“Old(er) and New” moves on to a third (and probably final) system for the next few weeks as we take a look at Manchester Metrolink. The idea of the series remains the same – we take a look at an older tram and a newer tram at more or less the same place on the network and for Metrolink that means T68/T68As and M5000s.
We start off in Piccadilly Gardens as we see trams going straight across the delta junction as they run from Market Street to Mosley Street. On 19th July 2013 the older is represented by a pair of T68 trams – 1009 and 1002 which are working a service from Bury to Altrincham direct. Both of these trams wouldn’t have too much longer left and would not see out the year, 1009 being withdrawn on 17th December and 1002 on 18th November 2013. They would then leave within a week of each other for scrapping in September 2014.
The new order is then represented in this photo by 3138 which is going to Manchester Airport. This service would have started back at Victoria. A lot of the surrounding area doesn’t seem to have changed a great deal although if you look above the tram there is a lack of constriction cranes as seen 12 years earlier. This image was captured on 17th March 2025. (Both Photographs by Gareth Prior)