There will remain no trams to Eccles for an extra two weeks after the track replacement works which got underway on Monday 19th July were extended. During the works the concrete around the tracks was found to be in a poor condition which has seen a delay to the works which will now continue beyond this weekend with a date of resumption of services now set for Monday 16th August.
The initial works which were planned for the Eccles line were for the replacement of two sections of track. But during the work it was discovered that extra renewals are required to the concrete around the tram tracks, which has been in place for more than 20 years. The condition of the concrete was only visible once rail removal had started and this is the first time concrete has found to be degraded to this extent during rail replacement works on Metrolink.
Alex Cropper, TfGM’s Head of Operations, said: “I’m very sorry for the inconvenience we know this extended closure of the Eccles line will cause, but we have no other option but to complete this work before we can resume services. Metrolink is 30 next year and this is the first time we have found the concrete around the tracks to be in this condition. Because it only became apparent once we started to take the tram tracks out, we’re having to carry out significantly more work than we originally planned. Contractors will be working around the clock to complete this project as soon as possible and we’ll be trying to minimise disruption as much as possible, and I’d encourage customers using the network to plan ahead and allow extra time when making their journey.”
It is now planned that trams on the Eccles line – including the MediaCityUK spur – will resume from Monday 16th August. The other engineering works due to take place on Metrolink this summer remain unchanged – details of these can be found at https://tfgm.com/metrolink-improvement-works.