58-646: Zone 1 of the Manchester Metrolink light rail network is the heart of the system where all of the other lines converge. Its boundaries approximately mirror the city's Inner Ring Road . Within Zone 1, first opened in 1992 as the City Zone , trams largely run along semi- pedestrianised streets rather than on their own separate alignment. The first City Zone route ran from Victoria station via Market Street to G-Mex (now Deansgate-Castlefield), and
116-633: A public inquiry held throughout 2013, the Second City Crossing was granted approval on 8 October 2013 by the Secretary of State for Transport , Patrick McLoughlin , and signed off on 28 October 2013 by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Construction started in early 2014 on the new Exchange Square tram stop , and the first tracks of the line were laid in late November 2014. The first part of
174-549: A 0.4-mile (0.7 km) branch to Piccadilly station , which diverges at a three-way junction (known as the ' delta junction') near Piccadilly Gardens . In 2013, the Piccadilly spur was extended to Droylsden and Ashton-under-Lyne . The new line was called the East Manchester Line . The first stop after Piccadilly on this new route, New Islington , was not initially included in the "City Zone" when it opened, but
232-462: A 12-minute frequency (24-minute after 00:00): Thus the combined frequency for some routes is every 6 minutes or less. Other part-day services The Altrincham – Piccadilly service operates an extended service to Etihad Campus from 20:00–00:00 on Monday–Thursdays, 20:00–01:00 Friday–Saturdays, and 07:00–00:00 (all day) Sundays and bank holidays . One service which replaces the normal service and runs to Etihad Campus via Piccadilly and runs to
290-465: A 12-minute frequency (24-minute after 00:00, and 15-minute on Sundays): Early morning service The early morning service used to operate from 03:00–06:00 Monday–Saturdays and 03:00–07:00 on Sundays and bank holidays. One service which ran to a 20-minute frequency: This was mostly to support airport shift workers and people with early flights, however, these services were removed in March 2020 due to
348-544: A 12-minute frequency (24-minute after 00:00, and 15-minute on Sundays): This is the minimum service that the Metrolink can provide whilst bringing trams to all available stops, hence why it is called the 'core' service. Daytime services (enhanced) The following services run alongside the core service during peak times: from 07:00–20:00 on Monday–Friday and 09:00–18:30 on Saturdays, and not operational on Sundays or bank holidays . Three extra services which each run to
406-416: A baseline Service Specification to grade bidders seeking to operate the concession from July 2017, once the Second City Crossing was in operation. In the baseline service pattern, there are no designated 'peak' periods of service operation; instead, there was an 'enhanced' service operating from start of service to 08:00 Monday to Friday, and to 18:00 Saturday; and a 'core' service running at all other times. In
464-495: A branch to Piccadilly station opened later and created a three-way delta junction near Piccadilly Gardens . A second route between the South-West and North-Eastern parts of the network was built to ease congestion on the original line. Opened in 2017, the Second City Crossing (2CC) added one additional stop to the network at Exchange Square . There are currently (as of 2024) 10 stops in Zone 1. From north to south: Serves
522-460: A fleet of 147 trams. Because low-floor tram technology was in its infancy when Metrolink was in its planning stages, and in order to be compatible with the former British Rail stations that Metrolink inherited, the network uses high-floor trams with a platform height of 900 mm (35 in), the same height as main line trains. Trams on Metrolink operate either single units, or coupled together to form double units, which regularly run on
580-467: A full length platform and improved passenger facilities in November 2009. When a building called Elisabeth House , which had stood between Dickinson Street and Oxford Street since the 1970s, was demolished for redevelopment in 2011 as One St Peter's Square , architects' plans were entered in a competition, which was modified in 2011 to incorporate proposals to improve the Metrolink station. In March 2012
638-430: A shortlist of two submissions was made. The stop closed after end of service on 25 June 2015 for 14 months to allow for a total redevelopment to incorporate trams on the new Second City Crossing . The tram stop re-opened on 28 August 2016 as a four-platform interchange, comprising two island platforms , one for inbound services and the other for outbound. This offers same-direction cross-platform interchange . The stop
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#1732787817853696-414: A stop at Wharfside to serve Old Trafford Stadium closer and faster than Old Trafford tram stop , a stop at Imperial War Museum , also providing a closer and faster connection to IWM North from the city centre, the alternate tram option being walking from MediaCityUK , and a stop adjacent to Barton Dock Road , serving Trafford Palazzo . All six stops also opened with new dot matrix displays unique to
754-698: A ticket stating the destination as Manchester Ctlz as opposed to Manchester Stns . This allows visitors to use Metrolink trams within Zone 1 for free on the presentation of a Manchester Ctlz rail ticket. The Freedom of the City scheme was introduced in 2005 by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive and retained as part of the new zonal ticketing system introduced in January 2019. National visitors from outside Greater Manchester with Manchester Stns as
812-576: A twin- island platform layout, which allows for limited cross-platform interchange . The stop is the most used on the Metrolink network. Plans for a rapid transit station in St Peter's Square were made in the 1970s; proposals for the abandoned Picc-Vic tunnel envisaged the construction of an underground station to serve both St Peter's and the neighbouring Albert Square. The early proposals for an on-street light rail system in Manchester revived
870-585: The COVID-19 pandemic . There are currently no plans to reintroduce this service. Services during COVID-19 pandemic Due to changing travel patterns as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, advice was against all but essential travel, and thus, the Metrolink temporarily introduced a reduced timetable, and trams ran to a 20-minute frequency on the following routes only. Gradually, in the following months, with more people returning to work and social activities,
928-671: The Cologne Stadtbahn and Bonn Stadtbahn . St Peter%27s Square tram stop St Peter's Square is a tram stop in St Peter's Square in Manchester city centre , England. It opened on 27 April 1992 and is in Zone 1 of Greater Manchester 's Metrolink light rail system. The stop's platforms were extended in 2009, but later redevelopment in 2015–16 demolished the original two side platforms and replaced them with
986-732: The G-Mex , with a 0.4-mile (0.64 km) branch from Piccadilly Gardens to Manchester Piccadilly station . This route is now known as the First City Crossing (1CC), and it was built with network expansion in mind. A fleet of 26 AnsaldoBreda T-68 light rail vehicles was procured to operate the 19.2-mile (30.9 km) network. Construction was carried out by the GMA Group (a consortium of AMEC , GM Buses , John Mowlem & Company and GEC ), costing £145 million (equivalent to £379 million in 2023). Metrolink
1044-615: The Manchester Arndale at its main entrance. Street Islington Gardens Square 2CC Castlefield Altrincham Metrolink tickets allowing travel to a Zone 1 stop also allow for travel within Zone 1. Passengers who travel on rail services from the Greater Manchester area into one of the four railway stations of the Manchester station group ( Manchester Piccadilly , Manchester Oxford Road , Manchester Victoria , and Deansgate ) will be issued with
1102-577: The Oldham and Rochdale Line , East Manchester Line , South Manchester Line , and Airport Line . Phase 3 was put in doubt when central government funding was withdrawn due to increasing costs, but after negotiations with the Department for Transport, Phase 3 was split into two parts, 3a and 3b, to secure investment. The new 0.25-mile (0.40 km) spur off the Eccles Line to MediaCityUK
1160-658: The Trafford Centre . It runs on a mixture of on-street track shared with other traffic; reserved track sections segregated from other traffic, and converted former railway lines. Metrolink is operated by a fleet of 147 high-floor Bombardier M5000 light rail vehicles. Each of the nine Metrolink routes run five trams per hour in each direction; stops with more than one route running through it will have trams arriving more frequently. Services on busier lines operate as "doubles": two tram vehicles coupled together. A light rail system for Greater Manchester emerged from
1218-511: The Trafford Park Line from Pomona to The Trafford Centre , opened on 22 March 2020. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has proposed numerous further expansions of the network , including the addition of tram-train technology to extend Metrolink services onto local heavy-rail lines. Manchester's first tram age began in 1877 with the first horse-drawn trams of Manchester Suburban Tramways Company . Electric traction
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#17327878178531276-402: The enhanced service pattern operates the core service plus extra services up to Bury, Altrincham, Etihad Campus, Shaw and Crompton, East Didsbury, and MediaCityUK. All-day services (core) The following services run during all operating times, from 06:00–00:00 on Monday–Thursday, 06:00–01:00 on Friday–Saturday, and 07:00–00:00 on Sundays and bank holidays . Six services which each run to
1334-627: The most extensive light rail system in the United Kingdom . Over the 2023/24 financial year 42 million passenger journeys were made on the system. Metrolink is owned by the public body Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and is part of the region's Bee Network . It is operated and maintained under contract by a Keolis / Amey consortium. The network consists of eight lines which radiate from Manchester city centre to termini at Altrincham , Ashton-under-Lyne , Bury , East Didsbury , Eccles , Manchester Airport , Rochdale and
1392-482: The ' Picc-Vic tunnel ' project. The project was a proposal to link Piccadilly and Victoria stations via a tunnel under the city centre and enable train services to run across the Manchester conurbation. Greater Manchester County Council (GMC) inherited the project and presented it to the United Kingdom Government in 1974, but the council failed to secure the necessary funding, and the project
1450-452: The 'enhanced' service pattern, trams ran with a six-minute frequency to Shaw and Crompton, Bury, Ashton-under-Lyne, Altrincham, Manchester Airport and East Didsbury; and with a 12-minute frequency to Rochdale, Eccles and MediaCityUK. As of 2024, the core service pattern operates exactly one route to every terminus on the Metrolink network, during all operating times , at a 12-minute frequency on all routes (15 minute frequency on Sundays), and
1508-510: The 1960s, transport design studies were undertaken to address the problems of increasing traffic congestion . Many urban public transport schemes were evaluated for Manchester, including several types of monorail systems and metro-style systems. While the monorail schemes were all abandoned, a scheme to create a tunnel link gained momentum. The SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive — the body formed in 1969 to improve public transport for Manchester and its surrounding municipalities – promoted
1566-457: The 2CC line opened on 6 December 2015, and only operated between Victoria and Exchange Square. The first test tram to run the entire route ran on 1 December 2016 and the whole line opened for public service on 26 February 2017. Manchester Metrolink Manchester Metrolink is a tram / light rail system in Greater Manchester , England. The network has 99 stops along 64 miles (103 km) of standard-gauge route, making it
1624-598: The Altrincham – Bury line and on other lines during peak hours. In December 2009, Metrolink took delivery of the first Bombardier M5000 tram. Built by Bombardier Transportation and Vossloh Kiepe , the initial eight M5000s were ordered to allow services to be increased. They are part of the Bombardier Flexity Swift range of light rail vehicles and have a design similar to the K5000 vehicle used on
1682-551: The United Kingdom's first modern street-running rail system; the 1885-built Blackpool tramway being the only first-generation tram system in the UK that had survived up to Metrolink's creation. Expansion of Metrolink has been a critical strategy of transport planners in Greater Manchester, who have overseen its development in successive projects, known as Phases 1, 2, 3a, 3b, 2CC, and Trafford Park. The latest extension,
1740-524: The construction of a new 9-mile (14 km) Airport Line to Manchester Airport , and extending three of the Phase 3a lines: the East Manchester Line to Ashton-under-Lyne ; the South Manchester Line to East Didsbury ; and adding street-running routes through Oldham and Rochdale town centres to the Oldham and Rochdale Line . Construction work began in March 2011, and Phase 3b
1798-598: The conversion of two suburban heavy rail lines to light rail operation — the Bury Line in the north (conversion started in July 1991) and the MSJ&;AR line in the south (conversion started December 1991) — and the construction of a street-level tramway through the city centre to connect the two. Tracks were laid down along a 1.9-mile (3.1 km) route from Victoria station, via Market Street and St Peter's Square to
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1856-449: The converted National Rail lines, the Bury Line and the MSJ&AR Line , into a single network. The first city-centre route, consisted of a 1.9-mile (3.1 km) street-running route from Victoria, via Market Street to G-Mex (now known as Deansgate-Castlefield ) where it joined the line to Altrincham Interchange . This is now known as the First City Crossing (1CC). Since 1992, a number of alterations to this route has taken place: Also
1914-463: The destination are not permitted free use of Metrolink, as it is a locally funded transport service by TfGM, and receives no national government subsidy. Historically there were extensive tram lines in Manchester city centre as part of its first generation tram system ; however, these were all abandoned by 1949. The Manchester Metrolink began operation in 1992. The Metrolink was designed to link Victoria and Piccadilly stations, as well as connect
1972-467: The expansion of the Metrolink network, it became necessary to build a new route across Manchester City Centre to alleviate congestion and improve capacity. Known as the Second City Crossing (or 2CC), the project involved laying 0.8 miles (1.3 km) of tram tracks from St Peter's Square tram stop via Princess Street, Albert Square , Cross Street and Corporation Street to rejoin the original Metrolink line just before Victoria station. One new tram stop
2030-428: The failure of the 1970s Picc-Vic tunnel scheme to obtain central government funding. A light-rail scheme was proposed in 1982 as the least expensive rail-based transport solution for Manchester city centre and the surrounding Greater Manchester metropolitan area . Government approval was granted in 1988, and the network began operating services between Bury Interchange and Victoria on 6 April 1992. Metrolink became
2088-430: The idea of a station in the square. St. Peter's Square was one of the original city-centre stops to open when Metrolink started operations in 1992, when it consisted of two side platforms and basic shelters. In common with most newly built Metrolink stops at the time, St. Peter's Square had two-level platforms , meaning only a short section of the platforms offered level boarding. The stop was demolished and rebuilt with
2146-469: The inauguration, GMPTE's original concept was for Metrolink's operator to provide a service every ten minutes from Bury to Piccadilly and Altrincham to Piccadilly from 06:00 to midnight, Monday to Saturday. Greater Manchester Metro Limited, the system's original operator, argued for adjustments, citing the need to provide an efficient and commercially viable operation in line with vehicle running times and passenger demand. Due to power limitations, this pattern
2204-590: The need for costly tunnelling works . A Rail Study Group, composed of officials from British Rail, GMC and GMPTE formally endorsed the Project Light Rail scheme in 1984. Initial abstract proposals, based on light rail systems in North America and continental Europe , illustrated a draft 62-mile (100 km) network consisting of three lines: Altrincham – Hadfield / Glossop , Bury – Marple / Rose Hill and Rochdale – East Didsbury . To promote
2262-493: The rest of the network as the system has grown. Heavy snowfall during the winter of 2009/10 impaired Metrolink services and the operator was criticised for failing to have cold weather procedures. This prompted a programme to improve the reliability and performance of the system in freezing conditions. Metrolink operated icebreaker -style vehicles at night during snowfall in January 2013 to provide standard services. In January 2016, Transport for Greater Manchester agreed on
2320-403: The rest of the network. Enabling works began in January 2017, and the first test tram ran in November 2019 between Pomona and Village . The line finally opened on 22 March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in the UK on the second day of operation overshadowed news of the new line's opening, leading to it not getting much ridership after the lockdown ended. via Exchange Square Before
2378-520: The route and adding several new stops as well, re-opening a disused 1.7-mile (2.7 km) section of the Cheshire Lines Committee railway to use as the first part of the South Manchester Line (up to St Werburgh's Road ), and building a new 4-mile (6.4 km) East Manchester Line as far as Droylsden . When completed in 2013, Phase 3a increased Metrolink's total network length to 43 miles (69 km). Phase 3b involved
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2436-520: The scheme, GMPTE held a public proof of concept demonstration in March 1987 using a Docklands Light Railway P86 train on a freight-only line adjacent to Debdale Park . The Project Light Rail proposals were presented to the UK Government for taxpayer funding; following route revisions in 1984 and 1987, Project Light Rail was approved. Because of the central government's constraints on financial support for innovative transport projects, funding
2494-496: The service frequency on all routes was increased to 10 minutes during peak times and 20 minutes off-peak Monday–Saturday, and every 15 minutes on Sundays. Normal service was reintroduced on 5 July 2021, although temporarily removed in late August 2021 due the number of staff having to self isolate. The two enhanced service routes at the time: Altrincham–Bury direct and Shaw and Crompton–East Didsbury resumed on 31 August and 6 September 2021 respectively. As of 2022 , Metrolink operated
2552-531: The street running section to Eccles Interchange was completed. The Broadway–Eccles section was opened on 21 July 2000, and the complete line was officially opened by Princess Anne on 9 January 2001. The Phase 3 extension project, nicknamed the "Big Bang", was promoted by GMPTE and the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) in the early 2000s. The project, costing £489 million (£1040 million in 2023), would create four new lines:
2610-565: The system expanded. Funded by the Greater Manchester Transport Fund, its 0.8-mile (1.3 km) route begins at a rebuilt St Peter's Square tram stop , and runs along Princess Street, Cross Street and Corporation Street to rejoin the original Metrolink line by Victoria station . The line has one stop at Exchange Square . Following the submission of a planning document under the Transport and Works Act 1992 , and
2668-399: The zone boundary was changed in 2014 to also include New Islington. When Metrolink fares changed from a point-to-point system to a zonal scheme in 2019, the "City Zone" was renamed as Zone 1. The Second City Crossing (also known as 2CC) is a second Metrolink route across Manchester city centre, first proposed in 2011 as a means to improve capacity, flexibility and reliability as the rest of
2726-422: Was abandoned in 1977. The Centreline shuttle bus service provided inter-station links for many years. The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE), the successor to SELNEC, continued to examine possible rail link solutions. Light rail emerged in the early 1980s as a cost-effective option that could make use of existing railway lines and run through the city centre at street level, eliminating
2784-609: Was built at Exchange Square . The project also involved re-ordering St Peter's Square and re-siting the Cenotaph to accommodate an enlarged tram interchange and junction. Construction began in 2014, and the 2CC route opened fully in February 2017. The Transport & Works Act Order for the 3.4 mile (5.4 km) Trafford Park Line was granted in October 2016. This new line includes six tram stops, including, but not limited to,
2842-472: Was closed. Trolleybuses were withdrawn from service in 1966. Greater Manchester's railway network historically suffered from poor north–south connections because Manchester's main railway stations, Piccadilly and Victoria , were built in the 1840s on peripheral locations outside Manchester city centre . The central commercial district had no rail links, and over the years, several unsuccessful schemes were proposed to connect Manchester's rail termini. In
2900-710: Was completed in November 2014 with the Airport Line 's opening. Phase 3b was delayed after a failed bid to raise funding through the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund and a proposed traffic congestion charge in 2008. GMPTE and AGMA instead funded Phase 3b through a combination of council tax , government grants, Metrolink fares and contributions from the Manchester Airports Group and other bodies. With increased tram traffic brought about by
2958-509: Was funded by the GMPTA , the ERDF and private developers. It was constructed 1997–99 by Altram (a consortium of Serco , Ansaldo and John Laing ) and six new AnsaldoBreda T-68A trams were bought to operate services on the line, but were also used in other locations across the network. The line was inaugurated by Prime Minister Tony Blair on 6 December 1999 as far as Broadway tram stop as
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#17327878178533016-599: Was funded separately by the Northwest Regional Development Agency . As part of Phase 3, the original blue T-68 trams were also phased out and replaced with a new fleet of Bombardier M5000 trams, which entered service in December 2009. Beginning in October 2009 with the closure of the 14-mile (23 km) Oldham Loop heavy rail line , Phase 3a involved converting this line to light rail operation , including rebuilding all stations on
3074-563: Was granted by HM Treasury with the strict condition that the system be constructed in phases. Additional taxpayer funding came from the European Regional Development Fund and bank lending. Parliamentary authority to proceed with Phase 1 construction was obtained with two Acts of Parliament – the Greater Manchester (Light Rapid Transit System) Act 1988 and Greater Manchester (Light Rapid Transit System) (No. 2) Act 1988. The first phase of Metrolink involved
3132-577: Was initially scheduled to open in September 1991, but services did not begin until 1992, when the Bury Line of the Metrolink opened from Victoria station to Bury Interchange on 6 April. The first street-level trams began running on 27 April between Victoria and G-Mex (renamed Deansgate-Castlefield in 2010), and the Altrincham Line opened on 15 June from G-Mex to Altrincham . The branch to Piccadilly station opened on 20 July. Metrolink
3190-427: Was introduced in 1901, and the municipal Manchester Corporation Tramways expanded across the city. By 1930, Manchester's tram network had grown to 163 route miles (262 km), making it the third-largest tram system in the United Kingdom. After World War II , electric trolleybuses and motor buses began to be favoured by local authorities as a cheaper transport alternative, and by 1949 the last Manchester tram line
3248-413: Was modified to a twelve-minute service throughout the day, doubling to a six-minute service in peak periods, resulting in a "ten trams per hour" service pattern on routes running from Altrincham and Bury to Manchester every six minutes. Operators were required to provide this level of service at least 98% of the time or incur a financial penalty charge. This twelve-minute service pattern has been adopted on
3306-421: Was moved slightly north towards Princess Street from that of its old location, which was in front of Manchester Central Library . A number of trees were planted within the structure of the platforms to improve the look and feel of the space. The Manchester Cenotaph was also relocated and the entire square has been redeveloped into a new public space. During the redevelopment works, a reduced service ran through
3364-409: Was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 17 July 1992. In Phase 2, the Metrolink network was extended westwards to Eccles along the new 4-mile (6.4 km) Eccles Line , as part of the 1990s urban regeneration of Salford Quays , increasing the total Metrolink route length to 24 miles (39 km). The extension cost £160 million (equivalent to £340 million in 2023) and
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