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.
lifting bridge has been operating for approx. 2years nothing to do with Trafford centre metrolink
lifting bridge has been operating for approx. 2years nothing to do with Trafford centre metrolink
...not to mention the flaky points at Cornbrook which are so often the catalyst to service issues...
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.
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.
It is noticeable that the bus station and the terminal tram stop serve totally different entrances to the intu Trafford Centre.
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.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.
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.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.
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.
135 (every 10 mins) serves Shudehill, Victoria, Heaton Park, Besses, Whitefield and Bury.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.
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 arriveAre 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?
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.
War Museum - https://goo.gl/maps/BsKfes6EMXbtUhXY8
Line looked pretty much done when I went to the trashy centre last weekend, which if trams are running I guess makes sense.
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.
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.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?