Manchester Metrolink (Non speculative discussion)

[Tetchytyke]

Therefore, you have to draw up to the ‘loop’ in order to request a proceed for the signal. If you look at the platform edge you’ll spot a red stop mark about 3 feet short of the end of the platform that denotes where the loop is.

Do doubles have to draw up to the loop, or would the second tram on a double already be over the loop? I've only been there (and noticed it) on singles?

 

[507 001]

Do doubles have to draw up to the loop, or would the second tram on a double already be over the loop? I've only been there (and noticed it) on singles?

Yes they do.

 

[dannypye9999]

According the BEE network app there's trams running as of 01.30. Here's Barton Dock Road showing the trams "due". Never knew they ran this time of night or is this a system error

 

[Mcr Warrior]

According the BEE network app there's trams running as of 01.30. Here's Barton Dock Road showing the trams "due". Never knew they ran this time of night or is this a system error

Apologies if deemed speculative, but is it possible that the trams are being run through the night (= Tuesday morning) in order to keep the lines clear of snow/ice?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I wonder if the rural countryside area between Derker and Shaw & Crompton can be a cause of concern to the Metrolink in such winter weather currently affecting this region.

 

[toms]

According the BEE network app there's trams running as of 01.30. Here's Barton Dock Road showing the trams "due". Never knew they ran this time of night or is this a system error

It seems to do this every night without fail on every line, I live by the tracks and never hear any at this time

 

[splashoutradio]

Gather there's another new timetable on the Metrolink from Monday, with improvements to first trams on multiple lines. Anyone know if there's any other changes?

Not had a proper chance to look yet as I've just compiled the timetables, but at first glance, there appears to be some changes to first and last trams on some lines.

Full timetables at www.railwaydata.co.uk/timetables/metrolink/jan25

 

[Jim]

Not had a proper chance to look yet as I've just compiled the timetables, but at first glance, there appears to be some changes to first and last trams on some lines.

Full timetables at www.railwaydata.co.uk/timetables/metrolink/jan25

Thanks, this is a great resource!

 

[Tim33160]

Problem day for Metrolink:
Morning peak saw trams diverted from Mosley St - Market St to operate via 2CC and Exchange Square due to "emergency engineering works " thought to be points problems at Piccadilly preventing left turns from Mosley St to Market St: affecting Altrincham - Bury Directs and Airport - Victoria lines
Reverted around 1035

Then : 11:04am - until further notice
Due to emergency engineering works, the Eccles line is suspended. Ashton-Eccles services will operate Ashton-Trafford Bar and there are no Etihad-Media City services. Tickets & passes are being accepted on the 10, 33, 50, 52, 53, 67, 79, 100, 248 bus services.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/trams-stopped-second-set-emergency-30786264

Plus a gas leak closing John Dalton Street - with five buses trapped in the closure

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Problem day for Metrolink:
Morning peak saw trams diverted from Mosley St - Market St to operate via 2CC and Exchange Square due to "emergency engineering works " thought to be points problems at Piccadilly preventing left turns from Mosley St to Market St: affecting Altrincham - Bury Directs and Airport - Victoria lines
Reverted around 1035

Then : 11:04am - until further notice
Due to emergency engineering works, the Eccles line is suspended. Ashton-Eccles services will operate Ashton-Trafford Bar and there are no Etihad-Media City services. Tickets & passes are being accepted on the 10, 33, 50, 52, 53, 67, 79, 100, 248 bus services.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/trams-stopped-second-set-emergency-30786264

Plus a gas leak closing John Dalton Street - with five buses trapped in the closure

Still suspended. I’ve just had a nice 2.5 mile walk from Weaste to Exchange Quay because of it… that’s almost the entire line and I saw not one person doing “emergency works” on the track. What’s going on?

 

[507 001]

The Eccles line will be suspended until start of service tomorrow morning at the earliest.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

The Eccles line will be suspended until start of service tomorrow morning at the earliest.

Great, nice walk in the cold at 8am tomorrow then. Why? And why is it deserted of maintenance fixing it?

 

[Rail Ranger]

It would be useful if the Bee Network website mentioned that it is only a short walk over the Ship Canal to and from Media City from and to stops on the Trafford Centre line.

 

[py_megapixel]

Still suspended. I’ve just had a nice 2.5 mile walk from Weaste to Exchange Square because of it… that’s almost the entire line and I saw not one person doing “emergency works” on the track. What’s going on?

To be fair, they were very quick to get ticket acceptance in place on buses - you could have saved a lot of walking by catching one to Victoria from Weaste Lane bus stop on Eccles Old Road.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

To be fair, they were very quick to get ticket acceptance in place on buses - you could have saved a lot of walking by catching one to Victoria from Weaste Lane bus stop on Eccles Old Road.

Sorry, Exchange Quay.

 

[BlitzFan87]

Can anyone explain why there are doubles on the Trafford Centre line today

 

[507 001]

Great, nice walk in the cold at 8am tomorrow then. Why? And why is it deserted of maintenance fixing it?

I would be surprised if it isn’t back up and running tomorrow morning, the point I was making is that it won’t be today.

It’s a cracked rail at Anchorage, so unless you walked across Furness Withy ramp you won’t have seen it. As it happens, I suspect the bulk of the work will be done overnight, but the damage was severe enough to prevent running today.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I would be surprised if it isn’t back up and running tomorrow morning, the point I was making is that it won’t be today.

It’s a cracked rail at Anchorage, so unless you walked across Furness Withy ramp you won’t have seen it. As it happens, I suspect the bulk of the work will be done overnight, but the damage was severe enough to prevent running today.

Ah I see. I just thought if it was “emergency“ they’d be working on it today rather than overnight, so maybe they couldn’t spare any maintenance crew. Thanks for the information Shame they can’t run an Eccles MediaCity shuttle. Could run a 15 minute service with two trams.

 

[DAL1189]

I would be surprised if it isn’t back up and running tomorrow morning, the point I was making is that it won’t be today.

It’s a cracked rail at Anchorage, so unless you walked across Furness Withy ramp you won’t have seen it. As it happens, I suspect the bulk of the work will be done overnight, but the damage was severe enough to prevent running today.

So maybe this a bit of a silly question, but how is something like this detected. Driver visually seeing it? The way the tram rides over the rail? Or just maintenance checks.

 

[507 001]

Ah I see. I just thought if it was “emergency“ they’d be working on it today rather than overnight, so maybe they couldn’t spare any maintenance crew. Thanks for the information Shame they can’t run an Eccles MediaCity shuttle. Could run a 15 minute service with two trams.

It all depends on resources. Normally when something like this occurs it has a severe speed restriction put on it and it’s monitored until some sort of remedial work can be done. That monitoring can be anything from once a week to having someone permanently sat there watching it.

For whatever reason today the decision was to stop running.

For what it’s worth though, should a rail break occur on a segregated, non-embedded section, the decision will always be to stop running. Repairs are easier on a non-embedded rail though.

Running an Eccles-MEC shuttle was considered but discounted on the grounds of simplifying things for the passenger.

So maybe this a bit of a silly question, but how is something like this detected. Driver visually seeing it? The way the tram rides over the rail? Or just maintenance checks.

It can be any of the above. I’ve personally spotted broken rails before, so that’s not unheard of. The majority will be picked up during routine inspections though.

 

[M60lad]

Does anybody know whether since the new Metrolink Timetable came out whether there's more padding in services now? Only reason why I ask is that I've been on a few trams recently on Rochdale line heading towards Victoria that have stopped at Failsworth Station for a couple of minutes with drivers checking one of the computers in cab obviously for the time just like Bus Drivers do with the ticket machines making sure they don't set off early.

It does seem odd when trams have just run end to end no problem in the past and now their spending time sat at stops if they run early.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

One or more trams due to be coming the other way, perhaps? Isn't Failsworth tram stop near to the point on the Metrolink system where inbound trams towards Victoria might have to wait to enter the single track section past Newton Heath & Moston tram stop?

 

[507 001]

Does anybody know whether since the new Metrolink Timetable came out whether there's more padding in services now? Only reason why I ask is that I've been on a few trams recently on Rochdale line heading towards Victoria that have stopped at Failsworth Station for a couple of minutes with drivers checking one of the computers in cab obviously for the time just like Bus Drivers do with the ticket machines making sure they don't set off early.

It does seem odd when trams have just run end to end no problem in the past and now their spending time sat at stops if they run early.

I’ll post the same answer that I just posted on SCC:

There is an extra set in the ORL/SML circuit, so yes there is thankfully more padding in the timetable now. Failsworth is the dwell point due to the single line at Newton Heath.

Similarly, you’ll often have a wait at Queens Road inbound as an extra set was added into the Bury line circuits some time ago.

This is exactly the point I was making when somebody said we don’t wait time out. We do. We always have done. It’s just that the timetables were always so tight that you didn’t need to as you were generally running late. Extra time has had to be added due to engineering issues.

 

[Jim]

Running an Eccles-MEC shuttle was considered but discounted on the grounds of simplifying things for the passenger.

For the passenger or actually the operator? Sounds like it went in to the "too difficult" box to me

 

[507 001]

For the passenger or actually the operator? Sounds like it went in to the "too difficult" box to me

For the passenger. There was concern that having to go tram-bus-tram would actually inconvenience people more than simply using replacement buses.

 

[markymark2000]

For the passenger. There was concern that having to go tram-bus-tram would actually inconvenience people more than simply using replacement buses.

But passengers coped when it was trams from Ashton to Piccadilly, bus to Pic Gardens and St Peters Square, then back onto the tram there? And railway passengers cope fine with moving between train-bus-train. Sounds like a non issue to justify the poor decision which was made. As Jim says, it was a decision made for operator convenience, not passenger convenience.

 

[507 001]

As Jim says, it was a decision made for operator convenience, not passenger convenience.

Well, you can think that, but you’d be wrong.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

For the passenger or actually the operator? Sounds like it went in to the "too difficult" box to me

As Jim says, it was a decision made for operator convenience, not passenger convenience.

I love the Metrolink and highly appreciate it - it does provide an invaluable service to me and I’m very grateful to it for making getting round Manchester so easy.

However, as I’ve said before, I do think the Ashton Eccles line gets a rougher deal than the rest of the network, and it’s quite annoying.

 

[markymark2000]

I love the Metrolink and highly appreciate it - it does provide an invaluable service to me and I’m very grateful to it for making getting round Manchester so easy.

Not knocking the rest of Metrolink and the service it provides (on this occasion), I am just criticising this single decision. Which is very much the same as the railways way of working which is it's too difficult, throw a bus on then put a spin on it that it's better for passengers somehow.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Not knocking the rest of Metrolink and the service it provides (on this occasion), I am just criticising this single decision. Which is very much the same as the railways way of working which is it's too difficult, throw a bus on then put a spin on it that it's better for passengers somehow.

No I know you weren’t and I agree with you, I do think they do things for their own ease at times, I only added the beginning bit so people wouldn’t think I was knocking Metrolink for the sake of it.