be heavily affected as a result and have apologised for any inconvenience.
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We have reached out to Transport for Greater Manchester, Metrolink and Stagecoach for comment but are yet to receive a response. Meanwhile, the North West Ambulance Service shared the following statement: “We’re responding to an RTC at Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester, following a 999 call at 14.13.
“Three ambulance crews, a consultant paramedic, a senior paramedic, a critical care team in an air ambulance and the Hazardous Area Response Team have all attended. Four patients are being treated, one with suspected serious injuries.”
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An eyewitness in the area told The Manc that one of the drivers was being airlifted to the nearest hospital; new images show the bus driver receiving oxygen whilst being carefully cut from the cockpit by emergency responders.
You can see images of the emergency helicopter landing on Piccadilly Gardens down below:
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Danny Jones -
18th October 2024 
