Pedestrians injured after being hit by tram travelling at 17mph

A safety watchdog has warned that a Sheffield Supertram crossing did not do enough to alert pedestrians to an approaching tram after two people were struck, leaving one seriously injured.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) today published its findings into the collision at the Staniforth Road footpath crossing in Darnall on June 22, 2025, identifying a series of failings and calling for urgent safety improvements across the South Yorkshire Supertram network.

The collision happened at around 4.14pm when a tram travelling at about 17mph struck two pedestrians as they crossed the tracks.

Both were taken to hospital.

One suffered serious injuries, while the other was left with minor injuries.

According to the RAIB report, the pedestrians were unaware that the tram was approaching when they stepped into its path.

Investigators said this was because they were not effectively alerted by the tram’s audible warning devices, while the layout of the crossing and its signage also failed to adequately warn people of the danger.

RAIB said an “underlying factor” in the accident was that the way risks at the Staniforth Road crossing were managed by South Yorkshire Future Trams Ltd, which operates and maintains the network, and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, which owns it, “was not sufficiently effective”.

The investigation also found the serious injuries suffered by one of the pedestrians may have been made worse by a raised cobbled surface immediately beyond the crossing.

Following its investigation, RAIB has issued three recommendations aimed at improving safety.

The first calls on South Yorkshire Future Trams Ltd and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to continue reviewing the risks at the Staniforth Road crossing and introduce appropriate safety measures.

The second recommendation asks South Yorkshire Future Trams Ltd to tackle inconsistencies in the way tram drivers use audible warnings, ensuring a consistent approach across the network.

The third recommendation calls on both organisations, working alongside other local transport bodies, to assess every location on the South Yorkshire Supertram network where pedestrians could credibly be struck by a tram and introduce changes to reduce the risk of serious injury.

The report follows the investigation into the June 2025 collision and sets out a series of measures which RAIB believes are needed to make the tram network safer for pedestrians.

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority have been contacted for comment.