Tramlink fan site closes news section

December 12, 2005

Croydon Tramlink - The Unofficial Site, a popular website about Tramlink, has removed its news section from its website by 6 December 2005 due to legal threats. Concerns about the move have already been expressed in the newsgroup "uk.transport.london". One of the articles in contention is claimed to be three years old. After the section was withdrawn, the site maintainer stated in a message on the site that he feels he is not in a positon to defend legal actions should they arise.

In the same statement, the maintiner explains that the news section has been withdrawn because of threats over some of the reports in the News section. The site maintainer further explains that "the aim throughout had been timely, detailed, accurate reporting" with infromation reported "in good faith".

IC Croydon, a local news website, has reported Bombardier (the company believed to have made the threats) as stating that some of the reports on the unofficial site were "100% inaccurate" with a spokesperson being quoted as saying that "Things came to a head when a potential customer read something on his website and asked us if there was any truth in it. This could have affected our bid."

By contrast the general manager of Tramlink's operators is quoted (by IC Corydon) as saying "It is a shame. I have warmed to the site over the years. He is such a strong advocate of Tramlink," referring to the maintainer of the fan site.