Manchester Metrolink
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Image:Metrolink tram.jpg Metrolink is the light-rail tramway which runs in Greater Manchester, in England, centred on Manchester city centre.
Metrolink is operated by a private company called Serco, on behalf of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, which owns the system.
As of the summer of 2003, the Metrolink network is approximately 37 km long, and has 37 stops. Mosley Street stop in the city centre serves only trams travelling westward. Because much of the route of Metrolink was formerly a main-line railway, the stations on the former railway routes have normal platforms about 90 cm above ground level; consequently the new stops built in the city centre also have 90 cm-high platforms.
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Construction history
Image:Sale Metrolink station.jpg For many years there had been plans to connect Manchester's two main railway stations, Piccadilly station to the south-east of the city centre, and Victoria station to the north. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, there were plans for a PicVic 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, rather than replace the equipment on a like-for-like basis, to construct a light-rail system which would connect the Victoria–Bury line via on-street lines with the line to Altrincham, south-west of the city, and in the city centre to Piccadilly station.
The authority to construct Phase I of Metrolink (Bury to Altrincham via city centre, with a spur to Piccadilly station) was granted in January 1988, with construction of the street-track section beginning in March 1990. Metrolink opened for passenger service between Bury and Victoria on 6 April 1992, through the city centre between Victoria and G-Mex (the former Manchester Central railway station, now an exhibition centre) on 27 April 1992, and between G-Mex and Altrincham on 15 June 1992. The system was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 17 July 1992, and trams started operating into Piccadilly station on 20 July 1992, completing Phase I of the system.
On 25 April 1997 work began on Phase II of Metrolink, which was an extension from Cornbrook, on the Altrincham line, through Salford Quays to Eccles. Service on the new route started as far as Broadway on 6 December 1999 and to Eccles on 21 July 2000.
Routes
Image:Manchester Metrolink Map.svg Normal weekday and Saturday service is on the following routes:
- Piccadilly station – Altrincham
- Piccadilly station – Bury
- Piccadilly station – Eccles
- Altrincham – Bury (via a direct route which omits Piccadilly Gardens and Piccadilly station)
Service frequency is normally every twelve 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 twelve minutes (usually three and nine minutes apart). Between Cornbrook and St Peter’s Square, the addition of the Eccles service increases the frequency.
The Altrincham – Bury direct service does not operate on Sundays. The current route length is:
| Phase 1 | |
|---|---|
| Bury – Victoria | 15.9 km |
| Victoria – G-Mex | 3.1 km |
| Spur to Piccadilly station | 0.7 km |
| G-Mex – Altrincham | 10.4 km |
| Phase 2 | |
| Cornbrook – Broadway | 3.0 km |
| Broadway – Eccles | 3.5 km |
Fare structure
Fares are charged depending on the number of fare zones travelled through, and whether travel is in the Peak Period. The Metrolink definition of Peak Period is ‘before 09:30 on a weekday’.
The zones are:
| Zone | Contains |
|---|---|
| A | Bury, Radcliffe, Whitefield |
| B | Besses o’ th’ Barn, Prestwich, Heaton Park |
| C | Bowker Vale, Crumpsall, Woodlands Road |
| City Zone (D) | Everything between Victoria and G-Mex |
| E | Trafford Bar, Old Trafford, Stretford |
| F | Dane Road, Sale, Brooklands |
| G | Timperley, Navigation Road, Altrincham |
| H | Pomona, Exchange Quay, Salford Quays, Anchorage, Harbour City, Broadway, Langworthy, Weaste, Ladywell, Eccles |
Zone H borders Zones D and E.
Tickets are purchased from machines located at each stop. Single journeys must be completed within 90 minutes, return journeys the same day. It is also possible to purchase tickets from the machines for travel all day, for groups, or all weekend. Half the ticket machines accept only coins; the others will also accept banknotes, and give a maximum of £7 in change.
Warning: a ticket must be purchased before travel on the Metrolink. A "standard fare" is charged for people discovered travelling without a ticket - in any 12 month period, £10 for a first offence if paid on the spot (£15 if paid within 21 days); £20 for a second offence (£30/21 days); £40 for a third offence (£60/21 days); and £80 for a fourth offence.[1] Metrolink inspectors often board trams en masse at random tram stops, and frequently blockade the arrival platform at Piccadilly Station in the evening rush hour.
Vehicles
Image:Metrolink tram in Eccles.jpg The Metrolink fleet currently consists of 26 Italian-built T-68 light-rail vehicles built in 1991 and numbered in the 1000 series, and six type T68a vehicles built in 1999 for the Eccles extension and numbered in the 2000 series. The LRVs are articulated in the centre and normally operate singly, except during the rush hours when there are a few double trams.
Patronage
Metrolink carried 18.8 million passengers in 2004, compared to 7.5 million who used the Bury and Altrincham rail services prior to the construction of Metrolink. At peak times, the Metrolink trams are frequently overcrowded, especially in Manchester City Centre.
Changes to the system since original construction
There have been a few modifications to the system since the opening of Phase I in 1992.
- Originally the stops at the side of Market Street handled trams to Bury only, and the one around the corner in High Street handled trams from Bury only. When Market Street was closed to road traffic these stops were replaced by a new platform stop in the centre of Market Street, which handles trams in both directions. This stop opened on 10 August 1998.
- Cornbrook station on the Altrincham line was opened to provide an interchange with the new line to Eccles. There was initially no public access to this station from the street, but this changed in 2005.
- Shudehill Interchange opened in April 2003 between Victoria station and Market Street. The bus station complementing it was opened on the 29 January 2006.
Future developments
Image:Metrolink future network.gif The government had authorised the construction of Phase III of Metrolink, which would have seen a massive increase in the size of the network, providing all the necessary money could be found:
| Project | Length | New trams required |
|---|---|---|
| Conversion of existing railway from Victoria to Oldham and Rochdale plus some street running | 24 km | 22 |
| Extension to Manchester International Airport | 21 km | 26 |
| Extension to Ashton-under-Lyne | 10 km | 9 |
| Extension to East Didsbury (optional, with possible further extension to Stockport) | 14 km | 9 |
| Extension to the Trafford Centre shopping centre (currently served by a shuttle bus from Stretford Metrolink stop) subject to private-sector funding | 7 km | 7 |
However, in its review of transport expenditure published on 20 July 2004, the government withdrew funding for Phase III, which is therefore now on hold. The GMPTE is currently fighting against the decision, supported by the local councils and local community. On 16 December 2004 the government announced that £520 million would be authorised for Phase III, but as the current estimated cost is £900 million the future development of the system remains uncertain.
Failings
Image:Metrolink tram at Piccadilly Gardens.jpg One of the criticisms leveled at Metrolink is that it has never been extended to reach the Trafford Centre, other than via a shuttle bus from Stretford Metrolink stop, with a wide possibility of routes for this task. The line from Manchester City Centre to Eccles Town Centre is also disappointing, as it takes longer than an equivalent bus journey following a similar route, despite buses not being able to use the dedicated Metrolink infrastructure.
Since the Metrolink's inception and the initial euphoria at the huge success by local public transport and environmental groups, it has become something of a victim of its own popularity. Many routes are extremely busy, especially at peak times, and prices have risen at a rate far above that of inflation. The ride can also be seen by some as uncomfortable owing to their excessive yawing and rolling motion.
Ticket machines design has also been criticised, as, despite the high cost of some tickets, they do not accept debit/credit cards, and half of the machines also do not accept bank notes.
See also
External links
- Metrolink Information page and Metrolink Development page from GMPTE (The Passenger Transport Executive for Greater Manchester)
- Campaign for the extension of the system.
- Metrolink website
- Metrolink route map (69KB PDF file)
- Metrolink page from Light Rail Transit Association
- TheTrams.co.uk Photographs of Metrolink trams.
- Collection of Google Earth locations of Metrolink stations (Requires Google Earth software) from the Google Earth Community forum.
| Local rail transport in the United Kingdom | |
|---|---|
| Metros : | Docklands Light Railway (East London) | Glasgow Subway | London Underground | Tyne and Wear Metro |
| Tramways : | Blackpool | Manchester | Midland Metro (West Midlands) | Nottingham | Sheffield | Tramlink (South London) |