Can anyone remember what the service pattern on the Altrincham line was in heavy rail days? I was an occasional user of the line for a time in the mid-1980s as a child, and I seem to recall that it had four trains per hour during the day on Mondays-Saturdays and a half-hourly service in the evenings and on Sundays (plus the Manchester-Northwich-Chester DMUs, which ran via Sale until 1989 when they were rerouted via Stockport).
I seem to recall that the electrics (mostly Class 304 EMUs, plus some ex-Glasgow 303s for a time in the mid to late 1980s, and occasionally 310s) ran through from Altrincham to a number of destinations south of Manchester, including Hazel Grove, Alderley Edge via Styal, Crewe via Wilmslow, and Stafford via Stoke-on-Trent.
Conversion to Metrolink obviously meant the loss of through services to those destinations from the Altrincham line but being able to get closer to workplaces and visitor attractions in Manchester city centre without having to change onto a bus. I would guess that a lot more Altrincham line passengers would want to get to central Manchester than to places further south such as those mentioned above, though.
I seem to recall that the electrics (mostly Class 304 EMUs, plus some ex-Glasgow 303s for a time in the mid to late 1980s, and occasionally 310s) ran through from Altrincham to a number of destinations south of Manchester, including Hazel Grove, Alderley Edge via Styal, Crewe via Wilmslow, and Stafford via Stoke-on-Trent.
Conversion to Metrolink obviously meant the loss of through services to those destinations from the Altrincham line but being able to get closer to workplaces and visitor attractions in Manchester city centre without having to change onto a bus. I would guess that a lot more Altrincham line passengers would want to get to central Manchester than to places further south such as those mentioned above, though.
Last edited: