National rail strike 2022 Greater Manchester: extra trams being put on to help passengers plus travel advice

Train services will virtually grind to a halt for three days as a national rail strike takes place - but transport bosses in Greater Manchester have been looking at how they can help travellers.

Trade unions, train operators and the Government are embroiled in a dispute over pay, working conditions and potential job lossesthat means there will be very few rail services running on Tuesday 21 June, Thursday 23 June and Saturday 25 June.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has now issued travel advice to anyone needing to get around the city-region during the three strike days.

And it has said it is trying to provide additional public transport option for passengers.

What is TfGM doing for the three days of strike action?

The massive industrial dispute on the railways will affect the services TfGM puts on.

Tram services on the three strike days will be impacted between Altrincham and Timperley before 7am and after 7pm as Metrolink relies on Network Rail’s signallers for safe operation through that part of the network.

However, TfGM says it is working with operators to provide enhanced services across the bus and tram network where possible.

Additional double trams will be running across the Metrolink network on strike days and will be prioritised in areas of greatest demand to help passengers get around.

TfGM has also reminded travellers that thousands of free park and ride spaces are available at dozens of sites across Greater Manchester.

Bus services will operate as normal on the three days of industrial action.

TfGM has set up a dedicated web page to help people plan their journeys, and this can be accessed here.

Train operators running services in Greater Manchester such as Northern and TransPennine Express have already urged passengers not to travel if at all possible on the three strike days.

Only a fraction of normal services will be running, and any trains which do run are expected to be extremely busy.

What has TfGM said?

TfGM’s head of operations, Alex Cropper, said: “The message to avoid rail travel next week is very clear from train operators – meaning tens of thousands of displaced journeys in Greater Manchester alone.

“While we expect some of those to adapt their plans, such as by working from home, we expect there to still be many people, who might ordinarily use local train services, needing to get around.

“With the numbers of trips on our roads now exceeding pre-pandemic levels, any additional journeys by car are likely to add to congestion and delays, which is why we are working with other operators to put on as many additional services as possible.

“For shorter journeys please think about walking or cycling or, with thousands of free car parking spaces available at our park and ride sites local bus and Metrolink services offer a great alternative.

“However you plan to get around, our key bit of advice is to plan your journey in advance and allow extra time when travelling .”