Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell has responded to suggestions that automatic braking systems should be introduced on the Tramlink, after questions were raised about the safety of the service.

The investigation into what caused a tram to derail, killing seven people and leaving 51 more injured, some of which receiving life-changing injuries, is underway.

The disaster has raised questions about how investigators can act fast to avoid something similar happening in the future, and one point made in Parliament yesterday was the introduction of an automatic brake.

Mr Barwell, in response to shadow minister for London Andrew Slaughter’s question regarding why the tram cannot be fitted with the automatic system, said trams rely on drivers because they run on both road and rail.

Mr Slaughter asked if the vehicles could follow the model of the driverless Docklands Light Railway, which slows as it approaches sharp turns.

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Legitimate questions have been raised about sections of the tram’s route, Mr Barwell added, that he assures will be addressed in the investigation.

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday he said: “Essentially, trams are buses on rails. Because they run part of their route on rails and part of it on roads, trams have to rely, at least for part of the route, on drivers driving according to the conditions in front of them.

“Therefore, trams cannot have the same kind of signalling systems as trains. However, there is a legitimate question about sections of the route where trams run on rails and are akin to trains, and I am sure that that will be one of the issues addressed in the investigation.

Mr Barwell said he expects an interim report to be published on the incident this week, and that there may be issues the Rail Accident Investigation Brach can raise with the regulator and operator.

But the full report will take between 10 and 12 months, he suggested.

Mr Slaughter added that he thought it imperative the interim findings from investigators are translated into immediate action, providing “necessary reassurance that any further such incidents can be averted”.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch, one of the bodies investigating the cause of the crash, found that the tram was travelling a speed “significantly higher” than the permitted speed of 12mph.

A criminal investigation by British Transport Police and a health and safety investigation by the Office for Road and Rail are also underway.