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Manchester Metrolink

Greater Manchester's tram network, the largest in Britain: 99 stops and 64 miles of route on eight lines from the city centre to Altrincham, Bury, Eccles, East Didsbury, Rochdale by way of Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester Airport and The Trafford Centre, with nine services across them. It opened in 1992 on two British Rail lines converted to light rail, to Bury and to Altrincham, joined by new track through the city streets; the line through Oldham to Rochdale is another former railway, converted after its last trains in 2009. A second route across the city centre opened in 2017.

1992Opened
64 miles (103 km)Route, all lines
99Stops
46.6 millionJourneys a year, DfT (2025–26)

Facts

Opened
6 April 1992
Lines to
Altrincham, Bury, Eccles, East Didsbury, Rochdale, Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester Airport and The Trafford Centre
Type
light rail: street tramway and former railways
Depots
Trafford (Old Trafford), Queens Road
Operating company
KeolisAmey Metrolink, a joint venture of Keolis and Amey, which runs and maintains it for Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the owner, under a contract held since July 2017 and extended to July 2027; TfGM began choosing the next operator in April 2025

unverified Some of these figures haven’t yet been checked against an official source or a published history. What’s in doubt ↓

M5000 (Bombardier Flexity Swift) · Bombardier Transportation (Alstom from 2021), Vienna (Austria), with electrical equipment from Vossloh Kiepe (Kiepe Electric)
3 sections, 93 ft (28.4 m)

Route 99 stops

Altrincham – Etihad Campus 17
Altrincham – Etihad Campus: schematic, not to scale Altrincham — change for National RailAltrincham Navigation Road — change for National RailNavigation Road TimperleyTimperley BrooklandsBrooklands SaleSale Dane RoadDane Road StretfordStretford Old TraffordOld Trafford Trafford Bar — change for Other Metrolink linesTrafford Bar Cornbrook — change for Other Metrolink linesCornbrook Deansgate-Castlefield — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailDeansgate-Castlefield St Peter's Square — change for Other Metrolink linesSt Peter's Square Piccadilly Gardens — change for Other Metrolink linesPiccadilly Gardens Piccadilly — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailPiccadilly New IslingtonNew Islington Holt TownHolt Town Etihad CampusEtihad Campus
Ashton-under-Lyne – Bury 27
Ashton-under-Lyne – Bury: schematic, not to scale Ashton-under-LyneAshton-under-Lyne Ashton WestAshton West Ashton MossAshton Moss AudenshawAudenshaw DroylsdenDroylsden Cemetery RoadCemetery Road Edge LaneEdge Lane Clayton HallClayton Hall VeloparkVelopark Etihad CampusEtihad Campus Holt TownHolt Town New IslingtonNew Islington Piccadilly — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailPiccadilly Piccadilly Gardens — change for Other Metrolink linesPiccadilly Gardens Market Street — change for Other Metrolink linesMarket Street ShudehillShudehill Victoria — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailVictoria Queens RoadQueens Road Abraham MossAbraham Moss Crumpsall — change for Other Metrolink linesCrumpsall Bowker ValeBowker Vale Heaton ParkHeaton Park PrestwichPrestwich Besses o' th' BarnBesses o' th' Barn WhitefieldWhitefield RadcliffeRadcliffe BuryBury
Eccles – Piccadilly 16
Eccles – Piccadilly: schematic, not to scale EcclesEccles LadywellLadywell WeasteWeaste LangworthyLangworthy BroadwayBroadway MediaCityUKMediaCityUK Harbour CityHarbour City AnchorageAnchorage Salford QuaysSalford Quays Exchange QuayExchange Quay Pomona — change for Other Metrolink linesPomona Cornbrook — change for Other Metrolink linesCornbrook Deansgate-Castlefield — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailDeansgate-Castlefield St Peter's Square — change for Other Metrolink linesSt Peter's Square Piccadilly Gardens — change for Other Metrolink linesPiccadilly Gardens Piccadilly — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailPiccadilly
East Didsbury – Rochdale Town Centre 33
East Didsbury – Rochdale Town Centre: schematic, not to scale East DidsburyEast Didsbury Didsbury VillageDidsbury Village West DidsburyWest Didsbury Burton RoadBurton Road WithingtonWithington St Werburgh's Road — change for Other Metrolink linesSt Werburgh's Road ChorltonChorlton FirswoodFirswood Trafford Bar — change for Other Metrolink linesTrafford Bar Cornbrook — change for Other Metrolink linesCornbrook Deansgate-Castlefield — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailDeansgate-Castlefield St Peter's Square — change for Other Metrolink linesSt Peter's Square Exchange SquareExchange Square Victoria — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailVictoria MonsallMonsall Central ParkCentral Park Newton Heath and MostonNewton Heath and Moston FailsworthFailsworth HollinwoodHollinwood South ChaddertonSouth Chadderton FreeholdFreehold WestwoodWestwood Oldham King StreetOldham King Street Oldham CentralOldham Central Oldham MumpsOldham Mumps DerkerDerker Shaw and CromptonShaw and Crompton NewheyNewhey MilnrowMilnrow Kingsway Business ParkKingsway Business Park NewboldNewbold Rochdale Railway Station — change for National RailRochdale Railway Station Rochdale Town CentreRochdale Town Centre
Manchester Airport – Victoria 25
Manchester Airport – Victoria: schematic, not to scale Manchester Airport — change for National RailManchester Airport ShadowmossShadowmoss Peel HallPeel Hall Robinswood RoadRobinswood Road Wythenshawe Town CentreWythenshawe Town Centre CrossacresCrossacres BenchillBenchill MartinscroftMartinscroft RoundthornRoundthorn BaguleyBaguley Moor RoadMoor Road Wythenshawe ParkWythenshawe Park Northern MoorNorthern Moor Sale Water ParkSale Water Park Barlow Moor RoadBarlow Moor Road St Werburgh's Road — change for Other Metrolink linesSt Werburgh's Road ChorltonChorlton FirswoodFirswood Trafford Bar — change for Other Metrolink linesTrafford Bar Cornbrook — change for Other Metrolink linesCornbrook Deansgate-Castlefield — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailDeansgate-Castlefield St Peter's Square — change for Other Metrolink linesSt Peter's Square Market Street — change for Other Metrolink linesMarket Street ShudehillShudehill Victoria — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailVictoria
The Trafford Centre – Crumpsall 15
The Trafford Centre – Crumpsall: schematic, not to scale The Trafford CentreThe Trafford Centre Trafford PalazzoTrafford Palazzo ParkwayParkway VillageVillage Imperial War MuseumImperial War Museum WharfsideWharfside Pomona — change for Other Metrolink linesPomona Cornbrook — change for Other Metrolink linesCornbrook Deansgate-Castlefield — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailDeansgate-Castlefield St Peter's Square — change for Other Metrolink linesSt Peter's Square Exchange SquareExchange Square Victoria — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailVictoria Queens RoadQueens Road Abraham MossAbraham Moss Crumpsall — change for Other Metrolink linesCrumpsall
Altrincham – Bury 25 limited service: Monday to Friday 7am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 6.30pm only
Altrincham – Bury: schematic, not to scale Altrincham — change for National RailAltrincham Navigation Road — change for National RailNavigation Road TimperleyTimperley BrooklandsBrooklands SaleSale Dane RoadDane Road StretfordStretford Old TraffordOld Trafford Trafford Bar — change for Other Metrolink linesTrafford Bar Cornbrook — change for Other Metrolink linesCornbrook Deansgate-Castlefield — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailDeansgate-Castlefield St Peter's Square — change for Other Metrolink linesSt Peter's Square Market Street — change for Other Metrolink linesMarket Street ShudehillShudehill Victoria — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailVictoria Queens RoadQueens Road Abraham MossAbraham Moss Crumpsall — change for Other Metrolink linesCrumpsall Bowker ValeBowker Vale Heaton ParkHeaton Park PrestwichPrestwich Besses o' th' BarnBesses o' th' Barn WhitefieldWhitefield RadcliffeRadcliffe BuryBury
East Didsbury – Shaw and Crompton 27 limited service: Monday to Friday 7am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 6.30pm only
East Didsbury – Shaw and Crompton: schematic, not to scale East DidsburyEast Didsbury Didsbury VillageDidsbury Village West DidsburyWest Didsbury Burton RoadBurton Road WithingtonWithington St Werburgh's Road — change for Other Metrolink linesSt Werburgh's Road ChorltonChorlton FirswoodFirswood Trafford Bar — change for Other Metrolink linesTrafford Bar Cornbrook — change for Other Metrolink linesCornbrook Deansgate-Castlefield — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailDeansgate-Castlefield St Peter's Square — change for Other Metrolink linesSt Peter's Square Exchange SquareExchange Square Victoria — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailVictoria MonsallMonsall Central ParkCentral Park Newton Heath and MostonNewton Heath and Moston FailsworthFailsworth HollinwoodHollinwood South ChaddertonSouth Chadderton FreeholdFreehold WestwoodWestwood Oldham King StreetOldham King Street Oldham CentralOldham Central Oldham MumpsOldham Mumps DerkerDerker Shaw and CromptonShaw and Crompton
MediaCityUK – Piccadilly 11 limited service: Monday to Friday 7am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 6.30pm only
MediaCityUK – Piccadilly: schematic, not to scale MediaCityUKMediaCityUK Harbour CityHarbour City AnchorageAnchorage Salford QuaysSalford Quays Exchange QuayExchange Quay Pomona — change for Other Metrolink linesPomona Cornbrook — change for Other Metrolink linesCornbrook Deansgate-Castlefield — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailDeansgate-Castlefield St Peter's Square — change for Other Metrolink linesSt Peter's Square Piccadilly Gardens — change for Other Metrolink linesPiccadilly Gardens Piccadilly — change for Other Metrolink lines, National RailPiccadilly

Schematic, not to scale. Ringed stops are interchanges. One strip for each of TfGM's nine services, each in its own line colour, the six that run all day first, then the three that run only in the daytime on Monday to Saturday. The services share track into the city centre and through it, by Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens or by the Second City Crossing through Exchange Square, so most stops appear on more than one strip. Ringed stops are those TfGM marks as places to change between services, and those next to a National Rail station; Eccles, East Didsbury and Ashton-under-Lyne stations are a short walk away, as TfGM's map shows them. Eccles to Piccadilly trams call at MediaCityUK only when the MediaCityUK to Piccadilly service isn't running. Stop order from TfGM's tram map and its list of each line's stops (see Sources).

StopInterchanges
AltrinchamNational Rail
Navigation RoadNational Rail
Timperley
Brooklands
Sale
Dane Road
Stretford
Old Trafford
Trafford BarOther Metrolink lines
CornbrookOther Metrolink lines
Deansgate-CastlefieldOther Metrolink lines, National Rail
St Peter's SquareOther Metrolink lines
Piccadilly GardensOther Metrolink lines
PiccadillyOther Metrolink lines, National Rail
New Islington
Holt Town
Etihad Campus
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton West
Ashton Moss
Audenshaw
Droylsden
Cemetery Road
Edge Lane
Clayton Hall
Velopark
Market StreetOther Metrolink lines
Shudehill
VictoriaOther Metrolink lines, National Rail
Queens Road
Abraham Moss
CrumpsallOther Metrolink lines
Bowker Vale
Heaton Park
Prestwich
Besses o' th' Barn
Whitefield
Radcliffe
Bury
Eccles
Ladywell
Weaste
Langworthy
Broadway
MediaCityUK
Harbour City
Anchorage
Salford Quays
Exchange Quay
PomonaOther Metrolink lines
East Didsbury
Didsbury Village
West Didsbury
Burton Road
Withington
St Werburgh's RoadOther Metrolink lines
Chorlton
Firswood
Exchange Square
Monsall
Central Park
Newton Heath and Moston
Failsworth
Hollinwood
South Chadderton
Freehold
Westwood
Oldham King Street
Oldham Central
Oldham Mumps
Derker
Shaw and Crompton
Newhey
Milnrow
Kingsway Business Park
Newbold
Rochdale Railway StationNational Rail
Rochdale Town Centre
Manchester AirportNational Rail
Shadowmoss
Peel Hall
Robinswood Road
Wythenshawe Town Centre
Crossacres
Benchill
Martinscroft
Roundthorn
Baguley
Moor Road
Wythenshawe Park
Northern Moor
Sale Water Park
Barlow Moor Road
The Trafford Centre
Trafford Palazzo
Parkway
Village
Imperial War Museum
Wharfside

Stops from the operator’s published routes, entered by hand (see Sources).

Rolling stock

Earlier trains on this line

History 29

  1. The last of Manchester's first trams is replaced by buses.
  2. A Rail Study Group of Greater Manchester Council, the Passenger Transport Executive and British Rail is set up to find a link across the city centre between the railways to the north and south. Its answer is Metrolink: light rail linking Piccadilly and Victoria stations, with suburban railways converted to light rail.
  3. Metrolink opens, the first of Britain's modern street-running light rail systems, though at first only off the street: trams run from Bury to Victoria over the converted railway, the first leaving Bury and Victoria together at 6am.
  4. Trams start running across the city centre, through the streets from Victoria to G-Mex, now Deansgate-Castlefield.
  5. Trams run on from G-Mex to Altrincham, over the second converted railway.
  6. The spur to Piccadilly station opens, and the Queen officially opens the system.
  7. The first extension opens, from a new stop at Cornbrook through Salford Quays to Broadway.
  8. The line is extended through the streets to Eccles.
  9. The Department for Transport gives full approval to the first stage of Phase 3: converting the Oldham Loop railway to Metrolink, and new lines to Chorlton and Droylsden. Further lines are added in 2010 (to Ashton-under-Lyne and East Didsbury) and with local funding (to Manchester Airport, through Oldham town centre and to Rochdale town centre).
  10. The last heavy-rail trains run on the Oldham Loop, between Victoria and Rochdale through Oldham, before its conversion.
  11. The first Phase 3 line opens, from Firswood to St Werburgh's Road through Chorlton.
  12. Trams reach Oldham Mumps from Monsall, on the converted Oldham Loop.
  13. The line is extended from Derker to Shaw and Crompton.
  14. The East Manchester line opens from New Islington to Droylsden.
  15. The Oldham line reaches Rochdale Railway Station from Newhey.
  16. The south Manchester line is extended from Withington to East Didsbury.
  17. The East Manchester line is extended from Audenshaw to Ashton-under-Lyne.
  18. The new line through Oldham town centre opens, on the streets in place of the old railway route.
  19. Trams reach Rochdale Town Centre.
  20. The Airport line opens, from Barlow Moor Road through Wythenshawe to Manchester Airport, more than a year earlier than planned.
  21. Exchange Square opens, the first part of a second route across the city centre, with a short new line from Victoria.
  22. The Second City Crossing opens, from St Peter's Square along Princess Street, Cross Street and Corporation Street to Exchange Square and Victoria, finishing the £1.5 billion expansion begun in 2009.
  23. KeolisAmey Metrolink takes over running and maintaining the system, from Metrolink RATP Dev.
  24. The Trafford Park line opens, 5.5 km with six stops from Pomona by the Imperial War Museum to The Trafford Centre, bringing the network to 99 stops.
  25. The Bee Network, Greater Manchester's joined-up public transport network, of which Metrolink is part, begins with the first buses run under local franchising.
  26. TfGM extends KeolisAmey Metrolink's contract by three years, to July 2027.
  27. Contactless tap-and-go, already in use on the trams, is extended to buses, with fares capped by the day and the week across bus and tram.
  28. TfGM begins choosing the next operator, for a contract of up to 11 years from 2027.
  29. A new timetable, meant to make services more reliable, has trams every 15 minutes on each service, with extra trams at peak times every 7.5 minutes on the busiest routes.

Sources 18

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Show the 18 sources from Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, RAIL magazine and 9 more
unverified
  • St Peter's Square on The Trafford Centre to Crumpsall service: TfGM's own list of the line's stops leaves it out, but its September 2026 map draws the line through the stop and the stop's page lists the service and its trams; shown as a call
  • The 1992 openings to G-Mex (27 April), Altrincham (15 June) and Piccadilly (17 July): exact dates from British Trams Online's 25th-anniversary article only; RAIL magazine (from TfGM's release) gives Altrincham as "soon after" April and the Queen's opening as July 1992. Modern Railways is reported to give 20 July for Piccadilly; not read (its site refused the request)
  • The Eccles line's openings (December 1999 to Broadway, July 2000 to Eccles): months only, from one enthusiasts' reference site (thetrams.co.uk); no TfGM source found
  • The Trafford Park line's opening on 22 March 2020: from TfGM's announcement of the date on 9 March 2020 (reprinted by the Oldham Chronicle; TfGM's line site is gone); the DfT's count of 99 stops for the year to March 2020 agrees
  • Depots: Trafford and Queens Road, from the RAIB's 2022 report (a tram taken to Queens Road depot; Trafford depot on its map) and TfGM's Phase 3 report (a new depot at Trafford); TfGM publishes no list
  • The operator after July 2027: TfGM began procurement in April 2025; no award was found by 11 October 2026
  • MediaCityUK: the spur opened in 2010 (TfGM's Phase 3 report mentions it, undated); left out of the history until a dated source is found

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