More carriages on trams to ease festive overcrowding
EXTRA carriages have been added to tram services on the Altrincham and Bury Metrolink lines to help relieve overcrowding for the festive period.
Four new carriages are being introduced to the lines, which will double the capacity on some services.
Already two extra double services have started running on the Altrincham line, providing space for another 400 extra passengers at peak times on services running to and from the Etihad Campus.
There are also another two double trams set to launch on the Bury line from early December which will carry more passengers to and from the city centre. The increased capacity comes after Transport for Greater Manchester created new substations along the lines.
Improvement works on the Altrincham line have been completed, with work on the Bury line to follow.
TfGM said the Altrincham and Bury lines tend to be the busiest on the Metrolink network, with the two lines carrying more than 40 per cent of all passenger journeys.
Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Mayor, said: “Passengers have raised concerns about overcrowding on this line in recent weeks and I have been in discussions with transport providers to ensure action is taken to respond to these concerns. So I’m really pleased to see this announcement today. “Investment in transport infrastructure in Greater Manchester is vital – not only to help people get about, it’s also crucial to supporting the continued economic growth of the cityregion. “We already have the largest light rail network in the UK which helps millions of people get around the city-region every year, but I remain committed to pushing Coun Andrew Fender for more investment from government and looking at how we can better integrate all forms of public transport to ensure more people travel easily to work, to school and college, for shopping trips and for leisure.”
Coun Andrew Fender, chair of the TfGM Committee, said: “Metrolink is going from strength-to-strength and these additional trams will provide much needed extra capacity on our busiest lines.
“The recent investment we’ve made into our infrastructure has made this possible and I’m delighted that customers are already reaping the benefits.
“I’m pleased the additional trams will be up and running in time for the busy festive period, and will continue to serve commuters beyond that.”