How hard working the trams on Manchester Metrolink are has been brought into the public eye with the news that 3006 has become the very first of the M5000 trams to reach one million kilometres. The tram first carried passengers in February 2010 and just nine years later it has reached the landmark which was achieved as it arrived at Altrincham during the afternoon on Wednesday 20th March.
To mark the occasion driver Ady Leigh made a special announcement as 3006 arrived at Altrincham and the passenger information displays were also altered to display a special message.
In total since the very first M5000 entered service they have collectively covered more than 73.5 million km – that is the equivalent of just under 6000 full journeys around the Earth; that’s a very long tram journey!
Cllr Mark Aldred, Chair of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee Chair, said: “This was a nice landmark to reach and is testament to the popularity and expansion of Metrolink. I’d like to use this opportunity to personally pay tribute to the unseen work carried out by the maintenance teams at KeolisAmey Metrolink, which is absolutely paramount in enabling them to provide the best service possible to the many thousands of people who travel with Metrolink on a daily basis. A thank you must also go to our passengers who use the network on a daily basis. It’s more important than ever that we have a modern, reliable network if we’re to encourage more people to leave their cars at home and use public transport as part of the work we are doing to tackle poor air quality – the biggest public environmental health issue facing us today.”
Brian Rowbotham, Trafford Depot Workshop Manager, added: “At KAM, we are committed to delivering operational excellence every day by putting customers at the heart of everything we do. Tram 3006 has reached this one million kilometre milestone thanks to the hard work of our maintenance teams to improve how well our trams operate. Keeping our tram fleet in peak condition ensures we continue to deliver our vision of keeping Greater Manchester moving and growing every day.”
There are now 120 M5000s in service having been delivered between 2009 and 2016. A further 27 similar trams are also on order with delivery due between February 2020 and June 2021.