Manchester Metrolink boosts services

Manchester’s light rail system will see a revamped timetable from 2 January with more frequent and extended services and late-night trams, all responding to the continuing growth in passenger numbers. 

 

Altrincham–Piccadilly services will be extended to the Etihad Campus at times the peak Media City–Etihad Campus service does not run, to provide a six-minute service from 07.00 to end of service, with coupled sets to provide more capacity.. There will also be more trams on the Altrincham–Bury line as passenger numbers recovered to pre-pandemic levels during the pre-Christmas period, with more coupled sets. Late-night services will continue to 01.00 on Fridays and Saturdays. 

 

11-18 December saw 940 000 trips made on Metrolink, while 6 December saw 160 000 trips on a single day.  

 

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said, ‘I am delighted that Metrolink will be intruding extra capacity and frequency on the Altrincham and Bury lines, which provide a vital connection for people travelling between the north and the south of our region. These changes will provide a real boost for regular passengers, while also presenting a compelling case for those who do not travel on trams frequently to use Metrolink, that plays a central role in our integrated Bee Network public transport system. 

 

Manchester Metrolink was inaugurated in April 1992 linking local railway lines by street track through the city centre. The network has reached 64 miles (103km) and carries more than 36M passengers/year using 147 high-floor LRVs, built by Bombardier in 2009-2022.