Manchester opened a second tram line across the city centre on Sunday, running from Victoria station south towards Deansgate / Castlefield via stops at Exchange Square and St Peter’s Square.
The 1.3km extension to the Metrolink network was built by MPT, a consortium of Volker Rail, Laing O’Rourke and Thales. The city’s tram network now extends for 96km and carried 37M passengers a year.
“The second city crossing opening is the culmination of years of hard work,” said Transport for Greater Manchester’s Metrolink director Peter Cushing. “I’m immensely proud of what we have achieved with our partners over the last eight years as we’ve expanded the Metrolink network to become the largest light rail system in the UK.”
Manchester’s Metrolink now has 93 stops and extends north towards Bury and Rochdale, south to Altrincham and the city’s airport, west to Eccles and east to Ashton under Lyne.
Construction of a further extension to the network is under way through the Trafford Park industrial estate to the Trafford Centre shopping mall.
♦ In central Manchester last week two 600t bridge arches were lifted into place on the ‘Ordsall Chord’ railway project to connect all three main stations: Piccadilly, Victoria and Oxford Road. The scheme, which completes in December, will feature 300m of new track to reduce rail congestion in the city and allow faster, more frequent services across the north.
And in Liverpool a wall collapsed onto all four rail lines at Lime Street station yesterday evening, blocking track and damaging overhead wiring. Services will not resume for several days.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: "A section of trackside wall, loaded with concrete and cabins by a third party, collapsed sending rubble across all four lines and taking overhead wires with it.
"Early indications suggest train services will not resume for several days while extensive clear up and repairs take place to make the location safe. More precise forecasts on how long the repairs will take will be made after daybreak tomorrow.”
(Photo: Transport for Greater Manchester)
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