Not long to go – Metrolink getting ready for cross city services once again

For first time in 14 months a full Metrolink service is set to run through St Peter’s Square with the transformation works on the original city crossing coming towards a conclusion. It was the end of June 2015 when the line was closed through this key stop and although for much of the period a single line has been open for services there has been major disruption for passengers, no more so than at the start and end of the works which have seen complete closures. Full services are due to resume at the end of August and once again a revised service pattern will be introduced from this time.

When services do resume St Peter’s Square will be a much changed stop from before with two island platforms in place to cater for the enhanced services due to be introduced once the Second City Crossing opens in full next year. Initially all trams will run on the revamped original city crossing line.

The end of August will also see the return of a full service to Eccles with the rail replacement works which have been taking place on that line since the end of June also coming to a conclusion.

The revised service pattern will see a return to the Altrincham to Bury direct service whilst passengers on the East Didsbury will see extra services during Monday-Saturday daytimes with trams every six minutes (running alternately to Deansgate-Castlefield and Shaw & Crompton, outside of these times is a tram every 12 minutes to Victoria). The full services planned are as follows:

Altrincham to Bury (Monday –Friday 0715-1930, Saturday 0930-1830)

Altrincham to Piccadilly

East Didsbury to Victoria (Monday-Friday before 0715 and after 1930, Saturday before 0930 and after 1830, Sunday all day)

MediaCityUK to Piccadilly (Monday-Friday 0715-2000, Saturday 0900-1800)

Eccles to Ashton-under-Lyne via MediaCityUK

Manchester Airport to Cornbrook

Bury to Etihad Campus

Shaw & Crompton to East Didsbury (Monday-Friday 0715-1930, Saturday 0930-1830)

Rochdale Town Centre to Exchange Square

Firswood to Manchester Airport (0300-0600 only)

East Didsbury to Deansgate-Castlefield (Monday-Friday 0715-1930, Saturday 0930-1830)

TfGM’s Metrolink Director, Peter Cushing, said: “We know there’s a great deal of interest from our customers in what services will look like when the new St Peter’s Square stop opens so I’m pleased to confirm the new service patterns now. We’ll start to see the benefits of the new stop even before the Second City Crossing opens, with more frequent services able to run to and from East Didsbury. There’s a lot to achieve in the coming week as our contractor prepares to hand over the stop for us to run test trams. We then hope to welcome our first passengers back to the vastly improved St Peter’s Square stop over the bank holiday weekend.”

Although it is hoped to open the line over the Bank Holiday weekend this is dependent on the successful completion of testing in the preceding days. Some works on paving around the stop will also continue once the line has re-opened and then full attention will be turned towards the remainder of the Second City Crossing (a full photo update from 2CC will follow over the weekend).

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6 Responses to Not long to go – Metrolink getting ready for cross city services once again

  1. Ken Walker says:

    So yet again stops between Shaw and Rochdale are the only ones not to have a service through the city centre (apart from the airport line temporarily). What use is a service to Exchange Square outside shopping hours?

    • Tom Irvin says:

      I would imagine the plan will be for the Rochdales to go through the city centre once the second city crossing opens, clearly having trams terminating at Exchange Square is a temporary measure. I would imagine that in time they will end up running to East Didsbury.

      I thought the plan was for the Airport trams to always terminate at Cornbrook, rather than it being a temporary measure. Perhaps when the East Didsbury trams are no longer terminating there, they will run through to Deansgate if there is capacity for them on the hill.

      Does anybody know what the East Didsbury to Victoria trams are going to do at Victoria? Will they reverse in the currently disused (when I was there yesterday it looked like something had done it but a while ago from the state of the track) middle platform or will they be running ecs to somewhere like Queens Rd or Millbank siding to turn back?

      • No name is best says:

        East Didsbury trams are more likely to run out of service to Queens Road and turnaround there as TMS at Victoria and Millage is still far out from working.

        You are right that Rochdale to Exchange Square and East Didsbury to Victoria is temporary as once Second City cross (between Exchange Square to SPS) opens Rochdale to East Didsbury will resumes along with Didsbury to Shaw service.

        Airport to Cornbrook will become Airport to Victoria once Second City cross opened, I believe Metrolink wanted Airport line to run as far as Deansgate (once SPS opened) but Didsbury line need six mins service sooner then later so Metrolink have brought six mins service on Didsbury line forward and keep Airport line running to Cornbrook for time beaning.

      • Ken Walker says:

        What I was meaning was that in the previous version of the service the Rochdale trams went through to Piccadilly and the Shaws terminated at Exchange, which meant that all stops had a through service to the city centre without having to change onto a crowded service at Victoria. The other downside of the new pattern is that when the Shaw turnbacks and the peak Bury service end in the early evening and before they start in the morning the frequency between Victoria and Piccadilly is reduced to 12 minutes – the same as it was in 1992. Hardly progress!

  2. Erik Ickerbobs says:

    Why are the Ashton trams going all over the show? First Bury, then Eccles, then Rochdale, then Eccles again. What’s going on Metrolink?

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