Manchester City Council has announced that Heaton Park Tramway is set to operate once again, thanks to a major new funding award securing its future for generations to come. For more than 12 months, the trams have been unable to run due to the electrical substation, which powers the Heritage Tramway at Heaton Park, needing an overhaul to update it to current safety standards.
The trams run on the only remaining section of the original tramway in Heaton Park
The £481k funding investment, secured from Manchester City Council, will allow essential restoration work on the substation to begin in spring 2026. The tramway operates on the only remaining section of the original tramway in Heaton Park, and this major investment into the existing infrastructure will ensure its safe and continued operation for many years to come.
The funding comes as Tramway Museum Society celebrates its 70th anniversary at the Baker’s Institute on Swan Street in 1955. Tramway enthusiasts and historians from the Greater Manchester area first gathered here to set up a dedicated society for the preservation of tramcars from across the UK, which led to the creation of the National Tramway Museum in Derbyshire and later to the Heaton Park Tramway in Manchester.
What is Heaton Park Tramway, and when will it restart?
Heaton Park Tramway is a heritage electric tramway that operates for over half a mile within the historic Greater Manchester park. The volunteer-run attraction incorporates a unique collection of vintage tramcars from Greater Manchester and the North West, running in regular operation during the summer months. The tram runs from Lakeside, through Heaton Park, to the Middleton Road side of the park.
The tramway is operated by the volunteers of the Manchester Transport Museum Society (MTMS) on behalf of the Manchester Tramway Company Limited (MTCL), a joint venture company between the Manchester Transport Museum Society and Manchester City Council, who have worked in partnership since 1979 to keep the popular attraction running.
The upgrade should mean the tramway can restart in summer 2026, which coincides with the 125th anniversary of Manchester’s first electric tramways in 1901.
“The vintage trams hold a special place in the hearts of many people”
Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods said: “Our support of the much-loved Heaton Park Tramway not only preserves an important piece of local
Geoff Senior Chairman of the Manchester Transport Museum Society said: “This is the wonderful news our volunteers have been looking forward to and represents a huge vote of confidence in the hard work and dedication they have shown in the last almost 50 years of working with the city of Manchester to build, develop and run this vital piece of Manchester’s transport heritage not only for the citizens of Manchester but those who travel to the park from wider afield.”