No trams for a month

Don Frame

May 15, 2009

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THE Metrolink tram system south of Manchester will be shut for the whole of August for major improvement works.

Passengers using the Altrincham and Eccles lines will have to use bus and train services instead.

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive says it has chosen the quietest month of the year to carry out key expansion and upgrade work.

But there are concerns that travellers could face problems.

Andrew McFarlane, of the Mid-Cheshire Rail Users' Association, said: "The Altrincham line particularly is very busy and we fear trains will not be able to cope unless extra carriages are laid on."

But he added: "These are badly-needed works - overhead wires on the line have been there almost 40 years."

The disruptions will come on top of existing work affecting trams in the city centre.

Passengers

Stops at Piccadilly Gardens, Piccadilly station and Mosley Street are closed for rail replacement and will not reopen until September, with passengers having to leave trams at Victoria or Albert Square.

Transport bosses say they believe passengers will applaud the planned improvements.

Coun Richard Knowles said: "These proposals are very welcome. We are building four new tram lines and we want the stops on the existing lines to be as welcoming as the new ones."

During the shutdown, new connections will be built at the Trafford Bar stop to link up with a line being built to Chorlton.

At Cornbrook, the layout will change to accommodate the new MediaCityUK tram service. A junction will be built between the Harbour City and Broadway stops to join up with the new spur to MediaCityUK from next summer .

All the overhead electrical cables and some supports on the Altrincham line will be replaced and a depot for 40 new trams will be completed at Trafford Bar. The plans will be presented to Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority's policy committee for approval at its meeting next month.

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Showing comments 1 to 19 and replies | View All

Ronky, Bowker Vale (15/05/2009 at 11:13)

It would be a lot simpler and save a lot of reporting if instead of telling us when the trams won't be operating fully they made an announcement on the rare occasions that the full tram network is operational.

By the end of August what percentage of the last 3 years has the full tram network been operational?

steven smithson (15/05/2009 at 14:22)

Jack Thorley Trafford, Timperley (15/05/2009 at 16:28)

The Chester train which stops at Altrincham goes to Piccadilly so why not attach more carriages during August?

token male, lush green cheshire (15/05/2009 at 17:52)

The trams in the city centre are already not operating and last year the system was down for 3 or 4 months, it begs the question do we really need metrolink and the answer is a big NO we do not, network rail, aka BR never did this so rip up the whole system and replace it with busways as in Runcorn, and sack GMPTE in its present form. The Runcorn busways are actually very, very good.

token male, lush green cheshire (15/05/2009 at 17:56)

I had to stay in Wilslow overnight last Tuesday and heard metro was duff yet again so I ended up using old beardies train, a pendolino, absolutely fantastic. wow it beats metro-cram any day. and only a couple of quid mor. ooooh

m_dm, Glossop (15/05/2009 at 21:30)

It appears as usual the GMPTE have not considered the public properly. I wrote to them about their poor bus service covering the city centre, the response was quite dismissive, howevr from Monday they are chamging it so my point was valid. Are they going to run a full replacement bus service to the south from Victoria? the quality of GMPTE's workmanship and management can be seen at bowker Vale, netting put up to prevent pigeons, was coming down after 2 days and has still not been repaired.
steven smithson
15/05/2009 at 14:22

You're not kidding!
After witnessing a public transport related accident, and offering assistance to the injured I was disgusted to discover that buses ect are not required to carry first aid kits - yet they are taking responsibility for the saftey of the public!!
I brought this to GMPTEs attention as to how ludicrous this was (considering the amount of accidents and assaults on buses) - 4 weeks on I am still waiting for a response from GMPTE.

Also, I would be suprised if Metrolinks customers still pay the rediculous fares, when bus fares are much cheaper, by comparison. Mind you, I haven't got a tram for 5 years or more........ they don't go anywhere I do!!

A Bus Driver (16/05/2009 at 08:42)

In a way this is good news. Most of the pain will be over and done with at nearly all the same time preventing major shutdowns at other times in the next few years. The new lines need to be joined on so they are doing it all at once and also Cornbrook needs to be remodelled for the new Media city line. The Altrincham line needs new power cables and also upgraded power supplies so that trams can be doubled. And the best bit is that the stations will be done in the new colours which will be a vast improvement for waiting passengers. If anybody has seen Piccadilly station surely they will agree. I'm sure that they may take the opportunity too to start putting the new ticket machines into place at the same time so all the usaul complaints should start to disappear hopefully. The last time the line was shut there were very few complaints about the replacement bus services and many paople decided to say using the bus which has resulted in the 263 runnubg every 10 minutes now with many more people using it.

citycentre, manchester (16/05/2009 at 08:46)

token male

the west coast main line as recently had over 10 billion spent on it and has been subject to major and heavilly reported delays; had BR spent the required money during the years it was in charge much of this could have been avoided; glad to hear it is working well now though, lets hope future governemnts maintain the invetment levels to keep it that way.

the same penny pinching approach means the rochdale loop railway is in poor condition and would need etensive work whether or not it is converted to tram, and may account for some of the need on the south section of the current metrolink; which dosnt reach as far as wilmslow yet

token male, lush green cheshire (16/05/2009 at 20:07)

Jack Thorley Trafford note I live in Sale so that ain't much use is it. and everyone else, GMPTE is no longer, it is GMITA (failed?)

token male, lush green cheshire (16/05/2009 at 20:11)

citycentre, yes correct but Br had not invested because GMPTE/GMITA had not priovided the funding, and the WCML was an upgrade for beardies pendolinos, not running maintenance

steven smithson (18/05/2009 at 08:16)

Jack Thorley Trafford note I live in Sale so that ain't much use is it. and everyone else, GMPTE is no longer, it is GMITA (failed?)

Well the GMPTE do exist still and the GMPTA is the body above then Stagecoach operate Metrolink- with so many levels and connsultants involved it is probably why we have such a poor transoport system.Why can't Mersey Travel take over Manchester, apart from appointing Serco to operate their trains the rest of what they do is far more impressive than here in Manchester and they are certainly more customer focused.

citycentre, manchester (18/05/2009 at 09:03)

token male

Rail funding, especially the west coast main line (runs the length of the nation) was never controlled or provided by GMPTA (or any of its incarnataions), note it stands for greater manchester; it was however underfunded for decades by both governments (of various colours) and private companies; labour is just finishing the job of bringing the system upto date (or were till the banks lost all the money). had investment been put into local light and heavy rail in a more timely fashion the big scale repairs and the attendant dispruption may have been avoided

steven smithson (18/05/2009 at 09:17)

My concern is that the GMPTE continue to manage the whole process badly, often using consultants at great expense to us. The GMPTE also have inspectors looking at the system but they are shadowed by Stagecoach staff so it is all very cosy and may be why the system is scruffier than prior to Stagecoach arriving. Although look at Stagecoach buses not exactly a shining example.

Ace Shakespeare , manchester (18/05/2009 at 17:02)

hong kong run 60year old trams that run better than this lot and more reliable. 21 century tram system? WHERE.............................

MancunianHumbersider, Radcliffe (18/05/2009 at 18:40)

Token male from Cheshire, if you really feel that way about Metrolink then I speak for the thousands of Humbersiders who would gladly have such a fine form of public transport to get around an area that is notoriously difficult to travel around if you don't have access to a car. You Mancunians really do not know how lucky or fortunate you are to have Metrolink. We Humbersiders (although I now live in Radcliffe) would do anything and we would be happy to rip up your tracks and ship them lock stock and barrel to Hull, deposit the tracks on the old Withernsea railway line and then I could take a tram from Hull to Hedon. Oh, and before Ms whatshername starts whining that you have all heard this before well, Token Male started it.

mark quck (18/05/2009 at 20:14)

Damn I got rid of the car hoping that the TIF would go through.Might as will buy a car again.

citycentre, manchester (18/05/2009 at 20:41)

mark

should have held on for the governements new car hand out

token male, lush green cheshire (18/05/2009 at 22:49)

Hang everyone, all I suggested that the railtrack be removed and replaced with a bus way as in Runcorn. It gives flexibilty and seamlesness. I did not suggest rapid transport should be abandoned, besides Metrocram is expensive in all possible ways and to have so many routes converging on Piccadilly Gardens ( well what's left of them) is a plan for disaster anyhow.

Camosquad, manchester (19/05/2009 at 04:53)

Our tram system is a joke. What other city in the world would shut its system down for a month?
The head of this tram system should resign. It is second rate, second class and not fit for purpose!

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