Tram Accident Claims
Check if you can claim compensation
If you were injured in a tram accident that was not your fault, as a passenger, pedestrian, cyclist or driver, you may be able to claim compensation. We will explain your options clearly and help you understand the next steps.
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Can you claim for a tram accident?
You may be able to make a tram accident claim if you were injured in the last three years and the accident was caused, at least in part, by someone else. That includes passengers on the tram, pedestrians and cyclists near the tracks, and people in other vehicles involved in a collision with a tram.
A claim is usually made against the tram operator, a local transport authority or a contractor, depending on what went wrong, and many are handled on a No Win No Fee basis. You do not have to work out which of them it is before you call. If you are not sure whether you can claim, we can talk it through with you.
It also makes no difference that you were not a fare-paying passenger. A pedestrian struck on a crossing and a cyclist brought down by the rails have the same right to bring a tram injury claim as somebody who was sitting on the tram.
Who you claim against in tram injury claims
On an ordinary road claim there is a driver and an insurer. On a tramway there is usually a transport authority that owns the track and the stops, a separate company contracted to run the trams, and often a third contractor doing the maintenance. Any of them can be the right defendant, and sometimes more than one is.
The clearest illustration is the Sandilands tram overturning at Croydon on 9 November 2016, in which seven people died and 61 were injured, 19 of them seriously. On 27 July 2023 at the Central Criminal Court, Transport for London was fined £10 million and Tram Operations Limited £4 million. Both pleaded guilty to breaches of section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Transport for London owns and maintains the infrastructure. Tram Operations Limited runs the network. Neither had carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk of a high-speed derailment.
- England has eight light rail and tram systems: Manchester Metrolink, Nottingham Express Transit, West Midlands Metro, Sheffield Supertram, Blackpool Tramway, London Trams, the Docklands Light Railway and the Tyne and Wear Metro.
- Scotland has Edinburgh Trams, which is run separately and where Scottish law and Scottish time limits apply.
- Each is a different defendant. On London Trams the infrastructure sits with Transport for London. On Manchester Metrolink the Rail Accident Investigation Branch has made recommendations to Transport for Greater Manchester, to the local council and to the operating company for a single collision.
- You do not need to know which applies to you. Tell us the stop, the line and roughly the time, and we will identify the right organisation and put the claim to its insurer.
Why tram accidents often lead to a claim
Trams run on fixed rails through places where people walk and cycle, they cannot steer around a hazard, and they take a long distance to stop. That combination puts most of the responsibility for avoiding a collision on the operator and on whoever designed the layout, rather than on the person who was hit.
Most tram accident injury cases we see come from sudden stops, slips and falls when boarding, collisions at crossings, or a cyclist’s wheel catching in the tram tracks. Whether it is recorded as a tram crash claim or a fall on board makes no difference to how it is brought. Our solicitors will explain where you stand and handle the claim for you.
severe injuries requiring hospitalisation were recorded on Britain’s trams, metros and other non-mainline railways in the year to March 2025, up from 40 the year before and the highest since the year ending March 2018. There were no passenger fatalities in that year.
Common causes of tram accident claims
You may be eligible to claim if your injury was caused by the operator’s, an authority’s or another road user’s negligence.
On board, boarding or alighting
Sudden braking, or a fall while getting on or off, especially where you were standing or the gap to the platform was large. You can claim even if you did not report it at the time, because the operator keeps its own incident records.
Cyclists and tram tracks
A wheel caught in a rail, or a slippery crossing taken at the wrong angle. Poor track design, a missing warning or inadequate maintenance can all support a claim, and the fact that you were the only vehicle involved does not make it your fault.
Crossings and collisions
A pedestrian struck at a crossing, or a car, van or bicycle in a collision with a tram. Responsibility can sit with the operator, with whoever designed the crossing, or with another road user, and often with more than one.
At the stop or station, before you board
A fall on a platform, at a stop or inside a station, caused by a broken surface, ice that was not treated, poor lighting or an obstruction. This one catches people out, because the stop is frequently maintained by the transport authority or the council rather than by the company running the trams, so the claim goes somewhere else entirely.
However your tram accident happened, if someone else was at fault you may have a claim. Tell us what happened and we will let you know where you stand.
Hit by a tram as a pedestrian or a cyclist
Most people who contact us about a tram were never on one. They were walking or cycling when it hit them, and the first thing they say is some version of “it was probably my own fault”. It usually was not. If you were hurt by a tram as a pedestrian or a cyclist, you can claim on the same basis as a passenger. Being outside the tram does not weaken your position, and nor does crossing somewhere you should not have been. Where you were partly at fault, the compensation is reduced to reflect your share of the responsibility rather than refused.
On foot at a crossing
Tram crossings are frequently signal-controlled and the signals, the sightlines and the layout are all somebody’s responsibility. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has investigated collisions of exactly this kind and has recommended changes to crossing layouts, which tells you the design is capable of being at fault.
On a bike, on the rails
This is a documented pattern, not bad luck. A study of emergency presentations across every hospital in Edinburgh and West Lothian identified 191 cyclists injured in tram-system incidents between May 2009 and April 2016. Of the 63 who broke or dislocated something, 55 were upper limb injuries, which is what happens when a wheel stops and the rider does not. If you came off where the rails cross the road at a shallow angle, note the exact spot, because the angle of the crossing and the condition of the rail are the evidence in the claim.
Special Drawing Rights are an international unit, not a currency, and the sterling equivalent moves with the exchange rate. We will not print a conversion on this page, because it would be wrong within the week. We will work out what it means for your claim when we speak.
If you worked on the tramway, or were hurt by the overhead lines
Not every tramway injury is a passenger, a pedestrian or a cyclist. Two others come up often enough to be worth saying plainly, and both are brought differently from everything above.
You were working on the tramway
Drivers, conductors, track and depot staff and contractors are claiming against an employer rather than against a transport operator, which is a different kind of claim with different duties behind it. It is also the one people are most reluctant to bring.
You were injured by the overhead lines
Tramways draw power from overhead equipment, and contact or arcing causes burns that are serious out of all proportion to how brief the contact was. These claims turn on isolation procedures, permits to work and the condition of the equipment.
However your tram accident happened, if someone else was at fault you may have a claim. Tell us what happened and we will let you know where you stand.
How much compensation can you get for tram accident claims?
There is no reliable average, and a firm that gives you one before seeing a medical report is guessing. Tram accident compensation is built from two things: the injury itself, and what it has cost you. That is as true of tram injury compensation for a cyclist brought down by the rails as it is for a passenger thrown by a sudden stop.
One thing works in your favour on a tramway that does not on an ordinary road claim. Because the Rail Accident Investigation Branch investigates serious tram accidents and publishes what it finds, and because the Office of Rail and Road can prosecute, the question of what went wrong is sometimes already answered in public before the civil claim begins. That does not decide your compensation, but it can take the longest argument out of it.
A claim can include
- Pain, suffering and loss of amenity, the injury itself and the effect it has on your daily life
- Lost earnings, now and in the future
- Treatment, rehabilitation and travel costs, including getting to appointments
- Care, support and home adaptations if you need them
- Damaged property, including a bicycle written off on the rails or a phone broken in the fall
The injury
Assessed against the Judicial College Guidelines, now in their 18th edition, published on 9 April 2026. That is the same book the other side's insurer works from, which is why the medical report matters more than anything you say on the phone.
Assessed, not negotiatedWhat it has cost you
Every financial consequence that follows from the injury, set out item by item below and proved with documents rather than estimates. This half of the claim is the one people routinely undercount, because they think of the wages and forget the rest.
Proved with documentsEvidence that supports your
tram accident Claims
Clear evidence helps show how the accident happened and how it has affected you. You do not need to gather everything before you get in touch. We can help
Injured as a cyclist on the tracks? Note exactly where it happened and the state of the crossing or rail. Track design and maintenance can be central to a cycling claim
No Win No Fee tram accident claims
You can start tram accident claims without paying anything upfront. If your claim is unsuccessful, you will not pay a fee for our work, subject to the terms of your agreement.
If your claim succeeds, an agreed success fee is deducted from your compensation. Your solicitor will explain this clearly before you commit to anything.
You will see the full terms in writing before your claim begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before starting your claim.
Who is liable for a tram accident?
It depends on what went wrong. It may be the tram operator, the local transport authority, a maintenance contractor, or another road user in a collision, and it can be more than one of them. You are usually claiming against an organisation and its insurer rather than an individual. We identify the right party for you.
How much compensation can I get for a tram accident?
It depends on how serious the injury is, how long it affects you, and the financial losses that follow. There is no reliable average for tram accident compensation because every injury is different. The injury itself is assessed against the Judicial College Guidelines, now in their 18th edition, and we will give you a range once a medical report is in place.
How long do I have to make a tram accident claim?
Three years from the date of the accident in most cases, or from when you realised the injury was linked to it. For children the three years start on their eighteenth birthday. If the injured person lacks the capacity to conduct a claim, the three years may not have started. Contact us and we will check whether you are in time.
Can I claim if I came off my bike because of tram tracks?
Yes. The design, marking and maintenance of the crossing are somebody’s responsibility, and the fact that no other vehicle was involved does not make it your fault. A study across Edinburgh hospitals identified 191 cyclists injured in tram-system incidents over seven years, so it is a known hazard rather than an unlucky one-off.
Can I claim as a pedestrian hit by a tram?
Yes, on the same basis as a passenger. If you were partly at fault, for example crossing away from a marked crossing, the compensation is reduced to reflect your share rather than refused.
What if I slipped or fell on a tram?
You can claim. Sudden braking, a wet floor, a missing or damaged handrail, or a large gap at the platform are all things the operator is responsible for. Being unable to say exactly why the tram braked does not prevent a claim.
Do I have to have reported it at the time?
No. Operators keep their own incident records and CCTV, which often show what happened even when nobody made a formal report. Tell us the line, the stop and roughly the time and we will look for them.
What if I was partly to blame?
The claim is reduced, not refused. Under the Law Reform (Contributory Negligence) Act 1945 the award is cut to reflect your share of the responsibility, so a finding of 25 per cent against you still leaves 75 per cent recoverable.
Are the rules the same on Edinburgh Trams?
No. Edinburgh Trams is the one United Kingdom tram network outside England and Wales, and Scottish rules, including Scottish time limits, apply there. Tell us where the accident happened and we will tell you which rules apply.
Do I have to go to court?
Most claims settle without a hearing. If one is needed we prepare it with you and go with you. Nothing is accepted without your agreement.
Check if you can make tram accident claims
Tell us what happened and we will review your details and get back to you. We will explain your options in plain English, with no obligation to go ahead.
- Free, no-obligation review
- No Win No Fee available
- SRA-regulated solicitors
Check if you can make a claim
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Other road traffic claims we handle
Don't Let Time Run Out On Your Claim
Most tram accident claims must be started within three years. The sooner you begin, the easier evidence like the operator’s CCTV is to obtain while it is still held.
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