Metrolink service change to allow cracked rail to be replaced (not that one!)

There are to be changes to Manchester Metrolink services for 12 hours this coming weekend (6^th/7^th April) after the discovery of a cracked rail in the city centre. This will allow the 10 metre section of rail on Portland Street to be replaced with the timing of the work timed to cause the least amount of disruption possible.

Normal services will operate until 1700 on Saturday 6^th April after which the following revised service will run:

• Ashton to Piccadilly
• Eccles to Cornbrook via MediaCityUK
• Altrincham to Bury

The section of tramway which will see no service will be Piccadilly to Piccadilly Gardens. Replacement buses will run between Victoria and Piccadilly and Piccadilly to Cornbrook. All other tram services will run as normal.

The work is planned to be completed by 0500 on Sunday 7^th April to allow normal services to resume from the start of service at 0600, in plenty of time for the Manchester United v Liverpool service at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Danny Vaughan, Head of Metrolink for TfGM, said: “Since identifying the rail defect we have moved quickly to put in place plans to replace it as soon as possible, and we expect normal service to resume on Sunday. However, there will be temporary service changes on specific lines on Saturday afternoon and into the evening, and I would encourage anyone planning to travel on Metrolink during this time to plan ahead and check our social media channels and website for the latest information and advice.”

Other forthcoming engineering work on Metrolink will take place on Sunday 21^st April with no trams able to run between Freehold and Rochdale Town Centre.

There is no further news at the moment of when the cracked rail at Victoria which is preventing trams from running onto 2CC will be repaired with the wait continuing for the replacement part.