We are again looking at trams of different times in roughly the same location and once again we feature the Manchester Metrolink system – with a T68 and M5000 allowing us to provide a comparison of location.
And its certainly been a change between the two photos this time! We start off with an image taken on 29th March 2010 at what was then known as G-Mex and we see 1004 passing the camera bound for Piccadilly. This was the original layout at G-Mex which included a single platform for each direction, and with these being completely staggered it wasn’t a case of being able to look straight across from one to the other. 1004 is just passing the Altrincham/Eccles bound platform with the platform it has called at just seen in the background of the shot. The tram may be in the original livery but the new corporation identity is starting to creep in with signage of the platform in the yellow we have become used to since. The tram would have just over two more years of service with withdrawal coming on 16th May 2012. It then departed for scrap on 25th April 2014.
With the completely revised layout at what is now Deansgate-Castlfield its not the easiest to get a tram in exactly the same location but this is roughly in the same ballpark as we see M5000 3105 depart with a service to Shaw and Crompton. The stop now has a single platform for trams towards Altrincham and Eccles, as well as East Didsbury and Manchester Airport now, but opposite that is an island platform which can be served by trams going the other way, or the centre platform is often used for terminating workings. The M5000 here is just seen departing from the outer platform which is used for the majority of citybound services here. This was 15th March 2025. (Both Photographs by Gareth Prior)