The final work of ‘future checks’ will cause more noise
Only one round of major tram work is on the cards for next year, transport bosses have promised.
The comments came as commuters braced for two weeks of travel chaos. Three main lanes will be closed from Monday (October 19) until next month.
The closure is the second phase of work to ‘future proof’ the track around Cornbrook, Deansgate-Castlefield and Trafford Bar. About four kilometers of the 30-year-old rail will be replaced, Transport for Greater Manchester said.
The works, which are expected to be completed by Sunday, November 1, will mean that no trams will run on the Altrincham, Eccles and Trafford Center lines. Further disruption will affect the East Didsbury and Manchester Airport line, which will stop at Firswood, while the Rochdale line will stop at Exchange Square.
The network has been hit with several major works during 2026, including a three-week closure at the same time during the summer.
But passengers will get a reprieve in 2027, with just one major round of work scheduled for that year, Metrolink network director Ian Davies told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. That will again see the station around Cornbrook close and is expected to take place over the Easter school holidays.
Mr Davies said: “This is it [upcoming closure] it will be the last work in 2026, the last important engineering work in 2026. We have one more thing to do in 2027 and we want to change about Easter.
“In the interim, between Christmas and Easter, we will be carrying out some minor track works to limit the speed limit on certain sections of the line.”
He added: “At the minute, we are not planning a lot of work next year. We know very well, there will be some very high profile events that will take place in the area, not only in the summer, but also at the end of the year.
“So we can do one or two minor works, but we certainly won’t do another big shutdown because now. That can change, of course, if something important happens in the network, we have to do repair work.”
Previous closures along this stretch have caused ‘chaos’ and ‘nightmare journeys’ for commuters, with long journey times on replacement buses. TfGM is trying a different approach this time, and has pledged to monitor and review transport options ‘every day’.
The new approach will see ‘express buses’ stop at key locations along the Metrolink line, but more than a dozen points will not be served. TfGM previously said the changes were made following feedback from customers and were ‘designed to make journeys easier’.
On the Altrincham line, one replacement service will be completed during Sale, stopping at Brooklands, Timperley, Navigation Road, and Altrincham itself. It will run every 10 minutes between Sale and Piccadilly, stopping at Stretford, Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield.
However, TfGM is now proposing a second express service on the route which would connect Altrincham to the city centre, stopping only at the Altrincham interchange and Piccadilly.
The Eccles line shuttle will only be open to MediaCityUK, with stops at only Deansgate-Castlefield and Piccadilly. The replacement Trafford Center line will call at The Trafford Centre, Trafford Palazzo, Parkway, Village, Imperial War Museum, Wharfside, Deansgate-Castlefield and Piccadilly.
Buses will also run from Chorlton to Piccadilly, via Firswood and Deansgate-Castlefield. A special football shuttle bus will also run from Piccadilly Gardens, Altrincham Interchange and Trafford Center to Old Trafford and back for Manchester United’s home game against Bournemouth on Sunday, October 25.
Additional Bee Network buses will run on affected routes, including to Eccles and Altrincham, to increase network capacity. The price of putting on additional buses runs into millions of pounds, TfGM has said.
Mr Davies added: “It’s not about money for us, it’s about getting passengers from where they are to where they want to be.
“So in the end, it’s a huge cost, but I’m not worried about that, it’s more about the passenger journey.”
He added: “We will keep it under constant review as in the past. We have made some final changes, in two weeks of engineering work, we know that passengers see some benefits. So we will check it every day, and some of us will go out in the network.
“We will have staff at most of the affected stops. We will be keeping a very close eye.”
TfGM also promised passengers would see ‘significant benefits to journey times’ once the work is completed. This is because the speed limit will be lifted along the affected area.
St Peters Square Metrolink stop in Manchester(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Transport chiefs estimate journeys between Cornbrook and Trafford Bar will be around a minute faster thanks to two phases of work. However, they also know that the closure will have a significant impact on travelers while it is in place.
Mr. Davies said: “The work must be done at this stage. The right track at the end of the life cycle and age. It is really important now that we ask this work to be done to make sure that everyone is safe and secure in our network.
“But, as I said, it will have the benefit of travel time. [I want to say] sorry to the passengers and passengers on the line. We know this is very, very annoying, but please bear with us. Two more weeks into the year, and we’ll be done.”
People with seven-day, 28-day and annual Metrolink passes will be able to use this on Bee Network buses and Northern Train services between Altrincham / Navigation Road, East Didsbury, Manchester Airport and Eccles and the city centre.
Those without a pass will be able to purchase £2 hopper fares for Bee Network buses, while tickets for shuttle buses will be the same as tram fares. Starling Bikes also offers up to 20 free minutes on the bike when they are closed.
Passengers are advised to plan their journeys in advance during work.