Manchester Metrolink trams will only run every 15 minutes Monday-Saturday on each line from 30th March as a major programme will take place aimed at building the capacity and resilience of its tracks, trams and workforce.
The usual Monday-Saturday daytime frequency is every 12 minutes but this will reduce by a tram an hour on all services, so that there will be just the four trams each hour. For those lines which have peak extras (Altrincham-Bury, MediaCityUK-Etihad Campus, and East Didsbury-Shaw and Crompton) these will still combined to double the frequency meaning they will have a tram every 7.5 minutes. More double trams will operate as part of this service.
The work taking place on the network is part of a £150 million programme to maintain, upgrade, and improve tram infrastructure to ensure that there continues to be a safe, reliable and accessible services for millions more people into the future.
The revised timetable will operate through until the autumn. This will allow a significant recruitment drive to take place for new tram drivers, building extra capacity and resilience in the workforce.
The opportunity will also be taken to deep clean, maintain and make improvements to the trams whilst fewer are required for services on a daily basis. Its hoped that this will improve the reliability of the trams, and also improve the overall passenger experience.
The spring and summer will also see another significant round of trackworks take place. The first major works will be over the Easter Weekend at Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield, with these being preparatory works ahead of full track replacement later in the year. Further work later in the year will also take place near Monsall, Newton Heath & Moston, Eccles, Derker, and Piccadilly Gardens.
Ian Davies, Network Director for Metrolink at TfGM, said: “Keeping our network safe, reliable and ready for the future is our absolute priority. This year’s programme is one of the most significant we’ve ever undertaken and will strengthen the whole network—our track, our trams and our workforce.
“Whilst we complete this work, we will introduce a temporary timetable change that will run between spring and autumn.
“We know that some of this work will mean temporary disruption, and I want to thank passengers for their patience while we get it done. By investing now, we can reduce faults, improve day to day reliability and make sure Metrolink can keep pace with the growing number of people who depend on it every day now and for the future.”
Confirmed works to take place in 2026 so far are:
- Sunday 8th March – Bury line
- Sunday 22nd March – Rochdale line
- Sunday 29th March – Victoria (pre-1000)
- Friday 3rd to Monday 6th April – Deansgate-Castlefield and Trafford Bar
- Sunday 12th April – Ashton line
- Sunday 26th April – Victoria and Ashton line
- Sunday 3rd May – Victoria (pre-1000)
- Sunday 10th May – Victoria and Rochdale line
- Saturday 16th to Friday 29th May – Rochdale line
- Monday 25th to Friday 29th May – Piccadilly Gardens
Full details of all planned works at https://tfgm.com/tram-improvement-works