Operational convenience.
Not everybody who signs the Bury line signs the Ashton line, but everyone who signs the Ashton and Altrincham lines signs the Bury line.
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Manchester Metrolink (Non speculative discussion)
- Thread starter Tim33160
- Start date
Operational convenience.
Not everybody who signs the Bury line signs the Ashton line, but everyone who signs the Ashton and Altrincham lines signs the Bury line.
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R
RailUK Forums
If they sign the Bury line then yes, and all Drivers (at the moment) sign the Bury line.
duffield
Established Member
On my Friday trip I really noticed the various TSRs that have been mentioned here, it seemed to take an age to crawl from Piccadilly to Victoria with those 5mph sections.
Are these all going to be addressed once the current engineering works are complete?
And how much time do they actually add to this section of the line, given that it's presumably pretty slow anyhow without them due to the sharp curves, number of stops, interaction with other traffic etc.?
Are these all going to be addressed once the current engineering works are complete?
And how much time do they actually add to this section of the line, given that it's presumably pretty slow anyhow without them due to the sharp curves, number of stops, interaction with other traffic etc.?
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
Does anyone have access to the service diagrams that they don’t mind sharing please? I’d love to see things like whether Bury Piccadilly services ever end up on Piccadilly Altrincham at some point and if they’ll therefore require 3001-3060, and just how many of those units are left over after Altrincham routes are sorted, and which are booked doubles, etc.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/metrolink_timetables_2024
The timetables have been requested a few times via freedom of information requests, but unfortunately they remove the service diagram numbers which would help to identify what you want. The current (non-engineering work) main timetable requires 2 of 3001-3060 to be allocated to the Etihad Campus - MediaCity service as they move over onto the Altrincham line when it extends to Etihad Campus in the evening, but generally the sets stick to their routes all day.
The timetables have been requested a few times via freedom of information requests, but unfortunately they remove the service diagram numbers which would help to identify what you want. The current (non-engineering work) main timetable requires 2 of 3001-3060 to be allocated to the Etihad Campus - MediaCity service as they move over onto the Altrincham line when it extends to Etihad Campus in the evening, but generally the sets stick to their routes all day.
How is the Rochdale line worked these days do trams alternate destinations at East Didsbury? For example does a tram coming from Shaw then do a Rochdale service and does a Rochdale tram then do a Shaw service?
It might explain one of the reasons why that even by early afternoon there are delays/gaps in services sometimes.
It might explain one of the reasons why that even by early afternoon there are delays/gaps in services sometimes.
In the normal timetable, yes they do.
Yes they do.
This was settled on after the initial period of 10tph running where there were dedicated Rochdale and Shaw sets proved unworkable.
In the end they did charge £4.60 (as in an actual transaction to my bank rather than a ‘pending’ charge) but this morning a £4.60 refund showing as tfgm.com/refunds hit my account (I didn’t get round to contacting them so it was automated rather than me moaning!)
So all a bit odd as I’ve used the card fine on Metrolink several times before, I had a thought it may be the contactless doing the whole security thing where you need to make a PIN transaction every now and again but that doesn’t seem to be it as the transaction happened!
Oh well it all worked out in the end!
Does anyone know how the metrolink platforms at the airport operate? I understand there are two metrolink platforms at the station, the map on NR seems to indicate that one metrolink platform is inside the NR barriers and the other is outside. On the other hand the photo on wikipedia seems to show orange barriers down the middle of the tram/NR platform.
Do metrolink users have to get manually through the gateline? Do metrolink try to avoid using the platform that is inside the gateline?
Do metrolink users have to get manually through the gateline? Do metrolink try to avoid using the platform that is inside the gateline?
Only one platform is used, see https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/stations-assets.tfgm.com/maps/station/manchesterairporttram.png for example, there is a gateline to get to
Last time I used it the gateline didn’t read tickets and there was no person there so the faceless remote operator had to open the gate, all very unsatisfactory.
I have only ever seen the further platform used, although I haven’t used the tram there much.
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Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
Will the other platform come into use as and when the proposed extension to the Airport line reaches fruition?
I’d expect that’s the reason for it; the service doesn’t currently need both platforms for sure (tram every 12 minutes, 7 minute turn-round between arrival & departure). A good bit of forward thinking if so.
Track plan attached, Railway Track Diagrams Midlands & North West fourth edition 2018. Only platform 6 is currently used. Platform 5 wouldn't involve a gateline if it were used as things stand today.
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That map seems to be completely missing platform 4 So I find it hard to trust anything else it shows.
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Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
I think the plan was that once the new platform 4 was constructed as an island platform, only one platform face was required for the use of the heavy-rail train services, leaving the other platform face for the eventual use of the Manchester Metrolink system.
Yes, it's either old or rubbish, sorry, hence I posted the diagram above instead. But there is a gateline anyway to platform 6 because I’ve had to use it.
Whatever the planning was, and whatever the map jfollows posted shows, I'm pretty confident that the reality on the ground is that there are 6 platform faces, platoforms 1-4 on the heavy rail and two platforms (which don't appear to display numbers, lets call them 5 and 6) connected to the manchester metrolink.
I was just wondering about how they were used operationally, particularly in light of the ticket barriers installed on the heavy rail side in 2018, which appear to include platfor "5" inside the gated area. It sounds like the answer is they avoid using platform "5".
I'd have more expected the reason is that a single platform terminus on a double track line is an operational risk.
Bury, Rochdale, Ashton, East didsbury, Altrincham and the Trafford center also all have two metrolink platforms. Eccles seems to be the only metrolink terminus that doesn't.
Also, Shaw, being both a terminus and through stop, with 3 platforms.
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
As will be the case at Crumpsall.
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
There are both stairs and escalators that lead directly on to the Manchester Metrolink platform when coming from the station concourse area. In the past, when I have arrived on a train (seemingly always platform 4 on the journeys that I made) there were gates to allow access to the tram platform, but every time, they were open.
A curious question:
When replacements of steel rail are delivered to the Metrolink worksite - these are long lengths of welded rail eg recent replacements Brooklands to Sale, are these delivered by rail? Is the cross over at Altrincham to/from Network Rail used? or are they welded at the depot?
When replacements of steel rail are delivered to the Metrolink worksite - these are long lengths of welded rail eg recent replacements Brooklands to Sale, are these delivered by rail? Is the cross over at Altrincham to/from Network Rail used? or are they welded at the depot?
They’re delivered in short lengths and then welded at the renewal site.
Cheers!
Asking for a friend here: he has recently become a wheelchair user and is contemplating using Metrolink to commute to work. The TFGM accessibility document states max. height of wheelchair and user as 1350mm. He is a tall person and in the powered chair , this limit is exceeded. What is the reason for this somewhat low height restriction and would he get kicked off the system for non compliance?
I can’t answer the question for the rationale, but I’ve seen powered chairs several times and no one has ever raised any concerns at all. I’d be amazed frankly if he were to be refused travel.
