This is why you might have seen a train barricaded on a tram platform at Meadowhall

The loco unit has been fenced off at Meadowhall tram stop.

If you’ve taken a trip to Meadowhall in recent days, you might have been surprised to see a train locomotive barricaded in at the shopping centre’s tram stop.

But don’t worry – there's a very good reason why the locomotive unit has been fenced in alongside the normal tram services to and from the city centre.

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The tamping unit, which is being safely guarded by red plastic barriers and metal fences, is being used by railway firm Volker Rail.

The company have been doing works in the Meadowhall area – and the tram stop has proved a handy place to store the loco when work has finished for the day.

A spokesman for tram operators Stagecoach said: “It’s based in the non preferred and largely unused platform at Meadowhall.

“It is meant to be there and it is for overnight engineering in the area. It basically levels the ballast to allow for smoother journeys.”

So there’s your answer!