On the right track: Millions to be invested into Manchester’s Metrolink

Over £21m is set to be poured into the transport service over the next 12 months to ensure it remains safe and reliable.

The Bee Network committee have approved new funding for Manchester’s Metrolink, the UK’s largest light rail service which has 99 stops across 64 miles of track – more than 700 million journeys have been made on the trams since opening in 1992.

New funds for the rail service, which have been set at £21.4m, will come from the government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), and have been earmarked as part of a planned £147m package to maintain, upgrade and improve the network up to 2027.

Immediate priorities for this summer include track replacement in several parts of the city centre, including Piccadilly Gardens and London Road, and on parts of the Altrincham and Bury Lines. In addition, plans also include a programme of modifications to the trams themselves, which include sensors in the middle of double trams and speed warning devices. These new additions are being added to help keep passengers safe.

Danny Vaughan, TfGM’s Head of Metrolink, said: ‘Metrolink is an integral part of the Bee Network, and it’s really important that we invest in it so that we can continue to provide a safe, reliable and positive experience for the thousands of people who travel with us every day.’

‘This is a coordinated package of planned works to maintain, renew and improve the network and help to keep Greater Manchester moving, and while we understand any disruption can be frustrating, we’ll be doing everything we can to keep it to a minimum,’ Danny said. ‘We will make sure passengers know what’s happening well in advance and I’d ask people to please bear with us while the works are carried out, as the benefits will be there to be enjoyed for years to come.’

The work will temporarily cause some disruption, which will be managed to prevent passengers from being too affected.

As well as equipping the trams with better passenger safety measures and replacing tracks in Piccadilly Gardens and London Road, plans also include installing electrical substations along parts of the Bury Line, providing additional power so that more double trams run in the future.

The Metrolink is also replacing much of the communications network critical to the operation of its signalling and control systems. 

Image: Hala AlGhanim

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