Manchester Metrolink service changes: 18, 19, 21 and 22 June

Posted on Tuesday 18 June 2013 by Gareth Prior

There will be changes to Manchester Metrolink services on Tuesday 18, Wednesday 19, Friday 21 and Saturday 22 June due to a Robbie Williams concert taking place at the Etihad Stadium. From 1400 on each day the MediaCityUK service will be stopped with all services to Eccles instead being diverted via MediaCityUK. Double units will also be in operation between Victoria and Etihad Campus on each day from approximately the same time. Gates open at the Etihad from 1700 each day.

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11 Responses to Manchester Metrolink service changes: 18, 19, 21 and 22 June

  1. Ken Walker says:
    Wednesday 19 June 2013 at 18:28

    Once again we have Metrolink cannibalising the normal service and inconveniencing regular travellers to provide extras for an event. If they can’t provide extra trams TfGM should service the event with buses. How do they get away with it? It is unprofessional to say the least.

    • tram man says:
      Wednesday 19 June 2013 at 21:07

      Yes ken on paper it looks like they are robbing peter to pay paul.I think the main reason is that the town centre is already at saturation point and cannot handle anymore vehicles.The system can only handle so many vehicles turning or running through piccadilly and Victoria.On Tuesday night the roads around the ethiad stadium were gridlocked,so metrolink was probably the best option.It also caused chaos with the metrolink staff,as many queens road drivers found themselves driving old trafford double units which had to return to old Trafford after service and then wait to be bused back to queens road.Perhaps things will change with the second city crossing.

  2. freel07 says:
    Wednesday 19 June 2013 at 20:26

    From my experience today attempting to get out of the City Centre towards Ashton at around 17:45 I very much doubt that buses would be a practical option. The roads were almost grid locked. The real issue is the running of such events at a time when they clash with peak travel., Those responsible for allowing these events should ensure that they don’t inconvenience those travelling home from work.

    None of the public transport networks could be expected to service both commuters and the events during the late afternoon peak. The necessary resources simply cannot be justified on the basis of the relatively infrequent events.

    • Ken Walker says:
      Wednesday 19 June 2013 at 22:08

      Unfortunately those responsible for allowing these events will never consider the commuter. After all, most regular commuters have already paid for their travel via monthly or annual season tickets, and as we know money talks and the relevant authorities are only interested in maximising their revenue from these events. As I have said before, if us or rail companies did what Metrolink are doing, the uproar and the Regulator-imposed penalties would be substantial. Penalising regular travellers (who probably pay substantial amounts for their travel) in order to provide special services for people who in all probability have never used Metrolink before and will never use it again is unbelievably unprofessional.

  3. John Stewart says:
    Thursday 20 June 2013 at 17:26

    The obvious solution would be to keep a strategic reserve of T68/T68As for such events. Their high-platform design looks like they will fetch little on the second hand market and light use with indoor storage would surely make the maintenance liability manageable. Perhaps four units, each with a crush loading of around 200, would suffice.

  4. Ken Walker says:
    Thursday 20 June 2013 at 20:08

    Prior to the 2002 Commonwealth games, for which the stadium now known as the Etihad was created, there was talk of a new station being constructed on the Ashburys / Philips Park branch to serve the stadium. If the tram and road networks between them cannot cope perhaps it is time that this proposal was brought back into play. Either that, or it is time for the authorities to put practicality before profit for once and prevent these events from happening at the Etihad. I don’t know how they coped with these events prior to 11th February!

  5. Gareth Prior says:
    Thursday 20 June 2013 at 20:50

    It should be pointed out that Manchester Metrolink isn’t alone in altering service patterns for major events. It isn’t unheard of for the Docklands Light Railway to make major alterations when there are big events on at ExCeL.

  6. tram man says:
    Thursday 20 June 2013 at 22:35

    We must remember that TFGM call the shots with anything to do with metrolink,as they own the complete system.At weekly traffic meetings TFGM tell metrolink how they want the service run during major events.I think the only event which metrolink ran of its own back,was the football at old Trafford,which they used a tried and tested method.

    I wonder at times,who would be mad enough to take on the metrolink contract.Maybe that’s why stagecoach gave the contract up early,just as the system was expanding.There are plans to ease the situation at Piccadilly.They have reinstated the signalling in the old turnback at the undercroft,this will enable vehicles from the ethiad to turn back at Piccadilly.

    • Ken Walker says:
      Friday 21 June 2013 at 18:15

      I can’t understand why they didn’t just extend the Media City – Piccadilly service to Etihad, considering that, on arrival Piccadilly, the services from Media City run empty to Etihad to reverse, then come back empty to Piccadilly!

  7. Steve says:
    Friday 21 June 2013 at 18:57

    The Stupid thing is that the Media City service runs to the turnback between VeloPark and Etihad Campus to err, turnback. However they run as a non public service on the East Manchester Line. And then to run extra trams to Etihad Campus they chose to cancel the route that currently runs empty to Etihad Campus rather than make it public. This is absolute stupidness and I have written to Metrolink twice but received no reply (no surprise). So what should they do? Well, make the existing Media City to Etihad Campus run public all the way and strengthen the Bury to Droylsden trams to double trams at the expense of doubling the Bury to Altrincham service. Sure, there would me more overcrowding to Alty but at least the whole network would have the frequency it normally does. And there is an advantage that all city centre stops get direct trams to Etihad Campus strengthening the direct service options there. Is this too obvious? Please advise!

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