It may be later than originally hoped the 2024 season at Manchester’s Heaton Park Tramway will get underway on Saturday 15th June. The news has been confirmed by the tramway’s official Facebook page and the announcement comes just a few days after testing was able to start.
The 2024 season had originally been due to start on Saturday 30th March but there was a component failure in the substation which prevented this from happening. These repairs have now been completed and it was possible for the first test trams to run on Saturday 4th May (Blackpool duo 619 and 623 for those interested). A full period of testing and crew familarisation will now follow ahead of the start of public service.
It will be Saturday 15th June that the trams will start running – and, as previously announced ahead of the planned season start, this will include late night running until 2000. If the weather plays ball its hoped to use an open topper (we’d say it was after dark running but as its less than a week before longest day it will still very much be light by the time the services packs up for the day).
Then on Sunday 16th June it will be one of the days that a heritage bus link is provided between the park and the Museum of Transport at Boyle Street.
Services begins at 1200 on both days with trams running until 2000 on Saturday 15th June and 1630 on Sunday 16th June.
The gap until the start of trams may seem as if its quite large but as the tramway team note in their reopening announcement they do now have testing to complete along with crew re-familiarisation. There is also a two week shutdown at the start of June with Parklife taking place in Heaton Park around this time.
Regardless of the wait, the good news is that come mid-June you will once again be able to enjoy a tram ride in Heaton Park once more!