Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink[1] (or usually just Metrolink) is the name of the tram system in Greater Manchester, England. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester, which used to be called the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive. It is operated under contract by the RATP Group.
| Manchester Metrolink | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Info | |||
| Owner | GMPTE | ||
| Locale | Greater Manchester | ||
| Transit type | Light rail | ||
| Number of lines | 3 | ||
| Number of stations | 37 | ||
| Daily ridership | 52,000 | ||
| Headquarters | Metrolink House, Queens Road, Manchester | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 6 April 1992 | ||
| Operator(s) | Stagecoach Group | ||
| Number of vehicles | 32 Ansaldobreda T-68s | ||
| Train length | 30 m (98 ft) | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 37 km (23 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | Standard gauge | ||
| Top speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) | ||
| |||
History
The construction of Manchester's railway network in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries had created a lot of termini around the City Centre. These were not linked together. This left a large amount of Manchester disconnected from the railway network.
For many years there had been plans to connect Manchester's two main railway stations. These are Piccadilly and Victoria. In the late 1960s and early 1970s there were plans for a "Picc-Vic tunnel". This tunnel would carry main-line trains under the city centre.[2] The proposal was abandoned because it would cost too much.
Metrolink was created by converting two British Rail lines serving the suburbs of Manchester, one to the town of Altrincham to the south, and another to the town of Bury to the north, to light rail. These two lines were joined up in Manchester city centre, where trams run on the roads, and had a short branch to Piccadilly railway station. This first section of the new system opened in 1992, and a newer line to Eccles opened in 2001.
Lots of extensions to the system have opened since then, with more that are currently being built or proposed. Metrolink now has lines that serve Didsbury, Ashton-under-Lyne, Oldham, Rochdale, MediaCityUK and Manchester Airport. These expansions increased the system's length from 37 km to 97 km with 99 stops. [3][4] In 2017 a second line through Manchester city centre serving Exchange Square, opened and later another line towards the Trafford Centre shopping mall. There are also plans for tram-train lines to Stockport and other places in Greater Manchester. By 2040 the intention is to double the size of the network. [5]
Manchester Metrolink Media
Phase 1 construction of the core section of the network near Manchester Piccadilly, 1991
A (now retired) T-68A tram on the Eccles line, opened in 1999–2000 during Phase 2
Phase 3 included the re-opening of the disused railway line through Didsbury
Phase 3 extended Metrolink to Manchester Airport and introduced a new fleet of M5000 trams
Two trams running on the Second City Crossing (2CC) in Cross Street in 2017
Manchester Metrolink - Schemaplan
A map of Metrolink lines alongside heavy rail lines in Greater Manchester
Coupled M5000 trams approaching Holt Town
A coupled pair of M5000 trams, pictured in Ashton-under-Lyne in 2013
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References
- ↑ Department for Transport (2005-02-02). "Manchester Metrolink Working Group Minutes". dft.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2008-11-07. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- ↑ SELNEC (October 1971), SELNEC Picc-Vic Line, SELNEC publicity brochure
- ↑ Tram line extension is approved. BBC News. 2009-05-13. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8047020.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
- ↑ Metrolink: back on track?. BBC Manchester. 2009-05-13. http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2009/05/13/130509_metrolink_map_plan_b_feature.shtml. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
- ↑ Wilkinson, Damon (2023-07-23). "The 12 maps which show how Metrolink has changed over the years". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
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