Salford Quays to Piccadilly early morning

Hello!

Next Friday I need to catch the 6:00 Manchester to Bristol service. I'm staying in Salford Quays but the first tram isn't until about 6.15. Journey planners are advising I take the 53 bus to the College of Music and walk up to Piccadilly (first 53 is at 4.54am but there's one at 5.33am), or walk from Salford Quays to Trafford Bar and get the tram from there.

Just wondering which is the safer/easier of the two? Both walking options are saying 21 minutes but in reality I could probably do it in 15 as I'm a very fast walker (and also 6' 3''!)

I know the geography of the area well, but I don't know what is best at such a dark hour!

Or does anybody else have any options?

Thanks in advance!

DanTrainMan185 said:

Hello!

Next Friday I need to catch the 6:00 Manchester to Bristol service. I'm staying in Salford Quays but the first tram isn't until about 6.15. Journey planners are advising I take the 53 bus to the College of Music and walk up to Piccadilly (first 53 is at 4.54am but there's one at 5.33am), or walk from Salford Quays to Trafford Bar and get the tram from there.

Just wondering which is the safer/easier of the two? Both walking options are saying 21 minutes but in reality I could probably do it in 15 as I'm a very fast walker (and also 6' 3''!)

I know the geography of the area well, but I don't know what is best at such a dark hour!

Or does anybody else have any options?

Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

You could also try the 63 bus to Piccadilly Gardens and walk from there (attached is a screenshot from Google Maps with journey details). Depending where in Salford Quays you are, that might be a shorter walk than Trafford Bar.

Thank you very much! I'm staying in the Travelodge just next to the little Tesco Express.

Well the walk up to Eccles New Road for the 63 is going to be shorter than the other two options you mentioned then - by quite a bit actually.

The only thing I would say - I don't know whether you know Manchester at all? - is that the first 63 of the day (the one in the screenshot above) only gets into Piccadilly Gardens at 0539, and you probably want to allow 10-12 mins minimum from there to walk up to the station, find your train, and board, so it is cutting it quite fine.

Mathew S said:

Well the walk up to Eccles New Road for the 63 is going to be shorter than the other two options you mentioned then - by quite a bit actually.

The only thing I would say - I don't know whether you know Manchester at all? - is that the first 63 of the day (the one in the screenshot above) only gets into Piccadilly Gardens at 0539, and you probably want to allow 10-12 mins minimum from there to walk up to the station, find your train, and board, so it is cutting it quite fine.

Click to expand...

This is true, and if that 63 doesn't turn up, I'm really cutting it fine as there aren't any other services nearby as an alternative.

After some studying, I've managed to narrow it down to quite a few options:

1) as originally planned, taking the 24 minute walk from Salford Quays to Trafford Bar

2) catching the 04:54 53 and going a few stops to Trafford Bar, where I can then:

a) wait 26 minutes for the first tram towards Piccadilly at 05:22, arriving at 05:37
b) catch the 255 bus from Trafford Bar at 05:21 and alight at Piccadilly Gardens at 05:35 and walk up
c) catch the 05:03 tram to Deansgate, then get the same 255 at 05:30 from there to Piccadilly Gardens

It's very odd that the Eccles Line has such a later start compared to all the other lines!

DanTrainMan185 said:

This is true, and if that 63 doesn't turn up, I'm really cutting it fine as there aren't any other services nearby as an alternative.

After some studying, I've managed to narrow it down to quite a few options:

1) as originally planned, taking the 24 minute walk from Salford Quays to Trafford Bar

2) catching the 04:54 53 and going a few stops to Trafford Bar, where I can then:

a) wait 26 minutes for the first tram towards Piccadilly at 05:22, arriving at 05:37
b) catch the 255 bus from Trafford Bar at 05:21 and alight at Piccadilly Gardens at 05:35 and walk up
c) catch the 05:03 tram to Deansgate, then get the same 255 at 05:30 from there to Piccadilly Gardens

It's very odd that the Eccles Line has such a later start compared to all the other lines!

Click to expand...

Trafford Bar is right next to one of the Metrolink depots, so that 0522 will be a unit leaving the depot on the way to Piccadilly or Ashton, running in service rather than ECS (or the tram equivalent). On all lines (bar the airport, see below) the first inbound services aren't til about 0600, because trams have to go out before they can come back in.

There are earlier services than that from Trafford Bar, but running only as far as Deansgate-Castlefield. These are the airport services that start at about 0400.

Anyway, of those two options I would walk to Trafford Bar and get that 0522 tram (should be safe enough at that time on a Friday morning). As a last resort, you could also get a tram from the airport and walk to Piccadilly from Deansgate. A pain, but if you aim for that 0522 I think you'll still make it.

To be honest, on reflection, if it were me I would be considering a taxi. More expensive, but a lot less stress.

DanTrainMan185 said:

This is true, and if that 63 doesn't turn up, I'm really cutting it fine as there aren't any other services nearby as an alternative.

After some studying, I've managed to narrow it down to quite a few options:

1) as originally planned, taking the 24 minute walk from Salford Quays to Trafford Bar

2) catching the 04:54 53 and going a few stops to Trafford Bar, where I can then:

a) wait 26 minutes for the first tram towards Piccadilly at 05:22, arriving at 05:37
b) catch the 255 bus from Trafford Bar at 05:21 and alight at Piccadilly Gardens at 05:35 and walk up
c) catch the 05:03 tram to Deansgate, then get the same 255 at 05:30 from there to Piccadilly Gardens

It's very odd that the Eccles Line has such a later start compared to all the other lines!

Click to expand...

If I was going to get the 0454 bus I would stay on to the School of Music i.e. by Manchester University Business School. It is a straightforward walk to Man Piccadilly from there and I would expect people around even at that hour.

But yes this does feel like a grab an Uber moment.

Hello everyone!

So I did the walk earlier on from Salford Quays to Trafford Bar and it took me fifteen minutes, and that was wearing black pointed shoes that kill my feet. I'll be doing it in trainers tomorrow so it'll be much quicker plus crossing the roads at that time of the morning will be fine as there'll be hardly any traffic.

I think I'll go for that as if there is a delay with one tram there are a few shortly after. I think if I aim for the 63 bus and it doesn't turn up then I'm in for a shock!

Thanks to all for your help!

If you walk to Trafford Bar, there are also some bus services (255, 256 or 263) to Piccadilly Gardens. Bus stop is across the road from the Metrolink station.

Go to link below, and enter the bus service number.
https://my.tfgm.com/#/timetables/

Not exactly frequent at that time of day, but an alternative if there are problems on Metrolink.

Bevan Price said:

If you walk to Trafford Bar, there are also some bus services (255, 256 or 263) to Piccadilly Gardens. Bus stop is across the road from the Metrolink station.

Go to link below, and enter the bus service number.
https://my.tfgm.com/#/timetables/

Not exactly frequent at that time of day, but an alternative if there are problems on Metrolink.

Click to expand...

There's a 256 at 04:55 then nothing until a 255 at 05:21. The latter will be cutting it fine by the time I walk up from Piccadilly Gardens and the former is too early.

It was something I had already considered but thank you nonetheless!