Manchester travel warning ahead of Co-op Live gigs, Man City and Man Utd games - when network will be busiest

That’s the message from Transport for Greater Manchester ahead of the final week of November. It is a period where thousands of people will be travelling astound the region for music, football, and of course the Christmas Markets.

On Tuesday double trams will run all day on the line between Eccles and Ashton-under-Lyne. The line between Altrincham and Piccadilly will also extend operations to serve the Etihad Campus.

Tram services will run every six minutes from the city centre, but they are likely to be very busy and people may need to wait before they can get on board. Another good option is to consider walking to the venue from the city centre. There is a well-lit, stewarded route which takes around 25 minutes from Piccadilly. 

There’s another Co-op Live and Man City clash on Tuesday November 26. City host Feyenoord in the Champions League, whilst Sleep Token bring their tour to Manchester.

Around 2,000 Feyenoord fans will walk up to the Etihad from Shambles Square, which will cause disruption in the city centre, including to roads and the bus and tram networks. Man Utd host Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt on Thursday November 28, and the visiting side will be bringing around 6,000 thousand fans, with a huge fan walk-up to Old Trafford planned.

Maggie Carter, Head of Network Development at TfGM, said: “The run-up to Christmas is always a busy time in the city centre and the coming week will be exceptionally busy with thousands of football fans expected for big games at the Etihad and Old Trafford and music fans heading to Co-op Live.

“Whether you are going to the match, heading to a concert or travelling elsewhere we recommend getting on board public transport, planning your journey so you have plenty of time and avoiding the busiest times to travel. The walking route from the city centre is a great option, making getting to the Etihad as easy as possible. Finally, I would strongly encourage fans to plan ahead and use the Bee Network app and website to keep up to date with the latest travel alerts.”

When will the Manchester travel network be at its busiest this week?

As you have seen, there’s a lot taking place around Manchester next week. TfGM have said that the transport network around the region will be busiest between 4pm and 5.30pm on Saturday (November 23) and between 5.30pm and 8pm on Tuesday (November 26).

Full list of big Greater Manchester events November 26-28

• November 26- Etihad Stadium- Man City v Feyenoord- kick off 8pm
• November 26- Etihad Stadium- Sleep Token- doors open 6.30pm
• November 28- Old Trafford- Man Utd v Bodø/Glimt- kick off 8pm