Manchester Metrolink master thread

[The Snap]

Could be a crucial second route after TfGM realise the jampacked pinchpoint north of Victoria Station when Bury and Oldham both get 6 minute services.

And the land on which that old alignment used to run is mostly still within Network Rail's boundary, so there wouldn't be too much redevelopment or disruption to existing property.

 

[loopers]

I know the dean lane/werneth is new but the trams still rock side 2 side as if they are top heavy.

 

[snail]

And the land on which that old alignment used to run is mostly still within Network Rail's boundary, so there wouldn't be too much redevelopment or disruption to existing property.

The biggest difficulty would be getting through/past the Queens Road depot!

 

[The Snap]

The biggest difficulty would be getting through/past the Queens Road depot!

True. Although, there is probably room to run an up and down line through the yard.

 

[Class377/5]

Could be a crucial second route after TfGM realise the jampacked pinchpoint north of Victoria Station when Bury and Oldham both get 6 minute services.

Why jam packed? Once the 2CC is built there will be two island platforms at Victoria with three tracks allowing the middle track to terminate trams clear of the through services.

If you mean the at level junction at Irk Valley, well the Piccadilly Delta is more complex with the southern part by Mosley Street currently handling 5 routes with 25tph per hour in each directionon a level junction with a futher 5tph on a Linked in with the other junction. If this works well enough the I cannot see who you'd ever think 20tph would be a problem on a much simpler junction that will have the same control set up.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Was the problem on the Bury line caused by (attempted) cable theft yesterday ?

 

[martin2345uk]

It was indeed Paul. Scrotes.

 

[Mattmatt]

They actually tried robbing the weights on the tension wires, which is how the wires came down as the wire was hanging low & the pantograph hit it and brought it down! all fixed by 18:00 though!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Running speeds at present on some sections of the newly opened Oldham line seem slower than other lines. I heard a staff member say that this was due to "the track settling in".

Is this really the case ?

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Wasn't it towards the end of last century? Late '90s? Do you mean the section that goes over the Smedley Viaduct?

There was an accident in 1959 near to the signal box on Smedley Viaduct and another more serious accident in 1953 at Irk Valley Junction on the Smedley Viaduct which resulted in 10 fatalities and 60 injured.

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Station length query

I don't know if this has been asked before, but how many of the new stations between Manchester Victoria and Oldham Mumps (temporary) are long enough to handle four-car sets at peak periods ?

 

[The Snap]

Running speeds at present on some sections of the newly opened Oldham line seem slower than other lines. I heard a staff member say that this was due to "the track settling in".

Is this really the case ?

I doubt it, trams ran at line speed suring the 4 weeks of driver training so can't see why they'd run at anything other during passenger service...

I don't know if this has been asked before, but how many of the new stations between Manchester Victoria and Oldham Mumps (temporary) are long enough to handle four-car sets at peak periods ?

Each of the platforms made up of PCC units are 54m long. An M5000 is 28.4m long, so by that logic a double-set will just about fit to allow the doors to be opened.

 

[Class377/5]

Running speeds at present on some sections of the newly opened Oldham line seem slower than other lines. I heard a staff member say that this was due to "the track settling in".

Is this really the case ?

Station length query

I don't know if this has been asked before, but how many of the new stations between Manchester Victoria and Oldham Mumps (temporary) are long enough to handle four-car sets at peak periods ?

not so much track settling in but drivers settling in. The more they are used to it the better they will be able to drive as they know everything is and what they can achieve between stops.

All Phase 3 stations are being built to accommodate a double tram. In fact as part of the testing process a double tram is used to check platform lengths. So far double M5000's have been to St Werbrugh's Road, Oldham and Droylsden. Double T68's have been to Altrincham, Bury, Piccadilly & Eccles. Believe a double has been to MediaCityUK but not sure which type did it.

 

[WatcherZero]

Yes from what drivers have said the Oldham line timings have a lot of slack and drivers often purposely drive slow so that they arrive at the single line section at the timetabled time.

As regards to length all the new stations are designed for doubles as standard though some may have a little extra length, most of the former rail stations could probably accomadate a triple or more with the surplus platform length currently fenced out of use but they wouldnt be able to use the city centre stations so not really useful, it would also probably be impractical for a pedestrian dealing with triple length trams in the city centre. If youve ever seen a quad go past it seems to go on forever!

 

[martin2345uk]

Here's a recent photo of the construction of the new Metrolink viaduct to take the Airport Line over the Mersey valley:

And the smaller bridge to take it over a stream in Chorlton:

Great to see such progress on the construction side

 

[WatcherZero]

(The stream was redirected while the bridge was built, you cant see it in the photo)

 

[Manchester77]

Wow great to see how they're getting along on the airport line. Good to see that they've nearly finished the structural main work on the smaller one over the stream. Great phtos

 

[jonesy3001]

Anyone else having problems getting on the skyscrapercity site as i keep getting the 404 page not found.

 

[martin2345uk]

Yep same here, must be temporarily broken! Sure it won't be long

 

[Manchester77]

Yeah me too can't just comes up with no input channel spEfified

 

[jonesy3001]

back up and running now.

 

[WatcherZero]

Its a very large forum (I think its technically one of the largest in the world?) the server tends to fall over from time to time.

Edit: 621,000 members, over 55 million post, ranked 9th most active forum in the world.

 

[table38]

MEN this morning suggests we may be a little closer to Oysterisation too!

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/transport/public_transport/s/1582337_oyster-cards-on-the-way-at-last-for-greater-manchester-trains-trams-and-buses

Greater Manchester is a step closer to getting its own version of the London Oyster card after securing a £32.5m grant.

The cash is from a government fund promoting ‘sustainable travel’ which makes it easier for people to use public transport.

Regional transport chiefs have earmarked part of the grant to support efforts to introduce smart cards that could be used on all buses, trains and trams.

Plans for Oyster-style swipe cards on Metrolink have already been drawn up and could be in place by 2013.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The infrastructural problem of the embankment slippage near to The Cray at Milnrow, on the Oldham/Rochdale section of the Manchester Metrolink, will be dealt with over the last three weeks of this month, by batter replacement works being carried over a 40 metre section in the area concerned.

Better that it occurred now whilst the line had not been open for passenger usage.

 

[D841 Roebuck]

The infrastructural problem of the embankment slippage near to The Cray at Milnrow, on the Oldham/Rochdale section of the Manchester Metrolink, will be dealt with over the last three weeks of this month, by batter replacement works being carried over a 40 metre section in the area concerned.

Better that it occurred now whilst the line had not been open for passenger usage.

Does "batter replacement" involve using breadcrumbs (for a healthier embankment)? :grin:

 

[34D]

If youve ever seen a quad go past it seems to go on forever!

Are there many services booked for a double unit?

I guess triples/quads are only seen when failures are being rescued?

 

[gnolife]

MEN this morning suggests we may be a little closer to Oysterisation too!

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/transport/public_transport/s/1582337_oyster-cards-on-the-way-at-last-for-greater-manchester-trains-trams-and-buses

I assume that on buses, this Smartcard would work like the Trent Barton 'Mango' card, having to touch on and off the bus.

And the Metrolink would work like the Underground.

Speaking of the Metrolink, it seems to not be running between Victoria and Moseley Street/Piccadilly Gardens becuase the police have shut High Street.

 

[WatcherZero]

Are there many services booked for a double unit?

I guess triples/quads are only seen when failures are being rescued?

Of the 9 morning peak per hour between Altrincham and Bury 5 or 6 out of 9 are booked as doubles.

Yes when a double fails its rescued by another two units, usually top and tailing. The service in front reverses back and the service behind advances to form a quad.

 

[Crossover]

I have a few queries regarding the new Metrolink line after I have been to recce the current terminus for a trip I have planned coming up.

I notice at the moment that the trams end at Mumps but the line continues over the road towards Rochdale (necessitating a reasonable amount of works on the road etc) - will all this become redundant when they do the new station in a little while?

On a similar note, they currently have the line not calling at a few stations - are the currently unopened stations on a geographically separate line or is it merely that trams will pass through the proposed station during the course of building?

On a separate note, at the new Newton Heath and Moston Metrolink station, it is single track to necessitate the freight services using the other line. Why is it that it couldn't have made dual use, with freight and Metrolink sharing the track, akin to Chiltern/LUL and such like? When I passed through Victoria on the train the other day, it seems like the NR lines do link into the Metrolink there, though, of course, the Metrolink trams couldn't use the NR lines!

 

[142094]

AFAIK the same route will be used, so Dean Lane to Oldham Mumps and Werneth, Failsworth and Hollinwood, Derker, Shaw then onto Milnrow and Rochdale.

 

[radamfi]

Oldham Mumps will be moved across to the other end of the roundabout and the line will be diverted through the town centre, so the existing Oldham Mumps station, as well as the line between the new Oldham Mumps station and near to the old Oldham Werneth station will be redundant once the Oldham town centre line opens.

Not sure what you mean by 'not calling at a few stations'. Freehold is quite near where Oldham Werneth used to be and South Chadderton is a new station north of Hollinwood. Dean Lane is replaced by Newton Heath and Moston.

There is a similar single line working between Altrincham and Navigation Road.

 

[martin2345uk]

Aye the infrastructure on the current Oldham Mumps alignment will be reused on the Airport Line. It won't remain in place as an "express route".

And I believe that trams and heavy rail sharing tracks ends up simply being more complicated than a simple single-track stretch, hence that's why they did it.