July 15, 2026 — 5:00amTwo Sydney trams that caught fire on the weekend were fitted with replacement roof-mounted batteries as part of a program meant to fix a string of similar fires this year.Light rail services between the CBD and the eastern suburbs were suspended for almost the whole day on Saturday and ran on a reduced timetable on Sunday after two separate fires broke out on the tram roofs.Two light rail fires on July 11 near Sydney QVB and Moore Park shut down almost the entire network for hours. 9NewsThe first fire occurred at 7.53am on Saturday, when onlookers observed smoke emerging from the top of a tram after the roof-mounted batteries caught alight. At 10.22am, a second tram caught alight near Moore Park and passengers were evacuated.There have been six fires in just four months – all stemming from the roof-mounted batteries.A spokesperson for private operator Transdev, which is responsible for the service, said a “battery replacement program” was brought forward after three tram fires in February and March. But last weekend’s fires were caused by a new batch of batteries – the very ones fast-tracked to fix the earlier fires, they said.“Light rail vehicles are not sent onto the network with any known safety defects,” the spokesperson said.Acting co-ordinator-general Matt Longland said Transport for NSW was “disappointed by the ongoing battery-related issues affecting the light rail fleet and the impact on passenger services”.Asked whether the department would reconsider its contract with Transdev, Longland said Transport for NSW would “continue to hold our operators and suppliers accountable for meeting their contractual obligations and performance requirements”.Peter Grech, divisional president of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, said Transdev had not been transparent about the cause, which he suspected to be a problem with the tram itself and not the batteries.“What’s going on? What are you doing to fix it? How are you fixing it? Everyone’s isolated from that.”In one instance near Central Station on March 5, a witness posted on social media that he saw the fire on the tram’s roof when it was at a Surry Hills stop and banged on the “driver’s cubicle to tell him to stop, but he ignored us and continued on to Central”.Grech said while nobody had been hurt so far, the latest incident raised serious questions about the future safety of passengers and commuters.“Commuters are definitely concerned,” he said. “It’s going down George Street, there’s a fire and with all this electrical wiring – anything could happen.”The fires have triggered the state’s independent transport safety body – the Office of Transport Safety Investigations – to broaden the scope of its probe from the initial three fires in February and March.The investigation will aim to uncover the primary and contributory factors of the fires, whether they could have been anticipated, and how effectively the risks were managed. The independent body will also investigate ways to improve safety but did not specify when findings will be released.The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.From our partners