When will the Trafford Park Line extension to Crumpsall?

[Jorge Da Silva]

The line has been finished to Crumpsall, just wondering when it will be extended as planned to Crumpsall.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Are you asking when trams from the Trafford Centre will operate through to/from Crumpsall where turnback facilities have now been added, fairly recently? Currently they're only operating from the Trafford Centre as far as Cornbrook, so you need to change there for Crumpsall (with a few minutes delay to your overall journey).

 

[WatcherZero]

When there is capacity in the fleet, whenever they order vehicles with new services specifically in mind they always end up getting diverted to 'interim' strengthening of other services by popular demand, then end up having to order more vehicles and so on.

 

[507 001]

There will be enough fleet capacity once we have all of the latest batch in service. To be fair, there probably is already.

Then it’s a case of making sure there’s enough staff. We’re about to restart training Queens Rd Drivers on the TPL.

I believe Crumpsall is going to be used extensively during the Whitefield tunnel repairs later in the year so I’m guessing any extension will be after that is complete.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I believe Crumpsall is going to be used extensively during the Whitefield tunnel repairs later in the year so I’m guessing any extension will be after that is complete.

Wasn't the Whitefield tunnel patched up as recently as 2021? Cracked ironwork or some such in the Victorian era tunnel? Presumably this was just a temporary fix.

So will Crumpsall be the end of the line (towards Bury) whilst the problem 40 metre long tunnel at Whitefield is fixed again?

 

[507 001]

Wasn't the Whitefield tunnel patched up as recently as 2021? Cracked ironwork or some such? Presumably this was just a temporary fix.

So will Crumpsall be the end of the line (towards Bury) whilst the problem 40 metre long tunnel at Whitefield is fixed again?

A crack was discovered last year, and as such the tunnel is subject to a 10mph TSR in both directions to try and minimise vibrations.

The ‘repair’ that was done was just enough to get the tunnel useable, but it needs repairing properly. It’s going to be a big job.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

Are you asking when trams from the Trafford Centre will operate through to/from Crumpsall where turnback facilities have now been added, fairly recently? Currently they're only operating from the Trafford Centre as far as Cornbrook, so you need to change there for Crumpsall (with a few minutes delay to your overall journey).

Yes

Just wondering when they will extend to Crumpsall

 

[507 001]

Yes

Just wondering when they will extend to Crumpsall

General consensus in work has been the end of the year, again depending on staff and rolling stock availability.

 

[Rail Ranger]

Shame they can't use the Whitefield crossover during the tunnel work.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Shame they can't use the Whitefield crossover during the tunnel work.

Perhaps the Whitefield station outbound platform (where the trams would have to terminate) is too near the tunnel portal to allow that to happen whilst the planned repair work is in progress.

 

[507 001]

Shame they can't use the Whitefield crossover during the tunnel work.

Not possible. The overhead line will at the very least need to be isolated, if not removed. The platforms are in the same electrical section as the tunnel.