Getting to the AO Arena

The AO Arena is served on multiple tram lines, with the Manchester Victoria stop being located directly next to the venue.

• Manchester Victoria (Bury - Altrincham, East Didsbury - Rochdale/Shaw and Crompton and Manchester Airport lines)

Tram services run frequently throughout the day - you can check the first and last trams from Victoria on our tram schedule webpage.

The service connects you directly to key city centre destinations such as Piccadilly and Victoria and provides easy access to all 99 stops on the network across Greater Manchester.

For more information, take a look at the tram network map.

Due to a cracked rail on the approach to Victoria, there are service change in place on the network. From the start of service on Monday 22 January, tram services will return to normal except for East Didsbury and Rochdale trams which will not call at Exchange Square until further notice. Please see our dedicated webpage for more information.

Metrolink are constantly improving the network for customers. Make sure you check the tram planned improvements webpage before you travel to see if any works will affect your route.

Park and Ride

If you have to drive, did you know that there are 24 Park and Ride sites in Greater Manchester, where you can park your car for free and hop on the tram to your destination? The nearest Park and Ride sites to the AO Arena are:

• Whitefield (Bury line) - 331 spaces and 13 disabled spaces - 20 minutes direct service from the AO Arena.
• Radcliffe (Bury line) - 480 spaces and 22 disabled spaces - 23 minutes direct service from the AO Arena.
• Sale Water Park (Airport line) - 285 spaces and 16 disabled spaces - 29 minute direct service from the AO Arena.

Or, if travelling from further afield, you may want to consider leaving your car for free at:

• Ashton Moss (Ashton line) - 183 spaces and 12 disabled spaces - 23 minutes to Piccadilly Station then change onto a Bury service to Victoria.
• Ashton West (Ashton line) - 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces - 26 minutes to Piccadilly Station then change onto a Bury service to Victoria.
• Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) - 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces - 24 minutes to Cornbrook then change onto either a Victoria, Rochdale/Shaw and Crompton or Bury service to Victoria.

Tickets

Beat the queue at the machines and touch-in and out at the on-stop machines using contactless.

Save money and travel with the family using our family travelcard. Remember, this is only available on the on-stop ticket machines.

The venue is located in Zone 1. A return ticket from Manchester city centre costs £2.70 for an adult. Further information can be found on our tram ticket price webpage.

If you are intending to catch a bus to or from the AO Arena, the following commercial bus services will bring you closest to the venue:

Along Victoria Station approach - a 1-minute walk from the venue

• 2 - Manchester City Centre - Shudehill circular
• 10 - Brookhouse Estate - Lower Broughton - Salford - Shudehill
• 59 - Oldham Mumps - Chadderton - Middleton - Piccadilly Gardens
• 67 - Glaze Estate - Cadishead - Eccles - Salford - Shudehill
• 93 - Carr Clough - Lower Broughton - Salford - Shudehill
• 97 - Bury - Hollins - Lower Broughton - Salford - Shudehill
• 98 - Bury - Elton - Radcliffe - Whitefield - Salford - Shudehill
• 100 - Warrington - The Trafford Centre - Salford - Shudehill

Along Corporation Street - a 3-minute walk from the venue

• 41 - Middleton - Higher Blackley - Bowker Vale - Didsbury - Sale
• 135 - Bury - Whitefield - Cheetham Hill - Piccadilly Gardens

Along Shudehill - a 6-minute walk from the venue

• 81 - Oldham - Werneth - White Gate - Moston - Piccadilly Gardens
• 112 - Boarshaw - Middleton - Greengate - Piccadilly Gardens
• 113 - Middleton - Greengate - Moston - Piccadilly Gardens
• 117 - Greengate - New Moston - Moston - Piccadilly Gardens
• 118 - Higher Crumpsall - Blackley - Moston - Piccadilly Gardens
• 119 - Higher Blackley - Charlestown - Moston - Piccadilly Gardens
• 163 - Bury - Heywood - Langley - Middleton - Piccadilly Gardens
• X41 - Accrington - Baxenden - Haslingden - Manchester City Centre
• X43 - Nelson - Burnley - Clow Bridge - Manchester City Centre

Along Trinity Way - a 7-minute walk to the venue

• 59 - Oldham Mumps - Chadderton - Middleton - Piccadilly Gardens

Many buses also stop at Piccadilly Gardens, which is a 15-minute walk from the AO Arena.

With some of the services listed above saying 'yellow' to the Bee Network, you can stay up to date with any changes to your bus by visiting our Bee Network bus services webpage.

Journey times could also be impacted due to the increased levels of traffic, so be sure to plan ahead and allow extra time for your travel.

For more information, you can search your bus service and select your stop on the TfGM website or check with your bus operator before travelling.

Tickets

Get on board a bus with simple and clear low bus fares.

Adults will pay no more than £2 for a single bus journey. If you need to make several trips, a ticket covering a full day of bus travel in Greater Manchester costs just £5.

For more information, you can visit our dedicated webpage.

The AO Arena is a 15-minute walk from the heart of Manchester.

There are plenty of walking routes from bus, tram and rail stops within the city centre.

• Victoria Station - located next to the AO Arena.
• Shudehill Interchange - 5-minute walk to the station.
• Piccadilly Gardens - 13-minute walk to the station.
• Piccadilly Station - 20-minute walk to the station.

Visit the Bee Active website to take a look at the area around the AO Arena. This includes tram stops for those that would like to combine walking with Metrolink travel. Just type the postcode 'M3 1AR' for the arena, so that you may consider making a change to your travel habits.

Congestion on the roads close to the AO Arena will start to build from around two hours before the doors open for each event as ticket holders begin to arrive.

We have identified some traffic hot spots near the arena to help you plan your journey:

Travelling from the North - Cheetham Hill Road and Great Ducie Street.
Travelling from the East - Great Ancoats Street.
Travelling from the West - Chapel Street, Trinity Way and the Inner Ring Road.

Please be aware that travel times may vary dependent on a variety of factors, including whether it is an evening or weekend event and whether there are other events taking place in Manchester. We will continue to update this webpage as our knowledge of journey times develops.

Post-event, road closures will be in place immediately to allow pedestrians to leave the AO Arena safely. They will be in place for approximately 60 minutes. The roads affected are as follows:

• Trinity Way between Great Ducie Street and Cheetham Hill Road.

Event parking

There is an on-site car park available at the AO Arena with 958 spaces which include accessible bays that can be pre-booked on the official website.

There are thousands of car parking space available in the city centre on an evening, including car parks at the city's universities, such as Booth Street West car park off Oxford Road. If you have to drive, take a look at our city centre parking map (please note this map shows locations only) or consider using a Metrolink Park and Ride site.

The AO Arena is attached to Manchester Victoria train station, which is well-served by trains, connecting the arena to all corners of the north.

Along with Manchester Victoria, the nearest railway stations to the venue are below.

• Manchester Victoria (adjacent to venue)
• Manchester Piccadilly (20-minute walk)
• Manchester Oxford Road (20-minute walk)
• Deansgate (20-minute walk)

Remember to plan your journey in advance of your trip by checking with your operator or on the National Rail website.

In Greater Manchester, we want everyone to travel safely and easily. We have a variety of accessibility guides suited to your journey on our accessibility hub and some key information for travelling by Metrolink and bus below.

Accessibility on Metrolink

Metrolink is a modern system with a range of accessibility features. All Metrolink trams and tram stops are accessible for wheelchair users.

Every tram stop has:

• A ramp, lift, or escalator - for the latest service updates for lifts and escalators at your stop, visit our dedicated webpage.
• Step-free access for wheelchair users and people with pushchairs
• CCTV and emergency call-points
• platforms with tactile edges for visually impaired passengers.

Every tram has:

• An area for people who use wheelchairs
• Space for pushchairs
• Seats marked for people who have trouble standing
• Emergency call points.

For further information on the accessibility of Metrolink, please visit the accessibility hub.

Accessibility on the bus

Many buses have ramps and can accommodate wheelchairs. Some new buses also have display screens, route numbers, destination displays and audio-visual ‘next stop’ announcements.

A lot of bus operators have low floor buses to make it easier for people who use wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and those with small children and pushchairs.

For further information, visit our accessibility hub and select your bus operator for their accessibility policies.

We’re bringing all bus services in Greater Manchester under local control as part of the Bee Network.

See a full list of current and future Bee Network bus services.

There may be some changes to the tickets you can use on Bee Network.

Be sure to download the new Bee Network app to plan any journey in Greater Manchester. 

On the app you can also see live bus tram and train departure times, buy tickets, get travel alerts and quickly Rate Your Journey to tell us how it went. 

Find out more about the Bee Network.