There will be more service changes on Manchester Metrolink this summer with the final stage of works at St Peter’s Square coupled with rail replacement on the Eccles line set to cause disruption for regular travellers. The work will start from Sunday 26th June with a full service across the network not returning until the end of August.
A single line has been in operation through St Peter’s Square since the end of last summer whilst the major transformation work here has been ongoing but as expected this work has now reached a stage where a full closure is once again required. This will mean that from Sunday 26th June no services will be able to run through St Peter’s Square with services from the south terminating at Deansgate-Castlefield and Cornbrook and those from the north either running across the city or in the case of those from Rochdale terminating at Exchange Square.
Sunday 26th June will also see the complete closure of the Eccles line to allow track renewal to take place – the first time major work will have been undertaken on this phase two extension since it opened. It is hoped that trams will again be able to run to MediaCityUK from early August with a full reopening at the end of August – which will also be the date that trams will be able to run through St Peter’s Square again.
It is planned that the following services will run from Sunday 26th June to early August:
Altrincham to Deansgate-Castlefield
Manchester Airport to Cornbrook (Firswood 0300 to 0600)
East Didsbury to Deansgate-Castlefield
Ashton-under-Lyne to Bury
Bury to Etihad Campus (peak service only)
Shaw & Crompton to Piccadilly (peak service only)
Rochdale Town Centre to Exchange Square
Then from early August until the end of August the following services will run:
Altrincham to Deansgate-Castlefield
Manchester Airport to Cornbrook (Firswood 0300 to 0600)
East Didsbury to Deansgate-Castlefield
MediaCityUK to Deansgate-Castlefield
Ashton-under-Lyne to Bury
Bury to Etihad Campus (peak service only)
Shaw & Crompton to Piccadilly (peak service only)
Rochdale Town Centre to Exchange Square
Speaking about the work required on the Eccles line, Peter Cushing, TfGM Metrolink Director, said: “Unfortunately several sections of rail on the Eccles line are showing signs of significant wear. By replacing longer sections of track on the Eccles line now, the work will ensure a longer overall lifespan for the tram line in these areas and minimise the potential for future roadworks affecting all road users. To limit the impact on customers we’ve worked with Metrolink’s operator and maintainer, MRDL, to get this essential work done at the same time as St Peter’s Square works, with fewer passengers affected due to the quieter summer holiday period. A full bus replacement service will be in operation and we are speaking to residents and businesses right along the route to keep them fully informed of the work that is being done. While there will inevitably be some disruption, by coordinating and delivering both projects simultaneously we hope to minimise the overall impact this will have.”
The work at St Peter’s Square will be the culmination of 14 months work as part of the Metrolink transformation project which includes the Second City Crossing (2CC). This will add extra capacity onto the Metrolink network allowing more services to run through the city centre. Although 2CC will not be ready to open at the end of August a full service will again be able to travel through and call at the new St Peter’s Square which will have two island platforms constructed.
Peter added: “This is an exciting time for Metrolink with some historic changes on the way for St Peter’s Square. We’re just months away from opening up a new, much bigger stop that will be a game-changer for city centre services when the new Second City Crossing opens early next year. We can’t complete the stop without full access to the work site and, as we set out last year, that means no tram services through the square approximately nine weeks. Last summer we made similar changes to services so we’re confident we’ll provide the right mix of replacement bus services and information to support our customers through this time. Thanks once again to all our passengers for bearing with us as we work to improve the service we provide. I’m sure they’ll be impressed with the results at St Peter’s Square.”
Throughout the works on the Eccles line there will be a full replacement bus service whilst for the city centre section not only will there be buses but a fully signposted walking route will also be provided.
There can be no doubt that for two months regular travellers on Manchester Metrolink will have to put up with disruption again but hopefully once this work is completed all travellers will be able to see that the pain was well worth it.
I think it was Hilda Baker who used to say “It’ll be nice when it’s finished”
Confusing regarding the services that they list as peak time only, considering that from 9.30a.m. Is regarded as ‘off-peak’. Surely these services don’t only run in the morning rush hour?
Annoying to see also that Rochdale has again lost its services across Manchester with services running to Exchange Square which until CC2 opens is useless.
Peak service in Metrolink speak means approximately 07:00 to 19:00 weekdays and approx 08:30 to 18:00 Saturdays. Confusing I know especially when in ticketing terms off peak is 09:30 onwards and all day Saturday and Sunday. This is a throwback to the days in 1992 when the so called ‘peak’ direct Bury Altrincham service only ran up to around 09:30 and between 16:00 and 18:00.
Same old same old – jam tomorrow – the pain will be worth it, while the customers suck up the costs and delays and Metrolink give them nothing but the service they should have had right through at the end of the works!
This is NOT a new operation – its twenty years old now but it has never delivered properly or reliably in all that time.
Apart from the Airport line opening ahead of schedule obviously………..
Mr Gradwell: Do you go by the name ‘Charter’ elsewhere?
30 million misguided fools carried last year then?
I think that this is stupid. Surely they should wait until 2CC is complete before messing up other lines? Express services should also be operating especially between Cornbrook and Ladywell/Eccles. They need more ticket acceptance too on local buses. That will mean their RR will not be needed and save money in the long run.
LRT systems are brilliant when they are working but the problem with second generation tram systems is that there is far too much disruption when there is maintenance to do or incidents to contend with. Whole sections of the system are disrupted far too easily which is certainly not good for customer relations.