The Manchester Transport Museum Society have announed that a small event will be held at 11:00am on Friday 7th December to commemorate the beginning of work on constructing a new tram depot at the Heaton Park Tramway’s Lakeside terminus. As reported earlier in the week, the depot site has now been cleared and work is shortly to commence on laying the foundations for the new structure.
The ceremony is expected to be aimed primarily at the local press rather than enthusiasts, and will be attended by special guest Chris Coleman, the Managing Director of RATP, the company who operate Manchester’s other tramway, Metrolink. Bob Hill, Chairman of the MTMS, said: “‘We are very glad Chris could take time out from his busy schedule to be here with us to look in on this next step in the society’s continuing development of our facilities within the park over the past 30 years. It also helps us to continue to offer tram rides within the park for thousands of Greater Manchester residents to enjoy, as has happened for over 100 years now and strengthens ties between the
two operators of trams within the city of Manchester”.
It is hoped that the new depot will be completed by spring 2013, enabling the various MTMS-owned trams currently stored off-site to be moved to the park. British Trams Online will provide regular updates on progress over the months ahead, as the Heaton Park Tramway enters the most exciting phase in its succesful history.