Light rail and trams

Opening date set for new Metrolink line to Manchester Airport

The new Metrolink light rail line from Manchester city centre to Manchester Airport will open to passengers on Monday 3 November, well over 12 months ahead of schedule, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has announced.

The final stage of the pre-launch process will start on Monday 20 October when test trams will start to run out of service between Cornbrook and the airport every 12 minutes – which is how often trams will run on the line from launch.

Trams from the airport will run as far as Cornbrook initially, until Metrolink’s transformational Second City Crossing opens in 2017 and unlocks extra track capacity through the city centre.

Journeys from the airport to Cornbrook, where passengers can connect with frequent services to stops across the network, will take around 45 minutes and will effectively double the number of trams running between St Werburgh’s Road and Cornbrook.

^{A speeded up driver’s eye view of the journey from Cornbrook to Manchester Airport.}

The 14.5km (9 mile) Airport line will bring the size of the Metrolink network – owned by TfGM – to 92.5km (57.5 miles), serving 92 stops.

Cllr Andrew Fender, Chair of the TfGM Committee, said: “Seeing our trams reach Manchester Airport more than a year ahead of schedule is a truly amazing achievement – and a game-changer for the communities set to benefit from its 15 new stops and frequent, fully accessible services.

“For Wythenshawe in particular, Metrolink will provide new and easier ways for people across Greater Manchester to reach the town centre and all it has to offer – as well as making it a more attractive place to live, work and do business.

“The arrival of the new town centre interchange next year will, of course, make it even easier still.”

The next edition of RTM will contain a special focus on Metrolink and its recent engineering successes, as part of a wider look into the light rail renaissance in the UK.

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