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Manchester Metrolink - Trafford Centre Extension

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507 001

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lifting bridge has been operating for approx. 2years nothing to do with Trafford centre metrolink

It was built with provision for a single Metrolink line over it. It will be used if the TPL is ever extended to Port Salford/Irlam.
 
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Xenophon PCDGS

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lifting bridge has been operating for approx. 2years nothing to do with Trafford centre metrolink

What exactly was the matter that caused the original problem there? I have often seen the four tall concrete edifices connected when passing the area in a taxi. Perhaps I might have remembered incorrectly about Metrolink involvement, thinking of a possible future onward "intu Trafford Centre" Metrolink line extension to the Port Salford (?) complex and of Peel Holdings involvement.
 

telstarbox

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The lifting bridge is part of the arrangements for the Port Salford site and other aspirations (e.g. Trafford Waters), to take some traffic away from the M60. It has passive provision for the Metrolink to use it in the future, but at the moment the extension west of the Trafford Centre isn't committed or funded.
 

Richard P

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There is an aspiration to extend to Port Salford, the A J Bell stadium and Irlam over the lifting bridge but right now I don't think it's any more than that, other potential routes such as to Stockport seem to be taking precedence and I suspect much will also depend on passenger numbers once the line is "up and running" albeit partially in April.
The issue with the lifting bridge which caused the collapse was never made public so far as I know but it appeared that one of the winding mechanisms was out of alignment with the others and caused the road section of the bridge to fall, thankfully there was no-one working on it at the time but quite a bit of plant ended up in the canal and had to be fished out.
Still waiting for daytime testing to start on the extension and for the last few days there has been extensive work going on down Warren Bruce Road near the Imperial War Museum North. Flooding definitely an issue there and the tight turn at that point still seems to be giving cause for concern - judging from recent activity there are track issues to resolve. Other than that everything else seems to be okay excepting the Parkway Park and Ride where work has yet to start clearing the area let alone constructing the site
Think the relatively limited service at first is a real disappointment but it might help with the testing out the infrastructure. Biggest concern when fully live to Crumpsall will be the sheer volume of trams running between St Peter's Square and Cornbrook, not to mention the flaky points at Cornbrook which are so often the catalyst to service issues.
Travelled up to Bury from my local station on Saturday and an advertised 40 minute service took 80 as a tram was taken out of service due to vandalism. Clearly that's out of Metrolink's control but to advertise delays as "minor" was to put it mildly misleading.
 

mwmbwls

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The Peel Brochure on Port Salford:http://www.portsalford.co.uk/rd-improvements#new-page-2
"As well as accommodating the dual carriageway, the deck has been future proofed to eventually allow for tram and power lines to be installed to facilitate an extension of the Metrolink, subject to future funding by Transport for Greater Manchester." Who is funding what on any Port Salford extension is not clear.
 

507 001

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...not to mention the flaky points at Cornbrook which are so often the catalyst to service issues...

I love that Cornbrook points are still thought of as problematic when we haven’t had any sort of major issue with them for at least two years.

They are actually one of the most reliable bits of the system these days.
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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There
Travelled up to Bury from my local station on Saturday and an advertised 40 minute service took 80 as a tram was taken out of service due to vandalism. Clearly that's out of Metrolink's control but to advertise delays as "minor" was to put it mildly misleading.

Are there not both Piccadilly to Bury and Altrincham to Bury services that run in between each other rather than one route only on Saturdays, the day you describe?
 

Ianno87

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We visited the intu Trafford Centre this week on the bus from Wigan bus station, so continuing onwards from there to Manchester, we took the X50 bus which gave a good view of the final stages of that Metrolink new line.

I'll be intrigued to see what Stagecoach do with the X50 (which is pretty much an exact duplication of the Metrolink route) - throw in the towel when the TC line opens (or through city centre running starts), or try and compete.
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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I'll be intrigued to see what Stagecoach do with the X50 (which is pretty much an exact duplication of the Metrolink route) - throw in the towel when the TC line opens (or through city centre running starts), or try and compete.

It is noticeable that the bus station and the terminal tram stop serve totally different entrances to the intu Trafford Centre.
 

Ianno87

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It is noticeable that the bus station and the terminal tram stop serve totally different entrances to the intu Trafford Centre.

Although the X50 does (or at least used to?) serve the stop at the back of Selfridges, where the tram stop now is (or will be)
 

markymark2000

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I'll be intrigued to see what Stagecoach do with the X50 (which is pretty much an exact duplication of the Metrolink route) - throw in the towel when the TC line opens (or through city centre running starts), or try and compete.
Buses can and do compete with the Metrolink at many points. It all depends on if the tram stops are located in easily accessible places for the passengers destination.

Oldham buses follow the tram lines. The Bury corridor does quite well as well. That said, I do think the 250 and X50 will decrease slightly in frequency perhaps to every 10 and every 30 respectively.
 

WatcherZero

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Its useful to have bus routes that to a degree mirror the lines for redundancy in case of failures, they can temporarily use the tram tickets on the buses.

They dont have the same capacity but it does help produce a rapid alternative until either the problem is fixed or more extensive bus replacement can be arranged.
 

markymark2000

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Its useful to have bus routes that to a degree mirror the lines for redundancy in case of failures, they can temporarily use the tram tickets on the buses.

They dont have the same capacity but it does help produce a rapid alternative until either the problem is fixed or more extensive bus replacement can be arranged.
You get a lot of reimbursement as well for accepting tram passes on the buses so it's certainly worth it if you can be in TFGMs good books.
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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The Bury corridor does quite well as well. That said, I do think the 250 and X50 will decrease slightly in frequency perhaps to every 10 and every 30 respectively.

Mention of the Bury line sees only the three final tram stops at Whitefield, Radcliffe and Bury (Interchange). The distances between these tram stops is considerable and numerous bus stops serve all intermediate points between them.
 

markymark2000

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Mention of the Bury line sees only the three final tram stops at Whitefield, Radcliffe and Bury (Interchange). The distances between these tram stops is considerable and numerous bus stops serve all intermediate points between them.
135 (every 10 mins) serves Shudehill, Victoria, Heaton Park, Besses, Whitefield and Bury.
97/98 (every 20 mins each) serves Shudehill, Victoria, Prestwich, Besses, Whitefield, Radcliffe (98) and Bury.

Other lines do run reasonably well though having both Metrolink and buses. I think Eccles is the only line not to have proper competition from buses.
 

Richard P

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For anyone who wants to see the trams running in daylight, testing started yesterday between Pomona and the Trafford Centre, limited number of trams so you might need to wait to see one
 

Richard P

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3008 and 3111 utilised for the driver training today, trams are running sporadically between around 8.30am and 3.30pm at the moment
 

Richard P

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Are there not both Piccadilly to Bury and Altrincham to Bury services that run in between each other rather than one route only on Saturdays, the day you describe?
Yes there are so I took a tram from Stretford to Victoria in the hope of catching Bury service there however I had to wait 30 minutes for one to arrive
 

Bovverboy

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Other lines do run reasonably well though having both Metrolink and buses. I think Eccles is the only line not to have proper competition from buses.

The 33 bus (half-hourly for most of the day) does Eccles-Manchester quicker than the tram.
 

Richard P

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Trams have been running quite regularly for three weeks now Monday to Friday on driver training. The infrastructure is complete although obviously being tested too - for example there was OHL work going on last week on Warren Bruce Road. I believe the plan is to open on the Monday before Easter but not seen confirmation of that yet
 

Jozhua

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I wonder what the impacts of the line will be...

Will we see more people use the tram to commute to the Quays and jobs within the trafford centre and the surrounding attractions, warehouses and offices?

Will footfall increase to the trafford centre?

For me personally, the trafford centre isn't massively attractive. Whilst the Arndale isn't quite as good, it is surrounded by the rest of the city, which has arguably far more shops than the trafford centre. Plus, it's a lot more interesting and there's always new things to explore! That's got me wondering if at Cornbrook, people will go east to the centre or west to trafford...
 

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Trafford Park has a lot of employees. I could see a fair amount of park+ride may happen too -- are the carparks (Parkway) going to be free? If not, will the trafford centre implement some form of parking control?
 

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The Manchester Evening News reports that the service will start running on Sunday March 22 (https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...olink-announce-opening-date-trafford-17888229)
Metrolink announce early opening date for Trafford Centre line
The project has been finished seven months earlier than originally planned

Tram passengers will be able to ride on a new line which stops at the Trafford Centre from March 22.

The launch date for the Trafford Park line was announced by TfGM today (Monday).

The line will also stop at key destinations like Old Trafford stadium and Imperial War Museum North.

It will also stop at Europe's largest industrial estate - where businesses such as Kellogg’s, Unilever, Missguided, L’Oreal and Adidas are based.

The project has been delivered seven month earlier than originally planned.

Trafford Council has contributed £20m towards the construction of the line.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “It’s great that the Trafford Park line will open for business on Sunday, March, 22.

"It is a much-needed addition to the Metrolink network and will encourage more people to use public transport to journey around our city-region, and in doing so reduce congestion on our roads and improve the quality of our air.

“Last June I set out Our Network - a vision for the type of world-class transport network I want us to have here in Greater Manchester.

The line will stop at the Trafford Centre
"This new line is a great step towards that, and a shining example of what we can deliver with the right funding and powers.”

Council bosses are hoping the new line will mean less people travel by car in the borough.

Leader of Trafford Council, Councillor Andrew Western, said: “The opening of the Trafford Park Line will be hugely important for the continued development of the local and regional economy. It is fantastic news for the tens of thousands of people who come to Trafford Park and the surrounding areas for work and leisure.
 

telstarbox

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Trafford Park has a lot of employees. I could see a fair amount of park+ride may happen too -- are the carparks (Parkway) going to be free? If not, will the trafford centre implement some form of parking control?
The TC doesn't open until 1000 and IIRC their car parks aren't open first thing in the morning, so it will be of limited use to '9 to 5' commuters.
 
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