Passengers are being urged to plan their journeys as work on Greater Manchester’s tram network gets under way over the Easter weekend. As part of a continuing £150m investment in the network, more than 1km of track will be replaced on the Altrincham line.
Work will also take place between Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield, to prepare for full track replacement later in the year.
Which tram lines will be affected?
As a result, there will be no trams on the Altrincham, Eccles and Trafford Park lines all day from Friday 3 to Monday 6 April (Easter weekend).
The East Didsbury and Airport lines will run to Firswood only, services on the Rochdale line will terminate at Exchange Square. Other tram service changes include Bury – Ashton-under-Lyne and Bury/Victoria – Etihad Campus.
Tram replacement services
To keep people moving, replacement buses will run between all the affected stops. Anyone using a replacement bus will need a valid Metrolink ticket and customers will be able to use all existing options including contactless (ensuring they touch in at the start and out at the end of their journey using on-stop card readers), paper tickets or those bought through the app.
Anyone with a one day Bee bus ticket will also be able to travel on a replacement bus, but passengers will not be able to buy a ticket or pay for the fare on the replacement buses.
Frequent Bee Network bus services will also call at bus stops near each tram stop. Travel advice to help you plan your journey during this closure can be found on a dedicated section of the Bee Network website here.
Temporary summer timetable change
While the improvements are delivered throughout the summer, a temporary timetable will see trams run every 15 minutes all day, with peak services running every 7 minutes at the busiest times on most lines.
This will allow the operator to undertake one of the biggest recruitment drives in recent times. Taking on and training up dozens of new drivers will add resilience to the workforce which is key to ensuring trams continue to run on time across the network.
Further track repairs in April
Later in April, on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12, no trams will run between Piccadilly Gardens and Ashton-under-Lyne while the track is repaired.
A further weekend closure on the Ashton line, also for track repairs will take place on Saturday 25 April and Sunday 26 April. On these dates no trams will run between Etihad Campus and Ashton-under-Lyne. Tram services from Eccles (via MediaCityUK) will go as far as Etihad Campus.
Repairs will continue until the autumn at various locations, including Monsall, Newton Heath & Moston, Eccles, Derker and Piccadilly Gardens. Trams will not be able to run on some lines while the work is done.
Ian Davies, TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “The first main upgrades of the year get under way over the Easter weekend, as our £150m programme to improve our network continues.
“We’ll be doing everything we can to minimise disruption to passengers while we carry out this essential work to ensure our tram network remains reliable, resilient and safe for years to come.
“Staff will be out across the network and replacement buses will call at all affected stops, and I would encourage our passengers to plan ahead using the Bee Network app and website. Our social media channels are also a great way of keeping up to date with all the latest travel information.”
