Manchester United will be playing AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday 25th October – kick off at 1400 – but whereas on a normal matchday many fans will be able to travel by tram that won’t be the case on this occasion as major Metrolink engineering works mean the Altrincham, Eccles and Trafford Park lines (all of which have stops close to the ground) are closed. To help people get to the game, TfGM have announced a series of shuttle buses will run instead.
Dedicated shuttle buses will run from:
- Piccadilly Gardens
- Altrincham Interchange
- Trafford Centre
Frequencies will be between every five and every 20 minutes before the match. Buses will also return after the final whistle blows.
Ian Davies, TfGM Network Director for Metrolink, said: “There is no good time to disrupt passengers to carry out these works, and this is the first time in over a decade that trams won’t serve Old Trafford on a match day, but these works are essential and will enable us to provide a better service in future. I am very sorry to fans who face disruption.
“We’ve put a range of alternative travel options in place, including dedicated shuttle buses, bolstered Bee Network bus services, rail options and ticket acceptance arrangements that will help fans get to and from the game.
“Journey options will be different from usual, so we would encourage supporters to plan ahead, check their route and our website before they travel and leave plenty of time to get to and from the stadium.”
The advice to anyone wanting to go to the match is to leave around an hour earlier than normal.