Temporary service change

From start of service on Monday 12 February, Exchange Square tram stop will reopen, and the East Didsbury - Shaw and Crompton service will operate between East Didsbury and Exchange Square only.

The East Didsbury - Rochdale Town Centre service will continue to operate via Market Street, Shudehill and Victoria. There will be no peak service between Shaw and Crompton and Exchange Square.

There will be extra double trams on the East Didsbury-Rochdale Town Centre service every day from the start until end of service to make sure all customers can continue to travel as they usually would.

These changes are temporary and normal service will return when the track crossing is replaced.

Before making a journey, please check the latest tram departure times and our travel alerts hub for the latest information.

What has happened at Victoria?

In January, a crack was found in a section of rail at Victoria. The rail is part of a track crossing which allows trams to travel to / from Exchange Square or Market Street and Shudehill.

To maintain safety and limit disruption, the decision was taken to temporarily remove the track crossing and replace it with a section of straight rail so trams can only travel to / from Market Street and Shudehill.

How will this affect tram services?

Most tram services have now returned to normal after the engineering works on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 January. However, trams on the Rochdale and East Didsbury lines are temporarily operating a different service pattern.

Following on from the works to remove a cracked rail at Victoria, further engineering work needs to take place on Sunday 25 February which will affect access into Victoria from Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.

For more detail on service patterns, see the information above.

How will this affect my journey on the Rochdale line / East Didsbury line?

The frequency of trams will not change for customers travelling from East Didsbury towards Manchester city centre and customers travelling from Rochdale Town Centre towards Shaw and Crompton.

Customers travelling from Shaw and Crompton to Manchester city centre or customers travelling across Manchester city centre on both lines will see a reduction in the frequency of trams to every 12-minutes during peak times.

To make sure all customers can travel as they usually would, there will be extra double trams on the East Didsbury - Rochdale Town Centre service every day from the start until end of service.

Why have tram services on the Rochdale line / East Didsbury line changed?

Because the track crossing at Victoria has been removed, trams cannot travel between Exchange Square and Victoria. This means that trams must travel via Market Street and Shudehill until the track crossing is replaced.

To ease congestion in Manchester city centre and reduce delays, the East Didsbury - Rochdale Town Centre and East Didsbury - Shaw and Crompton services are temporarily operating a different service pattern.

For more detail on service patterns, see information above.

How long will this service change last?

TfGM and the track manufacturer are working to establish a date for the track crossing at Victoria to be replaced. As soon as the track crossing is replaced, the East Didsbury - Rochdale Town Centre and East Didsbury - Shaw and Crompton trams will return to their normal service pattern.

TfGM will continue to monitor journey times and customer feedback across the tram network and will make improvements to service wherever possible.

What is happening to the track crossing?

The track crossing which was removed on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 January has been transported to the track manufacturer’s factory for further inspection.

The track manufacturer and TfGM are working on a plan to replace the crossing as soon as possible. Once the track crossing is replaced, all tram services will return to normal.

Why wasn’t the track crossing replaced straight away?

The track crossing which has been removed is not a standard piece of track and was designed specifically for the complex junction at Victoria. Because of this, Metrolink cannot replace the track crossing with the spare rails kept in store.

What works are happening at Victoria?

As of Tuesday 20 February, the track crossing which was removed has been transported to the manufacturer’s factory and is in the process of being inspected to determine whether a repair is possible.

When the track crossing is returned from the manufacturer’s factory, Metrolink staff will undertake work at Victoria to prepare for replacement of the track crossing.

When will the track crossing be replaced?

As of Tuesday 20 February, Metrolink and the track manufacturer are working to establish a date for the track crossing is replaced.

Once a plan is developed for replacement of the track crossing, this will be communicated to customers and this page will be updated.

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