THOUSANDS of commuters were left fuming when the Metrolink tram service was severely disrupted during the first blast of icy temperatures on Monday.

Transport bosses have apologised to passengers after trams on all lines were hit by delays due to frost which caused ice to form on overhead cables, Services on the Bury line were interrupted for periods of up to 30 minutes and some Metrolink services on other sections of the system were suspended.

Some angry commuters said that, despite apparent assurances their Metrolink tickets would be valid on buses, this was not the case.

Following the chaos, a Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) spokesman said: “TfGM and Metrolink’s operator, MRDL, have a clearly defined set of procedures which are implemented in the event of icy conditions being forecast in areas served by Metrolink. This includes running ice breaker trams to keep the overhead power lines free from frost.

“This weekend, a package of essential engineering work and network improvements was scheduled to take place. MRDL receives detailed weather forecasts in order to prepare for any frosty conditions. If these forecasts suggest ice is a possibility, any work scheduled on the network can be cancelled. None was forecast ahead of the weekend, so work went ahead.

“Unfortunately on this occasion, by the time the frost forecast was received on Sunday evening, the work could not be stopped until it had been completed, which was in the early hours of Monday morning.

“This reduced the MRDL’s ability to run ice breaker trams, which affected services. We apologise for the disruption this caused.”

Commenting on complaints by certain passengers that they were unable to use their Metrolink tickets aboard buses, a TfGM spokesman said that this arrangement applied to 135 and 98 services only.