Get ready – the 2026 major programme of improvement works on the Manchester Metrolink network is set to get underway over the Easter weekend with work taking place on the Altrincham line and at Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield. This is all part of the continued £150m worth of investment which aims to make the network more reliable, resilient and safe for years to come.
From Friday 3rd April until Monday 6th April (encompassing the complete Easter weekend) there will be service changes as 1km of track is replaced on the Altrincham line whilst the opportunity is also taken to complete work between Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield, ahead of full track replacement later in the year.
Changes to services over these four days will be:
- No trams on the Altrincham, Eccles or Trafford Park lines
- East Didsbury and Airport lines will only run as far as Firswood
- Trams on the Rochdale line will terminate at Exchange Square
- Trams from Bury will run to Ashton-under-Lyne and Etihad Campus (the Etihad Campus service will run Saturday peak only, at other times this service will run from Victoria only)
Replacement bus services will run on all affected sections of line.
Ian Davies, TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “The first main upgrades of the year get under way over the Easter weekend, as our £150m programme to improve our network continues.
“We’ll be doing everything we can to minimise disruption to passengers while we carry out this essential work to ensure our tram network remains reliable, resilient and safe for years to come.
“Staff will be out across the network and replacement buses will call at all affected stops, and I would encourage our passengers to plan ahead using the Bee Network app and website. Our social media channels are also a great way of keeping up to date with all the latest travel information.”
As well as the improvement works taking place over the summer, it should also be remembered that the frequency of services on all lines Monday-Saturday will be reduced to every 15 minutes instead of the usual 12 minutes. This will allow KeolisAmey Metrolink to undertake one of the biggest recruitment drives for some time. By taking on and training up dozens of new drivers, resilience will be added to the workforce to ensure trams continue to run on time across the system.
April will see more improvement works taking place across the network, including:
- 11th/12th April: No trams between Piccadilly Gardens and Ashton-under-Lyne
- 25th/26th April: No trams between Etihad Campus and Ashton-under-Lyne
Full information on all planned improvement works for 2026 are available at https://tfgm.com/tram-improvement-works