Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has announced that Manchester and the surrounding areas will face tram disruptions as the Bury line will be partially closed for six days, affecting 8 Metrolink stops. The Bury line will be closed to carry out essential work to improve the Metrolink line.
The closure of the line between Crumpsall and Bury will allow for essential beam replacement works to take place at Whitefield Metrolink Tunnel. Construction work will also be carried out on a substation near to Heaton Park, which will form a key part of the light rail system that powers the trams themselves.
TfGM is in the process of building substations at Heaton Park, Hagside, and Collyhurst to make the network more resilient and enable more trams to run in the future. The transport organisation said this is to “support economic growth in the area and increase the number of people using public transport – as well as helping to clean up the air by reducing emissions”.
There has also been work on the Bury line during the summer, including preparations for the redevelopment of Bury Interchange and upgrades to overhead lines and tracks.
When will the Bury Metrolink line be partially closed?
From Saturday 25th October, until the end of service on Thursday 30th October, improvement works will take place on the Bury line. No tram services will operate between Crumpsall and Bury during this time.
A replacement bus service will operate between the affected stops with buses continuing on to Victoria to help customers continue their journey. Frequent Bee Network bus services also call at the bus stops near each tram stop. During the works, tram tickets will be accepted on the replacement bus service and onboard the 59, 95, 97, 135 & 524 bus services only.
Tram services will resume from the start of service on Friday 31st October. People can check their travel options and plan their journey by visiting the Bee Network website.
“These works are critical”
Ian Davies, TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “These works are critical to making the network more resilient and will help us meet increasing demand in the future as more people use the Bee Network to travel across Greater Manchester.
“We apologise for any disruption caused by these essential works and would urge everyone to plan ahead using the Bee Network app or website. Replacement buses will be in place to help people make their journeys alongside frequent Bee Network buses that operate near the affected stops.”
Further information on the works and Metrolink stops affected can be found on the Bee Network website.