Several people were injured in the incident at Woodbourn Road in the city at shortly before 3.20pm which led to the tram derailing. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has begun initial enquiries.

Trams have been present in Sheffield for 25 years and the new tram/train service makes use of heavy rail infrastructure, extending the route towards Rotherham.

A new section of track called the Tinsley Chord links the existing tram lines at Meadowhall South towards the national rail network, where services continue towards Parkgate station.

Rail Minister Jo Johnson said at the official launch of the new service: “This is a hugely significant project for the country; connecting our tram and train systems in a way that we hope will be followed in different areas of the country in due course.”

Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis added: “This places us at the forefront of transport innovation and the eyes of many local authority areas will be on us. Today is an important signal of our determination to improve the travelling experience for passengers, residents and local businesses.”

South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive principal solicitor Steve Davenport described the project as a “culmination of nine years of learning” and added that allowing trams to run on conventional rail lines has been “technically very different, with lots of operational differences to overcome around signalling, electrification, communication”. He added that the new tram / train vehicles have seen their crash worthiness improved to meet heavy rail standards.

Completion of the tram/train service follows a challenging few years for the project, which saw costs quadruple and its opening delayed by more than two years. The National Audit Office said in July 2017 that modifying rail infrastructure was expected to cost over £75M. But when the programme was approved by Ministers in May 2012 the cost was put at £18.7M and the scheme was to be completed by December 2015.

This time last year a Public Accounts Committee heard that “insufficient rigour” had gone into estimating the costs of the tram / train scheme.