Pictures: Cracks on Sydney’s inner west light rail trams revealed

Photographs of cracks on Sydney’s inner west light rail trams have revealed the extent of damage which forced the government to shut down the fleet for 18 months. See the pictures.

Transport officials were told there was nothing to worry about by the tram manufacturer after it was contacted when cracks were found in the same make of light rail carriages overseas.

Despite the reassurance almost six months ago, Transport for NSW engineers conducted an inspection of the its inner west light rail fleet.

After small cracks were sighted, the engineers pulled up the floors of the carriages to make an alarming discovery – “significant” fractures in every one of the 12 tram sets.

Photographs of the cracks obtained by The Sunday Telegraph show the extent of the cracking beneath the floors, which on Friday forced the state government to decommission the service for up to 18 months.

Cracks on the inner west light rail trams. Picture: Supplied

The cracks forced the government to shut the trams down. Picture: Supplied

The state opposition has attacked the state government for buying overseas-built trams instead of having them made in Australia.

However, NSW Transport Minister Rob Stokes said no Australian companies had bid to build light rail vehicles.

“We will be working hard to ensure they are fully repaired and back in service as soon as possible,” Mr Stokes said.

“No Australian companies bid to build these light rail vehicles.

“The Government’s only options were from overseas manufacturers.”

Transport for NSW officials began inspecting the inner west trams after the same Urbos 3 carriages were taken offline between Birmingham and Wolverhampton the UK five months ago after a crack was found on the chassis.

Officials contacted the Spanish manufacturer and were advised that the UK authorities had not been using the trams as designed.

The inner west light rail service from Dulwich Hill to Central Station has been decommissioned for 18 months after cracks appeared. Picture: Toby Zerna

The extent of the cracks is revealed. Picture: Supplied

When officials inspected the Sydney fleet, a “design flaw” crack in the wheel arches of the body of the trams were found.

Mr Stokes says an 18-month stoppage – which has forced thousands of commuters between Central and Dulwich Hill on to buses was the worst-case scenario.

Earlier in the week, Transport for NSW’s chief operating officer, Howard Collins, said the cracks were not considered a safety risk.

However, Mr Stokes said the briefing he received on Friday showed the cracking was more significant than initially thought.

The Urbos 3 vehicles are used around the world, and locally in Canberra and Newcastle while they are also on order to be used on Parramatta’s upcoming light rail.

With light rail becoming more popular in Sydney, the state government expects more local manufacturers to become interested in potentially making them locally.

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