As we’ve reported a few times over the past few weeks with Oasis performing a series of concerts at Heaton Park, Manchester Metrolink have been operating a revised service on concert days to try and maximise capacity on the Bury line. This had led to unusual workings and some of these were captured by Steven Hughes in a series of photos which are included in this article.
All trams on the Bury line ran a shuttle service to Victoria with doubles allocated to this service which ran at a 6-minute frequency. In this photo taken at Queens Road we see 3097 in its Sunglass Hut wrap (since replaced) at the head of a service to Victoria.
3003 had received vinyls to promote the concerts and a competition that the Bee Network were running to win tickets to one of the performances and it was appropriately allocated to operate on the Bury-Victoria shuttle. Queens Road again with it on the way to Victoria.
The shuttle service ran into the centre platform at Victoria (the Manchester Airport service was being turned short at Deansgate-Castlefield to free up this space) and here we see 3040 at the back of a double unit as it departs from Victoria heading back to Bury.
Services to Rochdale Town Centre (and Shaw and Crompton at peak times) continued to operate, although they were diverted via Market Street and Shudehill instead of Exchange Square. 3120 is on that service on the left at Victoria as we see 3055 pulling into the centre platform from Bury.
The tramway was closed between Exchange Square and Victoria. As we’ve already seen that meant that trams from East Didsbury to Rochdale went via Market Street/Shudehill leaving 2CC free for a special terminating service from Altrincham. This is 3027 leading a double unit across the crossover at Exchange Square as it heads to Altrincham.
Another view at Exchange Square as we see 3016 on the left and 3054 on the right operating services. The day looks as if its over for 3054 as its next journey will be to Trafford Bar and back to depot. (All Photographs by Steven Hughes, 19th July 2025)