Plans for a Metrolink extension to Trafford Park are set to go forward to a major public consultation, provided that the TfGM Committee give their approval at a meeting on Friday 20th June. The line would leave the current network just over Pomona and would serve five new stops before terminating at the Trafford Centre.
The line would be mainly off street and stops are planned to be built at several important local landmarks: Wharfside for Old Trafford, the Imperial War Museum North, Trafford Park Village, Parkway, EventCity and of course the Trafford Centre. It would be a 5.5km line costing approximately £350 million and could be built as early as 2019/20. The alignment of the route would see it leave the Eccles line at Pomona running along the Manchester Ship Canal, following Trafford Wharf Road and Warren Bruce Road before running through the Village area of Trafford Park, crossing Parkway Circle and the Bridgewater Canal before terminating at the Trafford Centre.
More than 1,300 business and 35,000 jobs at Trafford Park alone would be served by the line and it is expected that it will encourage further regeneration and economic growth in the areas it passes through. An increase in services when there is cricket and football taking place at the respective Old Trafford’s would also be possible and a turn back facility would be installed at Warren Bruce Road to enable these to operate.
It is planned that a 12 week consultation will launch on 4th July including drop-in events, business events and one-to-one visits.
Peter Cushing, TfGM’s Metrolink Director, commented: “Taking Metrolink to Trafford Park has long been an investment priority for Greater Manchester and we’re making real inroads towards making that a reality. Trafford Park is the largest major employment centre outside the city centre, with employees travelling from across the region. The new Metrolink line would vastly improve sustainable transport links to the area and give more people across Greater Manchester better access to jobs and leisure. Feedback from businesses and the wider public will be crucial in helping us to finalise the scheme ahead of applying for government powers later this year.”
Greater Manchester Combined Authority officials are currently exploring funding opportunities with the government and have already granted £37 million worth of funding to get the scheme shovel ready including 10 extra M5000s.
The route would be built future proof to allow for a future extension to Port Salford, if this proved to be sufficient value for money.
Fantastic News. Great to see the Network expanding. Hopefully expansion will be a theme that continues to run far and wide at the various places. Would love to think Blackpool will continue to re take the Fylde Coast in particular. Lytham, Blackpool Hospital, Stanley Park, the Airport, Winter Gardens etc
Good to see further expansion on the cards to help create a proper network. However what comes to my mind is that there will be even more pressure on the Cornbrook Junction, which will be the the achilles heel of the whole system once the 2nd city crossing is complete. I wonder if there are any plans for that area similar to what the DLR has had to do.
Jamie
Fantastic news!
As Jamie says, they will need to do something about Cornbrook.
If they moved it a couple of hundred yards toward the city it is wide enough to accommodate a 3rd line and platform there.
Appox 70million a mile,is the rail gold plated.Only joking.I have always said that it would be a licence to print money having trams running to the Trafford centre.So within a few years it would have payed for itself.But as other people have commented that they need to address the problem of cornbrook first.