Manchester Metrolink
The Manchester Metrolink is a light rail in Greater Manchester in England. The Metrolink network consists of six lines, which include 76 km of track and 76 stations; the lines connecting the center of Manchester with endpoints in Altrincham, Ashton -under- Lyne, Bury, Didsbury, Eccles and Rochdale (March 2014). Metrolink is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester ( TfGM ), the responsible end for public transport in Greater Manchester PTA, and is operated under a transport contract by the French RATP. The RATP has replaced 1 August 2011, the incumbent operator Stagecoach. In Manchester city center and on the route branches to Eccles and Ashton -under- Lyne Metrolink trains tram similar, with resulting low travel speeds. Much of the other sections of the network are former suburban railways on exclusive track body on which the maximum speed of 80 km / h is reached.
Architectural History
For decades, there were plans, the two main railway stations in Manchester, Piccadilly and Victoria in the southeast, to connect with each other in the north of the city center. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Picc - Vicc Rail Tunnel was planned, this project was, however, dropped due to high costs. In the late 1980s had to be urgently renewed power of the railway line from Manchester Victoria to Bury; here there was busbars. Instead of replacing it with a similar system, it was decided to install overhead lines. Moreover, the two main railway stations should aboveground connected by a tramway similar route and so the basis for building a light rail to be created.
The first phase covered the route from Bury via Manchester to Altrincham with a branch line to Piccadilly Station. Planning permission was granted in January 1988, the construction of the tramway section began in March 1990. Metrolink service between Bury and Victoria was recorded on 6 April 1992, on 27 April 1992 was followed by the inner -city route from Victoria to G -Mex ( the former Manchester Central railway station ) and on 15 June 1992, the route of G -Mex to Altrincham. The official opening by Queen Elizabeth II took place on 17 July 1992, three days later the branch line went to Piccadilly train station in operation. The breakpoint G -Mex in 2010 was renamed the Deansgate - Castlefield, as the event hall G- MEX Centre was renamed the Manchester Central Convention Complex before.
Other phases
The other phases are numbered, but later there were changes in the sequence of realizations, so that worked with letters additives in the numbering; This article deliberately omitted this numbering.
- Construction of a branch line of Cornbrook about the former Port of Salford Eccles. The company was incorporated in two steps, on December 6, 1999 to Broadway and on 21 July 2000 the terminus Eccles.
- Remodeling of an existing railway line from Victoria via Rochdale Oldham according to individual tram-like sections. The company was incorporated on 28 February 2013.
- Construction of a branch line from Piccadilly to Ashton -under- Lyne. The partial route to Droylsden was put into operation on 28 February 2013, the total distance to Ashton -under- Lyne on 9 October 2013.
Lines
- Piccadilly
- Piccadilly Gardens
- Market Street
- Shudehill
- Victoria
- Queens Road
- Woodlands Road ( Disused since December 16, 2013 )
- Abraham Moss
- Crumpsall
- Bowker Vale
- Heaton Park
- Prestwich
- Torrebesses o'th ' Barn
- Whitefield
- Radcliffe
- Buckley Wells ( in planning)
- Bury
- Piccadilly
- Piccadilly Gardens
- Mosley Street
- St Peter's Square
- Deansgate - Castlefield
- Cornbrook
- Trafford bar
- Old Trafford
- Stretford
- Sale
- Brooklands
- Timperley
- Navigation Road
- Altrincham
- Piccadilly
- Piccadilly Gardens
- Mosley Street
- St Peter's Square
- Deansgate - Castlefield
- Cornbrook
- Pomona
- Exchange Quay
- Salford Quays
- Anchorage
- Harbour City
- MediaCityUK
- Broadway
- Langworthy
- Weaste
- Ladywell
- Eccles
- Victoria
- Shudehill
- Market Street
- Mosley Street
- St Peter's Square
- Deansgate - Castlefield
- Cornbrook
- Trafford bar
- Firswood
- Chorlton
- St Werburgh 's Road
- Withington
- Burton Road
- West Didsbury
- Didsbury Village
- East Didsbury
- Victoria
- Monsall
- Central Park
- Newton Heath and Moston
- Failsworth
- Hollinwood
- South Chadderton
- Freehold
- Oldham mumps
- Derker
- Shaw and Crompton
- Newhey
- Kingsway Business Park
- Newbold
- Rochdale Railway Station
- Piccadilly
- New Islington
- Holt Town
- Etihad Campus
- Velo Park
- Clayton Hall
- Edge Lane
- Cemetery Road
- Droylsden
- Audenshaw
- Ashton Moss
- Ashton West
- Ashton -under- Lyne
Rolling stock
The rolling stock of Metrolink currently consists of 26 high-floor light rail vehicle of the model T -68, which were built in Italy by Ansaldo. There are also six vehicles of the model T- 68a from the year 1999. The drive is located in center of the vehicle, the car usually operate individually, except during rush hours on the track Bury - Altrincham, if two units are coupled together. In April 2007, nine cars of the type Flexity Swift were ordered, which have great similarity to the K5000 Stadtbahn Köln and Bonn Stadtbahn. In December 2009 the first designated as M5000 railcars took on the traffic.
Ongoing improvements and planning
Inter alia the following significant enhancements are in the next few years:
- New line from St Werburgh 's Road to Manchester airport. The opening is planned for 2016.
- To relieve construction of a second track in the center of Manchester between St Peter's Square and Victoria to the existing section on Market Street. The line should run through the streets Princess Street, Cross Street and Corporation Street. The opening is planned for 2016/2017.
Further plans exist, but currently still unscheduled and / or prospects for the realization.
Operating characteristics
The last 1.6 km of the route to Altrincham are single track; the parallel track located east is not connected to the Metrolink rail system and is used exclusively by the diesel-powered regional trains from Manchester Piccadilly Station On Stockport to Chester.