Don’t grow tram lines, fix existing service first

I HAVE been using Metrolink since moving to Manchester 10 years ago, and I can honestly say the service has never been this bad.

I recently moved to Sale, having lived in Prestwich previously to that for three years, so my daily commute has been between Bury and Altrincham.

I used to think the trams were crowded when alighting at Prestwich but, in the morning, both the Bury and Piccadilly trams are a joke. It’s like a cattle market, with barely any room to breathe.

Yesterday, a pregnant woman had to climb off the tram in tears as she was having a panic attack. Last week a teenager turned white and had to get off to be sick at Old Trafford. I have to ask myself why are we paying for this service?

Metrolink say there aren’t enough trams to put doubles on a line that has been busy both ways for years. And yet they are throwing money into opening more lines across the city.

Metrolink bosses should explain why they are not improving the existing, busy services before opening more lines.

Customers cannot be treated this way. We pay for weekly, monthly, or yearly tickets, but have to wait for two, maybe three trams, to pass us by before we can squeeze onto one.

I counted 49 people in one area between the aisles one morning – all having to get to work by a set time, all paying to be smothered, and banged about. Items of clothing being torn, things in bags being broken – never mind the health factors.

The Rochdale tram is deserted most days coming through Trafford Bar, as are the Shaw trams. And would you believe they are always doubles?

Of an evening, returning to Sale, there are three East Didsbury trams, sometimes back-to-back, but one Altrincham tram and it’s usually a single carriage – so again you have to fight to get on it.

Metrolink needs to pay attention to this, and think about a solution rather than simply saying there isn’t enough trams.

Stop ‘expanding’ the service, and help the existing one. Rose Barnett