Manchester Metrolink master thread

[JoeGJ1984]

Most of the time, four trams arrive outbound at Piccadilly per 12 minute cycle: ex-Altrincham, ex-Eccles, ex-MediaCity and ex-Bury. The first two terminate there and reverse in the Sheffield Street turnback. The MediaCity service continues 'ECS' to the turnback at Velopark, last I checked they do this in the Velopark outbound platform. The Bury services, of course, run in service through to Droylsden.

Hope I've got that right... might've made a mistake? Looks like you're pretty much there, but missed the Pic-Alts?

Given that these trams have to run to Velopark anyway to turn around, why not just run them in service to Velopark?

 

[tbtc]

Given that these trams have to run to Velopark anyway to turn around, why not just run them in service to Velopark?

Maybe the plan is to do that longer term, but to introduce the service in gradual steps?

 

[edwin_m]

I can't honestly see the demand justifying extra services to Velopark except on match days, which is what the turnback is there for. There isn't much housing around the line until you get to the street section beyond Velopark, except perhaps at New Islington where it's probably just as quick to walk into the city.

Metrolink website is quoting an eventual frequency of one tram every 6min, and as nothing is stated otherwise the implication is that this is all the way out to Ashton.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Ive always argued for a bridge so they could close the two level crossings.

You would have an immediate problem with the construction of a bridge at Navigation Road on account of the housing on that road that runs right up to the station on one side. Has this matter ever been one to have ever been a matter of debate with the local authority at Trafford ?

With regard to the matter of a bridge at Deansgate Lane, the Bridgewater Canal proximity to the railway and the roads at Houldsworth Avenue, Brentwood Avenue, Tannery Way, Bradley Close and Skelton Road would all be affected by the construction of a bridge over the railway.

 

[Manchester77]

I think it'd require more trams to operate the MediaCity services. Presently 6 are used to run to Velopark. Before when they turned round at Piccadilly 5 were used. If the stops were included I'd imagine that 7 would be required and considering that the service will only use 3/4 when it turns around at Cornbrook as well as demand for more trams with east Didsbury and doubles (Mosley Street closes tonight so double bananas will begin soon).

Eventually services along the EML will be Bury - Ashton and Eccles - Ashton. If Altrincham were extended it would require full network re-time tabling.

The long term plan with MediaCitys is to terminate them at Cornbrook, use the Velopark turnback for football specials. This means traffic through Piccadilly will be ALT, ECC, BUR, ASH, ASH (VÉLO on match days). Of these two will use the Sheffield stet turnback, two will use the Ashton end of line crossover and one will use the Velopark pocket siding on match days

 

[rebmcr]

Surely it'd be more attractive to BBC commuters if they only had to change once between Euston and Mediacity? Perhaps a full re-timetable is in order anyway.

 

[Manchester77]

Peel holdings paid for trams to Cornbrook and that's what they'll get. Not metrolink who decided but by peel who paid for the additional trams and the extension only as far as Cornbrook.

Running Medias to CBK will mean extra paths through the city and across the viaduct meaning that in disruption the will be slack in the timetable.

And highly highly unlikely as the current one is designed so that as the extensions are opened existing services aren't effected so much.

 

[northwichcat]

Peel holdings paid for trams to Cornbrook and that's what they'll get.

Well in that case Metrolink should have built the turnback platform sooner.

The initial service was the Eccles service going via MediaCity before a Piccadilly-MediaCity service was introduced.

They also completely suspended MediaCity services for a while in the early days due to an infrastructure problem and advised passengers to walk from Harbour City or Broadway.

 

[Manchester77]

It was but TMS isn't operating meaning it cannot be used

 

[WatcherZero]

You would have an immediate problem with the construction of a bridge at Navigation Road on account of the housing on that road that runs right up to the station on one side. Has this matter ever been one to have ever been a matter of debate with the local authority at Trafford ?

With regard to the matter of a bridge at Deansgate Lane, the Bridgewater Canal proximity to the railway and the roads at Houldsworth Avenue, Brentwood Avenue, Tannery Way, Bradley Close and Skelton Road would all be affected by the construction of a bridge over the railway.

Nah, if I was doing it I would close the deansgate lane crossing (alternate routes for traffic, nowhere is 'cut off') and build a bridge at Navigation Rd/Wellington Rd from the junction with prestbury to the junction with Gladstone which would only cause 4-5 homes to lose their garden views and would be what 16% gradient?

(50m either side of line crossing) I was being generous and estimating the road surface would peak at upto 8m.

 

[Starmill]

I'm no timetabling genius nor light rail expert, but I would say the following.

The MCUK service turns at Velopark for an operational reason, indeed the advertised service of the MCUK shuttle is currently only to Cornbrook - and it always has been. Thus people are 'counting their eggs' by thinking the present service to Piccadilly will last forever.

It's thought by some that the most suitable candidate for through-running to Ashton when it eventually gets its 6 minute service is the Eccles service.

The MediaCityUK service can't really run through the East Manchester line at all because it needs to arrive 6 mins out from the Eccles services - so it cannot possibly arrive 6 mins out from the Bury services as well can it? Eventually, two trams would arrive at exactly the same time.

Indeed, even running empty through to Velopark to turn back, it holds up the Droylsden services and would do so even more if it were loading and unloading at the first four stops. It would also serve the wrong platform at Velopark! This assumes that there are actually some passengers to from these stations, and there are not exactly a lot of them...

Lastly, I'm fairly sure the infrastructure work has been completed on time for the double ended turnback at Cornbrook? Well, there was never going to be a west-facing bay platform here and the fact that the turnback can't be used is not TfGM's fault!

 

[rebmcr]

Running Medias to CBK will mean extra paths through the city and across the viaduct.

Good point.

 

[Manchester77]

00:52 Mosley Street now closed no more trams will call at it. The last Altrincham tram has just left an end of an era begining of a new one

 

[185]

But don't worry, the Pids at the Gardens say there's a Werburgh's in 7 mins.....

.....and I'm Santa Claus. :P

 

[Starmill]

:cry:

Mosley is dead!

 

[Eagle]

00:52 Mosley Street now closed no more trams will call at it. The last Altrincham tram has just left an end of an era begining of a new one

How long before Woodlands Road goes too?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

How long before Woodlands Road goes too?

I think that it will be about the same time as the new stop at Queens Road that is its replacement is fully ready, but even so, there has to be final official blessing to the closure of the stop at Woodlands Road.

 

[Manchester77]

QR is due in August time IIRC so....

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Nah, if I was doing it I would close the Deansgate Lane crossing (alternate routes for traffic, nowhere is 'cut off') and build a bridge at Navigation Rd/Wellington Rd from the junction with Prestbury to the junction with Gladstone which would only cause 4-5 homes to lose their garden views and would be what 16% gradient?

(50m either side of line crossing) I was being generous and estimating the road surface would peak at up to 8m.

The road along the canal (Canal Road) from Park Road continues into Deansgate Lane to the existing level crossing and from there, it is a feeder to numerous local roads, without having the need to carry on further down Park Road to Moss Lane to access these same roads.

Note that the loss of garden views caused by such an envisaged new bridge is sure to cause a vigorous campaign on behalf of those residents unfortunate to suffer this loss, by various civic societies in the Timperley and the Altrincham areas.

What budgetary amount of finance do you envisage for the cost of the new bridge (assuming that it will not be similar to the large project costs that were involved with the major bridgeworks on Stockport Road that finally resolved the level crossing problem in Altrincham town centre many years ago).

 

[Rhydgaled]

How long before Woodlands Road goes too?

Why did they want to close that one again? It hasn't got a short platform like Mosley Street, has it?

 

[Eagle]

Because they built the more conveniently-located Abraham Moss station just up the road a couple of years ago.

 

[northwichcat]

Why did they want to close that one again? It hasn't got a short platform like Mosley Street, has it?

Because they built the more conveniently-located Abraham Moss station just up the road a couple of years ago.

They argued Woodlands Rd was expensive to maintain (not sure why though) and the new better located Abraham Moss may cost a lot to build but in the long term will save money.

 

[Eagle]

Just a thought. Do the platforms at Woodlands Road date from before the conversion to light rail?

 

[northwichcat]

Just a thought. Do the platforms at Woodlands Road date from before the conversion to light rail?

Yes. The majority of the stops on the Altrincham and Bury lines are old BR platforms, which is why some of them are so long compared to doubled up trams (because they were built to accommodate doubled up 4 car EMUs.)

Although, some platforms, particularly on the Bury line have had work done to them fairly recently.

 

[Manchester77]

Woodlands road is basically on stilts on top of the embankment. The old platform is quite difficult to maintain

 

[WatcherZero]

Isnt the platform itself still a wooden construction?

 

[Starmill]

One of the IFE Door Systems stickers was on the floor of a tram yesterday, so I picked it up and am keeping it as a souvenir! Whoever they are, IFE seem to have designed (or do they manufacture?) an awful lot of doors for rail vehicles in the UK!

 

[Manchester77]

I do believe some of the under frame is still wooden. The concrete which supports the platform is apparently very weak and also if you can't use stairs it requires a very long walk up a ramp

 

[familyguy99]

PIDS on ORL are saying East Didsbury on them today and here picture of one at Rochdale Railway station stop


PIDS at Rochdale Metrolink stop 2

One for future at Rochdale Town Centre stop


PIDS at Rochdale Town Centre stop


Rochdale Town Centre Metrolink stop

Northern Rail train and Metrolink tram near each other


Metrolink tram and NorthernRail train

3008 tram racing Class 155342 train


Class 155342


Class 155342 going past Metrolink tram


Class 155342 heading off to Leeds

More picture of Metrolink work going on in Rochdale Town Centre and new Bus Interchange can be found on my Flickr page

 

[Rhydgaled]

Thanks all, seems a bit odd that one stop is more expensive to maintain than another but it would explain it.

I noticed today that several of the platform information displays in central Manchester where saying trams were headed to East Disbury even though the extention is currently only run out of service. Also, they've been very efficient quickly removing the 'Mosley Street' signs.