Greater Manchester PTE have officially appointed M-Pact Thales to design, build and maintain the Metrolink “little bang” extensions, which should see new lines start to open in spring 2011. GMPTE have also announced more details about the timescales for expansion.
Construction work is due to start in early 2009 and will see Metrolink extend to Oldham, Rochdale, Droylsden and Chorlton – almost doubling the size of the network. The lines will be built as part of the £575 million funding package confirmed in May by the Department for Transport.
Philip Purdy, GMPTE’s Metrolink Director, said: “Residents and businesses across Greater Manchester have been hugely supportive of the Metrolink expansion and I'm pleased we've now been able to appoint a construction company to carry out the work. The new Metrolink routes will make it much easier for people living and working in the county to use public transport, and bring major benefits to the local economy. M-Pact Thales has a vast amount of experience, having worked on tram systems across the UK. The team will work closely with GMPTE staff and our Metrolink delivery partner, Parsons Brinckerhoff, to extend the network."
The line to MediaCity:UK in Salford is now included in this package as final approval has not yet been forthcoming from the government. However, M-Pact Thales will also construct this short quarter of a mile extension.
M-Pact Thales is made up of Laing O’Rourke, GrantRail and Thales UK and have previously worked on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, the Singapore Mass Transit system and London Underground.
Bryan Diggins, Project Director for M-Pact Thales, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract for this prestigious project. Our team is committed to completing the Metrolink expansion on time and within budget. Many of our employees live and work in the area and have already worked on projects to bring new schools, hospitals and transport facilities to the region. We also have people on board who were involved in building the first Metrolink lines, as well as tram systems in Croydon, Nottingham and Hong Kong. We're looking forward to working with local communities to make sure we keep disruption to a minimum, and to keep people informed about the work."
The timetable for completion of construction is as follows:
* Spring 2011 – St Werburgh’s Road, Chorlton
* Autumn 2011 – Oldham Mumps
* Spring 2012 – Rochdale and Droylsden
Source: GMPTE