When the going gets tough, the tough go...on holiday?

It seems to have been a bad August so far for the Metrolink service - leading to a public apology from Peter Cushing, the new Metrolink Director and a furious response from the NewsManc editor.

See below for some of the headline stories:

1st August: Ashes fans fury after Bury Metrolink trams suspended due to overhead cable fault. No trams are running between Bury and Manchester city centre - after a cable was seen dangling low above the track at Crumpsall station.

1st August: Pensioner killed in Metrolink accident on Rochdale-Manchester line.

3rd August: Metrolink tram derails blocking the line to Bury from Manchester Victoria. The tram with no passengers on was on its way into the Queens Road depot when it derailed near Woodlands Road and Victoria Station on Saturday afternoon.

5th August: An apology from Metrolink director, Peter Cushing.

7th August: Manchester's Metrolink tram service slammed in open letter after derailment leads to Ashes travel chaos.

13th August: ‘Triple whammy’ has put Wythenshawe residents on the road to chaos

As acknowledged by Peter Cushing, "It has been an incredibly challenging period and, at times, we failed to rise to that challenge."

This coming Friday (16th August) should have seen a Transport for Greater Manchester Committee meeting where perhaps the latest travails of Metrolink (and other Greater Manchester public transport services) could have been considered and strategies to improve services discussed.

Oh well, they will have to wait till September....