A service passes through every 30 seconds, but passengers have been promised a ‘significant difference’ in journeys
Tram pulling into Cornbrook tram stop(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
Cornbrook is one of the busiest trams stops ‘in Europe’ with trams travelling through it every 30 seconds, but ‘important’ repair work will see it shut for the next three weeks.
The works will see widespread disruption on multiple lines with no trams running through the city centre. The Altrincham, Eccles and Trafford Park lines will all be halted for the duration of the works, while the East Didsbury and Airport lines will terminate at Firswood. Bus replacement services will be in place instead.
The work is scheduled to begin on Monday, July 13, and continue until Sunday, August 2, running over a number of major events across Greater Manchester, including Manchester Day, Comic Con Manchester and The Hundred at Emirates Old Trafford.
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Network Director for Metrolink at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) Ian Davies has issued an apology to passengers ‘for the disruption’, and has promised they will see improvements to their journeys as a result. It is ‘one of the biggest engineering works’ TfGM will ‘ever undertake’, he added.
Some 3,000 tons of rails are set to be replaced close to the Cornbrook stop, along with the ballasts that sit beneath them, Mr Davies said. 800 new concrete sleepers will also be put in along the stretch.
The rails in the area are approaching the end of their life and trams are having to travel at a reduced speed over them.
Mr Davies said: “We’re running at around five miles per hour through this section, so passengers will have noticed that they’re traveling extremely slowly through here. Once we’ve completed this work, we’ll be able to run at 20mph, which will mean that passenger journey times will decrease and things will get quicker.”
Network Director for Metrolink at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) Ian Davies(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
While he could not give an exact figure for the amount of time cut from journeys, he promised passengers would notice a ‘significant difference’.
TfGM is also taking the opportunity to carry out works elsewhere on the network during the three weeks. This will see tracks replaced at Deansgate-Castlefield and on the Eccles line, along with infrastructure in the city centre.
This is just the latest in a run of disruption on the tram network. Earlier works have seen trams halted on the Rochdale-Oldham line, key city centre stations closed and services unable to run between Etihad Campus and Ashton-under-Lyne.
It will also not be the last time routes will be disrupted, Mr Davies said. Further work will be needed at Cornbrook around the October half-term.
He added: “We will let this engineering work bed in and then we will come back in and we will do some additional engineering work during that final week.”
A map showing which tram stops will be out of service during the works(Image: TfGM)
The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked Mr Davies whether he believes the repeated disruptions risk reducing passenger confidence in the network. He told us the work was part of a £150m investment to ‘future proof’ the network.
He said: “What we’re trying to do is we’re trying to expend that £150 million worth of investment as quickly as possible on the network in a three year period. Once we’ve completed this work, people will notice journey times have decreased right across the network.
“It’s really important that we do this piece of work now to renew our network and enhance it for the future generations.”
Cornbrook Metrolink stop(Image: Manchester Evening News)
He added: “The life cycle of a rail is around 30 years. So, we’ll do this piece of work now, and I’ll be long retired by the time we have to come back and do this again.”
Passengers are advised to check the Bee Network app and website for further information on the closures and alternative ways to travel, as well as leaving extra time for their journeys.
Mr Davies said: “There really is not a good time to undertake this engineering work, but we do try and time the quietest time in the network. Obviously active travel is an option, so people can make journeys by walking and cycling.
“We’d also encourage them to do so as well as the commercial bus network […] I’d like to apologise to our passengers for the disruption to their journeys during this time and thank everybody for their patience while we undertake this engineering work.”