Saturday 25th June saw the latest delivery of a tram to Manchester with 3117 arriving in the usual lunchtime slot. With the delivery of the tram to Queen’s Road Depot just three more of the current order of M5000s remain to make the journey from mainland Europe and at the current rate of delivery it looks set to be August for the final arrival.
Elsewhere on Metrolink 3058 has now lost its advertising vinyls for Sainsbury’s and is once again running in the standard fleet livery (having had two adverts in quick succession). This leaves just 3001 and 3007 in vinyl wraps with both of these advertising Crunchie.
The blockade through St Peter’s Square resumed on Sunday 26th June with the Eccles line also being closed from this date with the transformation works continuing at the former and rail replacement works commencing on the Phase Two line to Eccles. Ahead of this blockade a number of trams were transferred between Queen’s Road and Trafford depots to allow more ATS fitted trams to be available to work on the Bury line (and TMS only trams to work on the sections of the network on the other side of the blockade). A full service will not resume until late August.