Manchester Metrolink.html



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Manchester Metrolink
Info
Type	Tram
Locale	Greater Manchester
No. of stations	37
Daily ridership	52,000
Operation
Opened	6 April 1992
Owner	GMPTE
Operator(s)	Stagecoach Group
Rolling stock	Ansaldobreda T-68
Technical
Line length	23 mi (37 km)
Gauge	Standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC OHLE

Manchester Metrolink¹ (branded and usually referred to as Metrolink) is an urban light-rail system in Greater Manchester, England, operating to Bury, Altrincham and Eccles. It is owned by GMPTE and operated under contract by Stagecoach Group.

Late in 2008, work will start extending the system to Chorlton, Droylsden, Oldham, Rochdale and Mediacity:uk. Further extensions to Oldham and Rochdale town centres, Ashton, Stockport, Trafford Centre and Manchester Airport are planned, subject to funding. The proposed expansions will increase the system's length from 23 miles (37 km) with 37 stops to 70 miles (113 km) with at least 115 stops.

History

1019 arrives at GMex while 2004 departs for Eccles

Sale Metrolink station, one of the converted former British Rail stations

For many years there had been plans to connect Manchester's two main railway stations, Piccadilly and Victoria. In the late 1960s and early 1970s there were plans for a Picc-Vic tunnel to carry main-line trains, but the proposal was abandoned because of excessive cost. By the late 1980s the power equipment on the electrified suburban railway line from Victoria to Bury, which had a unique-in-Britain side-contact third-rail power supply, was in need of replacement, and it was decided to construct a light rail system to connect the Victoria–Bury line via on-street lines with the line to Piccadilly and Altrincham rather than replace the equipment on a like-for-like basis. The Metrolink lines were formed by converting the electric train lines between Altrincham and Cornbrook Junction and between Bury and Manchester Victoria. Because much of the Metrolink route was formerly main-line railway with platforms about 900 mm above ground level, the new stops in the city centre also have high platforms.

The Altrincham line was formerly the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway line, electrified in 1931. Trains arriving at Altrincham from Knutsford, Northwich and Chester were diverted to Manchester via Stockport when Metrolink conversion began between Altrincham and G-Mex. This added at least 10 minutes to an already slow journey, causing a disadvantage to some Cheshire rail users.² The Bury Line was electrified by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1916.

Authority to construct Phase 1 of Metrolink (Bury to Altrincham via city centre, with a spur to Piccadilly station) was granted in January 1988; construction of the on-street section began in March 1990.

Steam locomotives returned briefly to the line between Manchester and Bury in 1991, before the opening of the tram system, when Metrolink held an open weekend at its new depot in Queens Road, Manchester. East Lancashire Railway steam locomotive, no. 32 Gothenburg, (now painted in blue as No. 1 Thomas the Tank Engine) ran light engine from the ELR to Manchester under the not yet live wires to attend the event. The engine returned on the Sunday evening. Diesel locomotive D2767 (a North British 0-4-0) was rented to Metrolink to assist in the construction of the overhead wires during the construction phase in 1991.

On 6 April 1992 Metrolink services between Bury and Victoria began. The central section between Victoria and G-Mex opened on 27 April and services between G-Mex and Altrincham began on 15 June. Trams started operating into Piccadilly on 20 July the same year, completing Phase 1 of the system.

Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the system on 17 July 1992. Conversion of the existing railway lines to Metrolink took far longer than had been planned. The Altrincham line was closed for 6 months, rather than one month as promised, with bus substitution during that period. Metrolink's own new trackwork in Manchester's city centre required reinstalling twice in the first years of operation, due to inadequate quality controls and poor design work, such as placing switches directly where the blades could be expected to be repeatedly crossed by buses.

On 25 April 1997 work began on Phase 2, an extension from Cornbrook, on the Altrincham line, through Salford Quays to Eccles. Service started as far as Broadway on 6 December 1999 and to Eccles on 21 July 2000. The line was officially opened on 9 January 2001.

There have been a few modifications to the system since the opening of Phase I in 1992.

• The original Market Street stop only handled trams to Bury, with High Street handling trams from Bury. When Market Street was closed to road traffic these stops were replaced by a new platform stop in the centre of Market Street, for trams in both directions. This stop opened on 10 August 1998.
• Crossover points were installed in the section approaching Piccadilly Station in order to allow inbound trams to access either platform without having first to proceed to the buffer stops at the far end of the undercroft area, for quicker turnaround times. However, this mode of operation seems to have been discontinued in recent years.
• Shudehill interchange between Victoria station and Market Street opened in April 2003. The bus station complementing it opened on 29 January 2006.
• Cornbrook station on the Altrincham line was opened to provide an interchange with the new line to Eccles. There was initially no official public access to this station from the street, but this changed on 3 September 2005 when the original fire exit was opened as a public access route.
• On 15 July 2007 Stagecoach took over as the Metrolink operator from Serco.³ Unlike Serco, Stagecoach do not own the concession, merely operate it on a fixed-term management contract.

Due to the age and condition of most of the track on the Bury and Altrincham routes it was decided that the mostly 1960s trackwork was to be relaid. This construction work included improvements to stations along the lines. In 2007, EWS was contracted to provide three Class 08 diesel shunters to assist in the relaying of the track for Metrolink between Manchester and Bury, using the original connection to the old Bury depot, now part of the East Lancashire Railway.

The renewals commenced on 29 May 2007 with the cessation of services between Bury and Whitefield. By 22 June services on the Bury line terminated at Crumpsall. By 23 July there was no service on the Bury line as all northbound Metrolink trams in public use terminated at Victoria. The Bury Line re-opened on 13 September that same year. With the possible exception of the section between Stretford and Dane Road, the Altrincham line track was not as worn as that on the Bury line and so not as much work was required. From 2 July various sections of the line were shut down and serviced with a replacement bus service. The Altrincham Line re-opened on 28 August 2007. Since the track renewals the ride is much smoother and quieter than before.^{citation needed}

Planning permission was granted in October 2007 for a 400-metre long extension from a point between Harbour City and Broadway to the central plaza of the new Mediacity:uk development in Salford Quays.⁴

In 2008, the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive signed a deal with Scottish and Southern Energy to supply their electricity. This means that, as the Metrolink uses more electricity, more hydroelectric power will be fed into the national grid, reducing the company's carbon footprint. GMPTE now claim that the Metrolink was the first tram system in the UK to use hydroelectric power.⁵

Routes and stations

Monday-Saturday service:

1. Piccadilly – Altrincham
2. Piccadilly – Bury
3. Piccadilly – Eccles
4. Altrincham – Bury direct, not via Piccadilly Gardens and Piccadilly station), daytime only,

Sunday and Bank Holiday service:

1. Piccadilly – Altrincham
2. Piccadilly – Bury
3. Piccadilly – Eccles

Frequency on each service is every 12 minutes, but the interleaving of the Altrincham – Bury direct service with the services to Piccadilly Station mean that for much of the route there are two trams every 12 minutes, usually three and nine minutes apart. Between Cornbrook and St Peter’s Square, with three services (Altrincham-Bury, Altrincham-Piccadilly and Eccles-Piccadilly) running every 12 minutes, the frequency is increased.

The current route length is:

Interchanges on Metrolink include Piccadilly, Victoria, G-Mex (for Deansgate), Altrincham and Navigation Road. Eccles is also available for interchange via a 400-m walk. Major bus interchanges are at Bury, Victoria, Shudehill, Piccadilly Gardens, Altrincham and Eccles. In December 2007 there were 37 Metrolink stops: 17 former British Rail stations on the Phase 1 lines to Altrincham and Bury, 17 new stops on the Phase 1 lines in the city centre and on the Phase 2 line to Eccles, and 3 shared mainline stations (Altrincham, Piccadilly and Victoria).

The Metrolink depot is south of Queen’s Road (Cheetham Hill, M8) on the western side of the Bury line, between Victoria and Woodlands Road. The depot connections face Bury. There is a staff halt, Queens Road, serving the depot.⁶ This facility will not be able to handle the expanded network, so GMPTE has obtained a site for a second depot near Old Trafford.⁷

Fares and usage

A 2000 Metrolink Tram crossing the Manchester Ship Canal at Pomona

Fares are charged depending on the number of fare zones travelled through, and whether travel is in the peak period - before 0930 on a weekday, except on public holidays.

Tickets are purchased from machines at each stop. Single journeys must be completed within 90 minutes, return journeys the same day. It is possible to purchase tickets from the machines for travel all day, for groups, or all weekend. Some ticket machines accept only coins, others will also accept banknotes and give a maximum of £7 in change. Train users travelling into the city centre from stations in Greater Manchester are able to use the Metrolink in the central zone for nothing. These train tickets can be used between Victoria, Shudehill, Market Street, Piccadilly Gardens, Piccadilly, Mosley Street, St Peter's Square and G-Mex. ⁸Free tram rides also extend to stations outside of Greater Manchester between Ashley and Northwich. Standard rail tickets for stations between Altrincham and Mouldsworth are valid on Metrolink services on Sundays only. This is due to no trains running between Altrincham and Manchester on a Sunday, originally due to a GMPTE budgeting crisis in 1992. However, the service has never been reinstated.²

All Metrolink tickets must be purchased before travel. A "standard fare" of up to £80 is charged for travelling without a ticket⁹. Metrolink is policed by the Greater Manchester Police including Police Community Support Officers. An initiative by Greater Manchester Police, which saw around 15 officers routinely patrolling the tram network, was stopped due to lack of funds. On-board ticket checks are done by Carlisle Security on behalf of the GMPTE.

Metrolink carried 18.8 million passengers in 2004, compared to 7.5 million who used the Bury and Altrincham rail services before Metrolink. According to Metrolink sources, at least two million fewer car journeys have been made each year along the tram route. Metrolink has become something of a victim of its own popularity. Many services are extremely busy, especially at peak times at the city centre stations, and fares have risen at a rate far above that of inflation. In the first two years of Metrolink operation, peak hour patronage was well below expected levels, but off-peak patronage exceeded expectations. Metrolink reacted by reducing peak fares which improved loadings.

Vehicles

Main article: T-68

A 2000 Series street-running tram in Eccles.

In December 2007 the Metrolink fleet consisted of 26 T-68 light-rail vehicles (LRV) numbered in the 1000 series, and six T68a vehicles built for the Eccles extension numbered in the 2000 series. Both types were supplied by Ansaldobreda, the former in 1991 and the latter in 1999. The LRVs are articulated in the centre and normally operate singly, except during the rush hours when there are a few double trams along the Bury–Altrincham route. 1005, 1010 and 1015 and all 2000-series trams are modified for use on the Eccles line, which involves large amounts of street running, with retractable and covered couplers and covered bogies.

The trams consist of two carriages, joined by an articulated section with four doors per side. They are each 30 m long and bi-directional with cabs at both ends.¹⁰ The front and rear bogies are powered, with two 750 V, 105 kW motors per bogie. The third bogie, located under the articulated part, is not powered. The maximum speed is 50 miles per hour (80 km/h), with 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) allowed for street running. There are 83 seats per vehicle (plus 4 folding seats) and the nominal capacity is 200 passengers (250 maximum). Trams normally run singly, with two-unit services commonplace at peak times. Up to four units can be operated by one driver but platform length at central and Eccles line stations allows for a double unit only. Although non-central stations on the Bury and Altrincham lines can accept a triple or quadruple unit tram, the each platform's public area is currently shorter than its full length.

In April 2007, eight new Flexity Swift high-floor trams were ordered, similar to the K5000 series currently employed in the German cities of Cologne and Bonn, and similar to the low-floor models used by London’s Tramlink. When delivered in 2009 these new trams will enable all the Bury–Altrincham direct services to operate as double trams, significantly increasing capacity. A further four trams of the same type have been ordered to allow for a new 12-minute service between Cornbrook and the new Mediacity:uk extension in Salford Quays⁴.

On 24 June 2008, 28 new trams were ordered for the extensions to Oldham and Rochdale, Droylsden in Tameside, and Chorlton in South Manchester. The trams will be built by Bombardier and will cost just over £2 million each. The current order book is for 40 new Metrolink trams.¹¹

Twenty-three of the T-68s have name plates, named after famous Mancunian people, achievements or places.

Livery

Currently, the trams wear a livery of turquoise doors, white body and grey 'skirts'. This livery is also applied to the stations. This livery has been used since the Metrolink opened.

In October 2008, a new livery was created, for the arrival of the brand new trams that are coming to the network.¹³ The exsisting trams will be re-painted as well. The new livery consists of a yellow front, with yellow and silver sides, with black doors. The livery was created by Hemisphere Design and Marketing Consultants of Manchester. This new livery will be painted on to the the trams. It will be also on the old trams. An interior and exterior refurbishment of the old trams will be happening soon, as each tram goes in for maintinece. Tram stops and signs may also be refurbished to match the new livery. A picture of the livery can be found here

Future

Phase 3, also known as the Big Bang, is an ambitious expansion programme that will see trams running to Oldham, Rochdale, Ashton-under-Lyne, Wythenshawe and Manchester Airport.

Manchester Metrolink Proposed Extensions (Phase 3a)

Legend Rochdale Railway Station Newbold Kingsway Business Park Milnrow Newhey Shaw and Crompton Derker Oldham Mumps Oldham Werneth Freehold South Chadderton Hollinwood To Bury; Failsworth Abraham Moss ; Dean Lane To Eccles; Woodlands Road; Central Park Queens Road; Monsall Cornbrook G-Mex; Victoria St Peter's Square; Shudehill Mosley Street|; Market Street Trafford Bar Piccadilly Gardens Firswood; Piccadilly To Altrincham; Pollard Street Chorlton-cum-Hardy; Holt Town St Werburgh's Road; Sportcity New East (for velodrome) Clayton Edge Lane Cemetery Road Droylsden

Phase 3a

Phase 3 has been split into two sections. Phase 3a will involve taking over the existing heavy-rail Oldham Loop Line to Oldham and Rochdale stations, and extensions to Droylsden and to St Werburgh's Road in Chorlton-cum-Hardy. In December 2004 the government announced that £520 million would be authorised for Phase 3. A first stage of Phase 3 was given the go ahead by the Department for Transport in July 2006, with a £300m funding gap expected to be met by a loan.

Environmental surveys began in April 2008¹⁴ which will continue until the autumn. Several companies were short-listed to build the extensions¹⁴ with the M-Pact Thales consortium, made up of Thales, Laing O'Rourke and GrantRail, being eventually picked¹⁵ in Spring 2008. The project's final cost was calculated at £575 million and was signed off in May 2008¹⁵. Construction is due to start in 2009¹⁶ and the new lines are hoped to become operational in 2011/12.

Phase 3b

Phase 3b will take the 3a lines into Oldham and Rochdale town centres, extend the 3a extension from Droylsden to Ashton-under-Lyne and extend the line from St Werburgh's Road to Didsbury and Manchester Airport.

Phase 3b forms part of Greater Manchester’s integrated transport strategy, which recommends a wide-ranging package of transport investment and traffic management measures. In July 2007 GMPTE and the AGMA submitted a bid to the Government's Transport Innovation Fund to secure the funding for this package which, if approve, would guarantee the extensions to these destinations. On 9 June 2008 the Transport Secretary, Ruth Kelly, announced that £1.5bn of central government funding had been provisionally agreed in response to the bid, which, together with the approval of £1.2bn in borrowing by the GMPTE, would allow phase 3b to proceed in full, subject to public consultation and the formal decision of the AGMA in the autumn of 2008.

Two further Metrolink extensions were included in the 2007 GMPTE plans, serving Mediacity at Salford Quays and the Trafford Centre. The Trafford Centre line will continue from Pomona viaduct on the Eccles line, which has been built with the expansion in mind, and will have stops serving the Manchester United home ground at Old Trafford and Imperial War Museum North. These extensions are expected to be part-funded by £100m from private sector sources. Proposals to extend the extend the line serving East Didsbury to Stockport town centre have not been approved by the Department for Transport and would therefore need to be deferred.

Concerns were raised in the original Phase 3 proposals regarding the continued reliance on a single route through the city centre, which could have become a bottleneck when the new extensions opened, with six or seven routes running over the same track. GMPTE has reacted to this by including an additional line in the bid for monies from Transport Innovation Fund, probably along Cross Street between GMex and Victoria with additional tram stops at Town Hall and Arndale Shopping Centre. It is proposed that Bus Rapid Transit routes could be developed, linking the Metrolink service with parts of South Manchester, Bolton, Leigh and Salford that will not be reached by the Phase 3b extensions.

The full proposal for the Metrolink extensions, including the additional city centre crossing and Trafford Park lines, and linking with new Bus Rapid Transit routes, would take the total cost of Phase 3 to an estimated £1.2 billion, requiring revenue from the proposed road charging scheme to repay the loan element of the costs¹⁷. The network including all immediately planned proposed expansions would increase in size from 23 miles (37 km) with 37 stops to 64 miles (103 km) with at least 105 stops, and carrying 70 million passengers per year.

Criticism

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Metrolink attracted significant negative publicity in its early days. Delays in construction, closures for rebuilding defective trackwork and lack of thought in ticketing and information systems all attracted criticism. Politically, the system was deemed to be an immediate success, though the burden on Greater Manchester's ratepayers increased notably since Metrolink attracted subsidies that the previous trains had not.

Many initial problems have been addressed, but passenger information remains a major failing. Most stations do not have live passenger information screens, so passengers do not know when the next tram is due. When exceptional disruption or delays occur, a public address with speakers at all Metrolink stops is used.

When the Altrincham and Bury lines were part of the national rail network through ticketing to anywhere in Great Britain was possible. Through tickets from anywhere in Great Britain to Metrolink stops are still available, but Metrolink ticket machines allow journeys only to stations within Greater Manchester and the immediate surrounding area.

The Metrolink's ticketing policy could also be confusing to some visitors to the city. This is because tickets have to purchased before boarding the tram, which differs from some other similar networks. For example tickets on the Sheffield Tram network have to be bought from the conductor on board the tram. Vistors making the mistake of believing this to be the case on Metrolink would be subject to a fine if caught boarding a tram without a ticket.

One of the criticisms levelled at Metrolink is that it does not reach the Trafford Centre, other than via a shuttle bus from Stretford Metrolink stop. Journeys on this service are not covered by the MetroMax ticket that allows travel through the rest of the network. On the Eccles line journeys take longer on Metrolink than on the more direct bus, not via Salford Quays. This is despite buses not being able to use the dedicated Metrolink off-street infrastructure.

The student fare currently does not extend to students over 19¹⁸ This has attracted criticism in the form of a web-based petition from the student population, which has recently led to an assessment of demand to alter the pricing and upper age limit to the current student fare¹⁹.

Further issues regarding safety after operator Serco handed over to Stagecoach Group have arisen over the last year. It is alleged that Serco allowed maintenance to decline after losing the franchise. ²⁰ A second derailment in just over six months followed on 29 June 2008 while carrying passengers coming from a Radiohead concert at Lancashire County Cricket Ground. ²¹

See also

• Transport in Manchester

References