Manchester Metrolink

Metrolink
Metrolink
	;
Info
Owner	Transport for Greater Manchester
Locale	Greater Manchester
Transit type	Tram/Light rail
Number of lines	8
Number of stations	99
Headquarters	Metrolink Trafford Depot; Warwick Road South; Stretford; Manchester; M16 0GZ
Website	{{URL\|example.com\|optional display text}}
Operation
Began operation	6 April 1992; 33 years ago
Operator(s)	KeolisAmey Metrolink
Number of vehicles	147 Bombardier M5000
Train length	28.4 metres (93 ft)
Technical
System length	64 miles (103 km)
Electrification	750 V DC overhead line
Top speed	50 miles per hour (80 km/h)

Manchester Metrolink (or usually just Metrolink) is the name of the tram system in Greater Manchester, England. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), which used to be called the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive. It is operated under contract by KeolisAmey Metrolink.^[4]

History

A 1910 map of railways in central Manchester

The construction of Manchester's railway network in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries created many termini around the City Centre, which were not connected. This left large areas of Manchester disconnected from the railway network.

For many years, there were plans to connect Manchester's two main railway stations: Piccadilly and Victoria. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a plan for a "Picc-Vic tunnel" was proposed to carry main-line trains under the city centre.^[5] However, the project was abandoned due to high costs.

Metrolink was later created by converting two British Rail lines—one to Altrincham (south) and another to Bury (north)—into a light rail system. These lines were linked through the city centre, where trams run on the streets, and included a short branch to Piccadilly railway station. This first section of the system opened in 1992, and a line to Eccles followed in 2001.

Numerous extensions have since opened, with more being built or proposed. Metrolink now serves 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.^[6]^[7]

In 2017, a second city centre route opened, serving Exchange Square, followed by a new line to the Trafford Centre shopping mall. Plans are also in place for tram-train lines to Stockport and other locations in Greater Manchester. By 2040, the network is expected to double in size.^[8]

Lines and stops

Template:Scalable image

List of all Metrolink lines, operating times and stops^[9]
Colour	Route	Operating hours
	Altrincham– Bury via Market Street	Mon–Sat daytime^[a]
	Altrincham– Piccadilly	Mon–Sun allTemplate:Nbhday^[b]
	Altrincham– Etihad Campus via Piccadilly	Mon–Sat evenings^[c] Sun allTemplate:Nbhday
	Ashton-under-Lyne– Eccles (via MediaCityUK)	Mon–Sun allTemplate:Nbhday^[b]
	Etihad Campus– MediaCityUK via Piccadilly	Mon–Sat daytime^[a]
	Bury–Piccadilly	Mon–Sun allTemplate:Nbhday^[b]
	East Didsbury– Rochdale Town Centre via Exchange Square and Oldham	Mon–Sun allTemplate:Nbhday^[b]
	East Didsbury– Shaw and Crompton via Exchange Square	Mon–Sat daytime^[a]
	The Trafford Centre– Deansgate-Castlefield	Mon–Sun allTemplate:Nbhday^[b]
	Manchester Airport– Victoria via Market Street	Mon–Sun allTemplate:Nbhday^[b]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Daytime services run 07:15–19:30 on weekdays (except bank holidays) and 09:30–18:00 on Saturdays.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 All-day services run 06:00–23:30 Mondays to Thursdays, 06:00–00:30 Fridays and Saturdays, and 07:00–22:30 Sundays and bank holidays.
↑ Evening services run 19:30–23:30 on weekdays (except bank holidays) and 18:00–22:30 on Saturdays.

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
Tram Across the Mersey: To the north-east of the Sale Water Park stop, the tramway crosses the Mersey Valley flood plain and River Mersey on a low tram-only viaduct structure passing to the south of Jackson's Bridge and Jackson’s Boat public house.
Two trams running on the Second City Crossing (2CC) in Cross Street in 2017
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
Manchester Metrolink 1001 and 1011at Manchester Victoria