Replacement work between key tram stops in Manchester city centre moves into final stage of £147m programme

Work between Piccadilly Station and Piccadilly Gardens is being carried out in three phases as part of a major £147m investment in the network up to 2027.

Once work at Piccadilly Gardens and Portland Street is finished (set for 17 July), work will move to the junction of Aytoun Street and Auburn Street between 19 July and 10 August.

Traffic management measures will be in place on Aytoun Street and on some surrounding streets during this phase of the works, including:

• A section of Aytoun Street will be closed to all highway users.
• A signed diversion route will be in place along Minshull Street, Portland Street, Piccadilly, Gore Street, and Chatham Street.
• The “bus and taxi only” lanes on Portland Street will be temporarily suspended eastbound towards Newton Street so all traffic will be able to use that stretch of road while the works are carried out.
• Chatham Street will be temporarily made two-way, with the ‘no entry’ from Piccadilly lifted for the duration of the works. This will form part of the overall diversion and maintain local access to premises on Aytoun Street.
• Additionally, to allow local access to Aytoun Street, temporary two-way traffic access will be allowed on parts of Aytoun Street and Auburn Street where there is usually only one way access.

Danny Vaughan, Chief Network Officer at Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “Work is progressing well on this major piece of our coordinated package of track replacement works and we thank everyone for their patience while these upgrades are carried out.”

He said: “Metrolink forms a key part of the Bee Network and is the largest light rail network in the country- with our trams carrying 46 million passenger journeys last year alone - playing a vital role in supporting growth and connecting people to jobs, education and leisure opportunities.”

Adding: “With more people leaving the car at home and getting on board the Bee Network, it’s important we continually invest in the network to keep it safe, reliable and accessible for years to come.”

TFGM said that key changes to services are as follows:

• Trams on the Altrincham/Bury lines won’t serve Piccadilly Gardens or Piccadilly station. Services will run between Altrincham and Bury via Market Street.
• All trams from Ashton and Etihad Campus will terminate at Piccadilly station. Signage will be in place to direct passengers walking to Market Street to connect to services across the city and beyond. Passengers will be able to use the fully wheelchair accessible free bus services around the city to connect to tram services at St Peter’s Square, Deansgate Castlefield or Victoria. A replacement bus will run outside the usual free bus operating times.
• Eccles services (via MediaCityUK) will run to Victoria via Market Street.
• MediaCityUK to Etihad Campus peak time services will not run during these works. There will be extra double trams on the Eccles – Victoria via MediaCityUK service, to boost capacity.

TFGM also said that engineering works will also take place at Pomona and on the Eccles line between Saturday 2 and Sunday 10 August.

This means no tram service will operate on the Eccles via MediaCityUK line or between Cornbrook and Wharfside, meaning services on the Trafford Park line will only operate between Wharfside and the Trafford Centre. A bus replacement service will operate between Eccles and Piccadilly via Wharfside during the closure, serving all the affected stops.

For further information on these works visit Tram improvement works and disruptions | Bee Network | Powered by TfGM