Manchester Metrolink master thread

[Xenophon PCDGS]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA_OjsFGoTc

It covers the new tests on the Rochdale line, well worth a view, I thought they were not testing till next week...

Thanks for the link, loopers. Was this made by one of the SSC lads ?

 

[Manchester77]

Thanks for the link, loopers. Was this made by one of the SSC lads ?

Yeah.

 

[familyguy99]

just seen a gr8 video on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA_OjsFGoTc

it covers the new tests on the rochdale line, well worth a view, i thought they were not testing till next week...

^^ They start tram testing to Rochdale since Monday (or even last week as report of tram on Rochdale line from Scc forums.

Here are some picture that I today with tram on Rochdale line at Shaw station.


Metrolink tram on Rochdale line doing test run


Metrolink tram on Rochdale line

Also U can buy Metrolink ticket with five station on Rochdale route now too.


Ticket machines with Newhey on it


Ticket machines with Milnrow on it


Ticket machines with Rochdale on it

But...


Ticket Machines saying about Rochdale line

^^ Or even next months if rumours are right.

U can found other picture that I took today and also stations on EML that I took last Monday on my flickr homepage.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/metrolink_work/

 

[martinsh]

Does anyone have a guide for journey times on the Metrolink? Aside from the PDFs for the Oldham and Droylsden lines I can't find any indication of them on the website

Can't even find those mentioned PDFs ! Can anyone give me approx running times for the following journeys

Victoria - Oldham
Oldham - Shaw
Piccadilly - Droylsden

Will be up that way tomorrow and want to know how much time to allow for these.

 

[radamfi]

Based on my journeys to Shaw in the last few weeks, it takes about 18 minutes from Victoria to Oldham and about 7 minutes from Oldham to Shaw.

 

[table38]

Piccadilly to Droylsden is approx 28 minutes according to this

 

[radamfi]

Piccadilly to Droylsden is approx 28 minutes according to this

That shows Piccadilly to Droylsden being 20 minutes. It is 28 minutes to Victoria. 28 minutes would be painfully slow! To be honest even 20 minutes isn't that great, given that the timetabled bus trip is 20 minutes, although of course that is prone to delay.

 

[table38]

That shows Piccadilly to Droylsden being 20 minutes. It is 28 minutes to Victoria. 28 minutes would be painfully slow! To be honest even 20 minutes isn't that great, given that the timetabled bus trip is 20 minutes, although of course that is prone to delay.

Oops quite right I thought 28 mins sounded a bit long!

 

[martin2345uk]

Aye and the tram I got from Picc to Droylsden only took 16 minutes

 

[Manchester77]

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=100359205&postcount=28850


yay!!!!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=100359205&postcount=28850
yay!!!!

Nothing as yet on the TfGM main website on the media centre board about this news.

 

[Manchester77]

Nothing as yet on the TfGM main website on the media centre board about this news.

That's on the drivers notice board at his work, which is a metrolink driver

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

That's on the drivers notice board at his work, which is a metrolink driver

Thank you for your clarification. I suppose TfGM want to be totally sure before they go publicly in print with this news.

 

[telstarbox]

Service to Rochdale starts 28 February:

http://www.tfgm.com/Corporate/media_centre/Pages/News.aspx?articleId=175

Metrolink services to Rochdale – the latest chapter of the network’s expansion – will open to passengers for the first time on Thursday 28 February.

Continuing on from the existing Oldham line at Shaw & Crompton, the 7.4km (4.6-mile) extension will run to Rochdale Railway Station, serving the former railway stations at Newhey and Milnrow and two brand new destinations: Kingsway and Newbold.

The first in-service tram from Rochdale Railway Station on Thursday will leave at 5.59am, while the first tram to Rochdale will leave Manchester Victoria at 6.08am.

 

[familyguy99]

The first in-service tram from Rochdale Railway Station on Thursday will leave at 5.59am, while the first tram to Rochdale will leave Manchester Victoria at 6.08am.

Rumour on SCC forums is that, that tram leave at Victoria at 6.08am might be 5.08am instead of that time and will be same tram at 5.59am at Rochdale.

 

[12CSVT]

It seems they are using the trams operating passenger services to Shaw for testing or crew training between Shaw and Rochdale. Once a tram has deposited its passengers at Shaw it disappears in the Rochdale direction and you don't see it again for about half an hour (presumably that's how long it takes to get from Shaw to Rochdale and back).

There were dozens (if not hundereds) of yellow vests on the platforms at Shaw (staff training I presume, as it wasn't a ticket block).

 

[Manchester77]

Yeah they're ghost running. The same happened when they opened to Oldham, Shaw and Droylsden. Once they've ran enough random tests, they test the time tabling. For example, when they were testing the EML trams went from Bury to Piccadilly where they de-trammed and ran empty to Droylsden, turned back and came back to Piccadilly where they picked up,passengers and headed off to Bury.

 

[telstarbox]

Rumour on SCC forums is that, that tram leave at Victoria at 6.08am might be 5.08am instead of that time and will be same tram at 5.59am at Rochdale.

As per this post on SSC, the first passenger tram out to Rochdale starts from Trafford Bar depot then runs in service as follows:

0453 dep Trafford Bar
0508 dep Victoria
0555 arr Rochdale Station

then the first tram from Rochdale is at 0559.

 

[familyguy99]

Mosley Street stop is set to close this Spring (off new Metrolink maps that are on ORL station)


Metrolink map with City Centre Zone


Metrolink map in full

Picture of trams at Shaw and work in Oldham Town Centre for 3B line can be found on my Flickr homepage or on Scc Thread forums.

 

[12CSVT]

Another obsevation from yesterday - some of the trams which terminate at Piccadilly (ie Eccles and Altrincham routes) run empty part of the way along the Droylsden branch (I assume to the turnback just beyond Ethiad Campus) instead of using the turnback siding at Piccadilly.

 

[WatcherZero]

Yes, 1/3rd of terminating services run that far to turn around and 2/3rds turn at Piccadilly, its mainly an issue of turnback pathing capacity. Eventually fewer services will terminate at Piccadilly with a doubling of frequency on the East Manchester line and Media City trams turned at Cornbrook so the Piccadilly turnback should have sufficent capacity.

 

[Manchester77]

Another obsevation from yesterday - some of the trams which terminate at Piccadilly (ie Eccles and Altrincham routes) run empty part of the way along the Droylsden branch (I assume to the turnback just beyond Ethiad Campus) instead of using the turnback siding at Piccadilly.

Altrincham and Eccles trams tern back at Sheffield street turn back which has replaced the old Piccadilly terminating facilities.
MediaCityUK trams run empty from Piccadilly and turn back at Velopark. On SCC we assume this is so that on busy match days they can run in service as football specials or because without TMS, Sheffield street turn back cannot cope with a higher usage rate.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Is everyone ready for Thursday's big line Metrolink extension on the line from Shaw & Crompton to Rochdale railway station ?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Eventually fewer services will terminate at Piccadilly with a doubling of frequency on the East Manchester line and Media City trams turned at Cornbrook so the Piccadilly turnback should have sufficent capacity.

Has there been any intimation as to where through running Eccles services may possibly go to ?

 

[34D]

http://railpicturelibrary.zenfolio.com/blog

It has been announced that Metrolink services to Rochdale will commence from the 28th February.



The 4.6 mile extension will run to Rochdale railway station , serving the former stations at Newhey and Milnrow along with two new destinations of Kingsway and Newbold.



The first passenger tram from Rochdale will leave at 05.59 and the first tram from Manchester to Rochdale will leave Manchester Victoria at 06.08, with services running every 12 minutes.

Does anyone know what the service pattern will be from Thu 28th Feb?

I'm particularly interested to learn how common/rare the bay platform at Shaw & Crompton will be once the Rochdale services start, or whether if people need this track, they need to go by Wednesday?

 

[westcoaster]

Does anyone know what the service pattern will be from Thu 28th Feb?

I'm particularly interested to learn how common/rare the bay platform at Shaw & Crompton will be once the Rochdale services start, or whether if people need this track, they need to go by Wednesday?

I'm sure I read alternate services will terminate there but don't quote me on that.

 

[radamfi]

Presumably the service pattern will be the same as now, just with trams to Shaw continuing to Rochdale. I would assume the bay platform at Shaw will be in regular use once the service increases to every 6 minutes, as the Rochdale to Shaw section will remain every 12 minutes.

 

[martin2345uk]

Aye that's right. Been waiting for the 6 min service on the south Manchester line for a fair while now!

 

[34D]

Presumably the service pattern will be the same as now, just with trams to Shaw continuing to Rochdale. I would assume the bay platform at Shaw will be in regular use once the service increases to every 6 minutes, as the Rochdale to Shaw section will remain every 12 minutes.

Any ideas when that is likely to be, please?

Also, on tomorrow/tue/wed are trams likely to use this bay platform, or are they likely to operate ECS to Rochdale as route learners (as has happened some of the past few days)?

Thanks to all for the quick responses.

 

[Manchester77]

Any ideas when that is likely to be, please?

Also, on tomorrow/tue/wed are trams likely to use this bay platform, or are they likely to operate ECS to Rochdale as route learners (as has happened some of the past few days)?

Thanks to all for the quick responses.

- My guess is in the Summer when both SML2 to East Didsbury opens and when TMS is operational in the city and over the Cornbrook viaduct. Currently there isn't enough capacity for any extra trams across the viaduct. TMS is a LoS based signalling system so this will add extra capacity
- Since the EML opened every Shaw tram runs into the Rochdale bound through platform at Shaw where they empty and run to Rochdale ghosting. They then come back and pick up at Shaw.

 

[martin2345uk]

Another popular opinion is that the 6 min service won't happen until after the rebuild of Victoria station. Which won't be this year.

But yes the bay platform at Shaw shouldn't be used until the 6 min service commences.