I think at that time railway stations had ticket machines that just sold to the most popular destinations, if you wanted another destination you needed to use the ticket office or buy on board. However, the railways have moved on with the ability to buy a ticket to any station from any machine and the ability to buy online and collect from a ticket machine. Metrolink have fancy new machines and have introduced mobile ticketing and the ability to use a London style contactless system to touch in and out but they haven't addressed the lack of ability to buy tickets to stations outside Greater Manchester or to allow tickets to be interchangeable between train and tram.
I read that Chester services were diverted in 1989 while Metrolink opened in 1992 but maybe the local Altrincham to Manchester stoppers continued using the line for longer. If the number of trains serving Sale was reduced for 2 years prior to a 6 month closure then I wonder whether the "passengers doubled following Metrolink conversion" claim relates to the last year of the full service or whether it involves comparing a year when rail services were running at a reduced level to a year when Metrolink was at its prime.
I recall the Altrincham line was also closed for two lengthy periods in the 00s. On the first occasion Northern brought some Pacers out of storage to lengthen Chester to Manchester via Altrincham services and Metrolink passengers were allowed to use the train instead, as well as bus services. On the second occasion the Pacers had gone to the South West so that wasn't possible and I seem to recall media reports about how everything that could go wrong with replacement buses did, like 40 seater buses turning up at peak times and there being long waits between replacement buses.
