Driver training officially underway on Trafford Park line

As we mentioned last week, driver training is now officially underway on the Manchester Metrolink Trafford Park extension ahead of the line opening in April – seven months ahead of the original schedule when the final go-ahead was given for the extension.

Driver training is completed in two stages, the first of which sees drivers in the classroom using the Tram-Pro simulator software in order to allow them to familiarise themselves with the new line and to sharpen their awareness of infrastructure on the line such as signalling, stops and points.

Once a full day of this training is completed drivers are then able to move onto training on the line itself by driving trams on the extension from Pomona to the Trafford Centre.

Ahead of the opening of the line there will also be a visit by the Disability Design Reference Group to ensure the line and associated infrastructure meets the highest accessibility standards possible.

Cllr Mark Aldred, Chair of the Greater Manchester Transport Committee, said: “Driver training is a hugely important part of the opening of any new Metrolink line, developing the familiarity and awareness that enables services to run as smoothly and safely as possible from the moment the first tram departs. Once open, the Trafford Park line will significantly boost access to retail, employment and leisure opportunities within the area, which is home to Europe’s largest industrial estate and some of the region’s biggest visitor attractions. It will also offer people wishing to visit or commute to Trafford Park a more sustainable alternative to the car, helping us to cut congestion and improve air quality across the region.”

The extension sees trams leave the current Eccles line at Pomona before heading to the Trafford Centre with six new stops constructed along the way. This will bring the total number of stops on Metrolink to 99.

On Village Way looking east with the former Trafford Park Hotel in the background on the right we see 3111 approaching the camera on its way to the Trafford Centre.

Here 3043 is leaving the Trafford Centre alongside Barton Dock Road and making is way to Cornbrook. (Both Photographs by Steve Hyde, 18th February 2020)

* More photos of driver training on 18th February will follow in a future update of British Trams Online.

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