Manchester Airport Metrolink

Manchester's Metrolink network is one of the most successful light rail systems in the UK, moving almost 20m passengers every year.

There are three lines which run between Bury, Altrincham and Eccles into Manchester city centre. The Bury and Altrincham lines opened in 1992 followed by the Eccles line in 2000 generating a network of 37 stops spanning 37 km (23 miles). A group of 32 trams served the existing network until December 2009 when the first of the new trams were launched.

In May 2009, a special fund of £1.5 billion was agreed for fifteen transport schemes in Greater Manchester as well as a further line to run from Chorlton to Manchester Airport.

Design and advance work began in 2010. This work included extensive surveys, detailed designs and the development of a programme for diverting utilities pipes and cables.

The original £520m expansion of Metrolink was first announced back in 2000 and dubbed the Big Bang on account of the size of the work. But the plan hit a snag in 2004 when the Government withdrew over mounting costs, causing outrage across Greater Manchester and the start of the Back on Track campaign.

In 2008, the Government confirmed it would pay a lump sum of £244m for a scaled down ‘Mini Bang’ expansion to Rochdale railway station, Chorlton and Droylsden. Then, later that year, the full ‘Big Bang’ expansion was made a condition of the congestion charge, which was famously thrown out in a referendum.

Trams will run along a converted former railway for the 3km of the journey from Trafford Bar to Chorlton. It will extend to travelers unrivaled accessibility by high quality public transport with connections to the national rail network at Piccadilly and at the Airport.

Within Manchester Airport, Metrolink will serve the Transport Interchange which is being constructed at the existing railway station with easy access to bus, coach and rail services as well as the moving walkway linking Terminals One and Two.

Metrolink will also give a big shot in the arm to economic regeneration in those areas where the line is planned. Extending Metrolink to Manchester Airport will boost the job prospects at Manchester Airport for the residents of Wythenshawe, Chorlton and Trafford by making it more accessible to people without a car. It is estimated that the new line will carry about eight million customers each year. Most of these trips would otherwise be made by car.

Customers services to Manchester Airport are starting in 2016. The new line will provide safe, reliable and convenient access to Manchester and Manchester Airport. The Airport extension is part of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority’s commitment to improving public transport throughout the country.

Manchester Airport Parking

Parking Manchester Airport