Transport bosses have warned motorists to take extra care when driving close to trams following two crashes in the space of a week.
Footage which shows a van colliding with a tram after running a red light in Trafford has been released to highlight the point.
The video - filmed from the cab of a Metrolink tram - shows the vehicle moving along the tracks away from the Parkway tram stop, in Stretford, when a van suddenly moves across its path.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) say services had to be suspended on part of the network following the smash, on Tuesday (May 4).
Services were temporarily suspended again today (May 6) when a car and tram collided close to the the Ashton West stop, in Ashton-under-Lyne.
A TfGM spokesman said: “Due to a road traffic collision between a car and tram earlier today, services were briefly suspended on part of the Ashton-under-Lyne line.
“No one was injured in the incident, and the cause of the collision will now be investigated.
“The collision is the second this week, after a van collided with a tram on Parkway on Tuesday 4 May, when the motorist failed to stop at a red light.”
TfGM’s Head of Metrolink, Danny Vaughan, said: “We are currently running a campaign for motorists to be ‘tram aware’ when driving close to the Metrolink network, and while the number of collisions remains small compared to the number of trips made each day on our roads, we have had two collisions in the space of just a few days.
“While the cause of this latest incident is yet to be determined, the one on Tuesday was due to a motorist failing to stop at a red light – and reflects the fact that the majority of collisions involving trams are down to motorist error.
“Any incident involving a tram has the potential to cause serious injury, damage to vehicles and delays to our services and customers.
“With more people now making journeys, this campaign carries a serious message and I want to reiterate that motorists should remain vigilant and take extra care when driving close to the tram network.”
