A Trambitious Comeback - History of Metrolink
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ต.ค. 2020
- A light-hearted look at the growth of Manchester Metrolink, the UK's largest tram network. Born out of a desire to unite the city's two major rail hubs, Victoria and Piccadilly, and after several decades stuck on the drawing board, by 1992 the first trams were delivering passengers across the city.
Greater Manchester's public transport links suffered after the loss of street trams in the 1940s, relying almost completely on buses and a handful of infrequent train services.
Ideas of how to cross the city from one station to the other varied over the years, from an underground rail link, the Picc-Vic line, to monorails, guided busways, and something that looks like a helicopter.
Metrolink was a cheap solution that could join up other parts of the area, outside of the city too. Soon lines were laid to Bury, Altrincham, Eccles, Ashton, Oldham, Rochdale, Manchester Airport, and the Trafford Centre.
Join me as I follow this spidery history, including the inclines, the declines, a whole lot of different stations.
Music:
Kevin Macleod - 'Ghost Dance'
CC Licence
Scott Joplin - 'Pine Apple Rag'
Other credits:
ilovemanchester.com
This has Jay Foreman vibes. I'm not complaining
Yep, liking this channel
Best thing about the Metrolink is the horn. Such a unique sound.
I agree. When two trams pass in the city center and sound the peaceful horn
When you hear that sound, you know its Manchester 👀
I'm lovin the Jay Foreman style of this video. Great job!
It's not quite as frantic or absurd, though.
hope this bit of info makes you all smile I emailed manchester transport and asked them to paint the buzzes yellow/black London has red so manchester needs their own and they sent me a letter saying not only bus's but trams were going yellow/black in the future which I think is great
wow thats nice were finally getting that now
I love your videos and this is another great one. Just to point out though that the map you show at 02:30 and then throughout has my local tram stop down as Bessies o' th' Barn. It's actually Besses o' th' Barn. I thought the world should know.
I remember going on the test trams in Debdale. Think it was 10p.
How on earth do you not have more subscribers?? This channel is so interesting, keep doing what you’re doing man
Great work, this was brilliantly made!
I appreciate the research. underrated Channel my guy
Actually when Metrolink opened it only ran between and Bury and Victoria stations, the city centre stations between Victoria and Gmex opened about 2 weeks later, the line up to Altrincham followed about 6 weeks after and the spur up to Piccadilly station opened about 4 weeks after that.
The Eccles line initially only ran up to Broadway on opening day and took about another 6 months to reach Eccles.
Also there was the abandoned Wythenshawe loop which would have carried on the line through Manchester Airport, on to Wythenshawe Hospital, Newall Green and Davenport Green and rejoining the line at Roundthorn. There was also a plan to extend the South Manchester line from East Didsbury up to Stockport.
There used to be loads of stuff on the Metrolink website about future plans showing stations and planned routes but I can't find them now.
Your talks are so good you should be on telly....., so you are, but only mine! Thanks very much.
really enjoying how much content you are making lately. consistently great stuff! keep it going dude!!
Cheers thanks mate!
I always knew that my great-granny, who migrated to Tasmania, came from somewhere in Lancashire but I only found out recently that she was from Eccles. I'm not sure if that's good or not! From that I found out that Eccles is in Manchester (pardon my ignorance). I had also heard that Manchester had undergone much post-industrial redevelopment, and it's great to see it. I would like to visit Manchester one day and see Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square etc ... 🤓
Great video thanks. I recently moved here so I don’t really understand the cry for a underground system. But the trams are great, it’s fast to get on and off, you get fresh air, and the scenery is beautiful. Compared to London Underground I never feel the time pass!
I love this! I wish West Yorkshire had approved a tram line years ago but Leeds turned it down and instead a drive into Leeds is a congested nightmare and local stopping service trains around the region are never on time, expensive and awful. Great film, can't wait for the next one!
Great video! Very funny as well. Pretty awesome to see how the Metrolink has grown over the years
Thanks!
Tram, tram, tram, tram,
Tram, tram, tram, tram,
Tramity tram!
Wonderful tram!
Fabulous video, great and informative⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nice video! Informative and amusing.
AGAIN... Another GREAT video.
Rich 🥰🥰🥰.
Cheers, thanks!
Better and better Ollie...nowt else to say except well done mate, and can't wait for the next episode.
Stay safe over there!!!
Thanks Mike!
I woundered when you'd get round to the fallowfield loop. Another great video.
This gave me a few chuckles and I remember the Mumps bridge (which I'd forgotten about until this vid). Here, please take my like click !
Me too! I thought something looked different around there but couldn't put my finger on it...
I would like to go to Manchester and to ride on the Manchester Metrolink system.
Your videos are excellent, well done. I hope you gain many more subscribers.
Thank you!!
I am from/living in Liverpool, Here is the prime example of Greater Manchester moving forward and working together provinding a tram network for its citizens.
In stark comparison to the local authorities within Merseyside infighting delaying plans and loosing government funding!
Yes we have the Mersey Rail undergound loop-line incoparating Liverpool city center, crossing the river mersey incorparating The Wirral, yet that was a British Rail initiative in the mid/late 1970s.
We had the oppertunity to have a tram network but outer authorities (Not Liverpool) argued and delayed ... so the national government money was withdrawn ... Greater Manchester worked together, Mersyside Did Not!.
Great video and subject matter....you deserve way more subscribers, only recently discovered you thanks to the algorithm
1:45 The Queen & Duke of Edinburgh traveled on T-68 tram 1007 on the official opening day. It had the red Manchester Corporation headboard at each end
If one was proposed for London, Parliament wouldn't complain and they'd be pouring bucketloads into it.
I mean, it'd have to be north of the Thames though
you remind me of jay foreman lol
Haha thanks. He has a bigger budget than I do!
@@BeeHereNowuk ah
Just found your channel! Keep up the good content! :)
I remember when they opened the Bury Altrincham link...did the whole line..so excited. I was in Liverpool 2 weeks ago and it looks like they are finally getting one...maybe wrong as I can't find any info.....over too yoy
I know more money should've been spent on transport in the North. But London 2012 was incredible. The massive sums of money did translate into an unbelievable Olympics which will never be topped. Still Metrolink did deserve much more investment
@Champion Tonto the Wonder Horse their not known as Javelins anymore but those services still exist they just don't run as frequently. I'd really love to have another crack at the Olympics some time soon, we'd smash it again. And it would be so much cheaper second time around
London would not have had 2012 if it had not been for Manchester 2002. Manchester would have done a even better job of the Olympics but London gained for our success. 😳🏴🇬🇧🤠
@@pgbaines65 Manchester bid for the 1996 and 2000 Olympics but lost out to Atlanta and Sydney respectively. So if anything lessons learned from the Manchester bids would've aided the London 2012 bid. Add to that the success of the 2002 commonwealth games would've added to the success of the 2012 Olympics. So yes thanks to Manchester, London 2012 was a resounding success. Would Manchester have hosted a better Olympics? That's a question we haven't yet had answered but who knows maybe a 2036 joint bid from London, Birmingham and Manchester could be an even greater success than 2012
i'm in urmston so sadly not on the map yet but we do have the train and it's not too far of a walk to stretford or trafford centre stops. hopefully in the future it'll come here! great video btw :)
Loved the mask scene mate. Sums it up nicely 👍
Living in Flixton from the late 60s through the 70s, the lack of a decent rail service (and bus service on our side of the village) was a real problem. Interesting to see that the tram has ignored the area too.
Brilliant video! Am not from Oldham but noticed the bridge had disappeared without knowing why. Am looking forward to the next installment!
P.S: re Part 1 - the Hyde tram depot was in the the carpark of what is now a Morrisons supermarket, and the original substation built to power it is still their adjacent to the motorway.
Oh cool thanks for letting me know!
This is a great video, well produced, good humour as well as being informative, so well done, I have subscribed!
My only suggestion, is consider investing in an external microphone for your camera, the ones you use for your piece to camera. That will most certainly being your videos to up to top standard!
This is Great
We (my wife and myself) actually went to Birchfields Rd to see that mock up Tram and then we had a ride on the DLR tram on the Fallowfield line when they offered public rides. This was just before I became a Driver on BR.
I remember my mates and I visiting and riding on the mock-up tram several times during those few weeks. To be honest the main reason was the novelty of enjoying free rides on a piece of now lifted local line that was otherwise closed to passengers.
Great video, having lived in the northern part of Salford I had to rely on the buses which cost an arm and a leg to have the privilege to just stand on. Any plans for a vid on the guided busway? Keep up the awesome content!
Now I feel old as I worked at the Trafford Centre when it first opened...
Pretty speedy getting the link that was talked about back then!🙄
And I often used Pomona when I lived next to Old Trafford (football).
Haha yeah time passes pretty quick.
0:36
Hey that's Tel Aviv!
I went to Los Angeles in late November 2019 and noticed that the Expo/A line trainsets have a suspiciously similar livery to the new fleet of Metrolink trams.
Theres been plenty of talk with the " extensions " out up to Pie land ( Wigan ) and Bolton. But tbh i don't think that would happen without alot of work being done to link it all up.
I think Wigan may be a bit far out for the trams
jay foreman
I was literally just about to write this
@@mathewbayley lol
Wish Sheffield's council had been as good as manchester's. Our system opened in 1994 and since then has had 2 stops added and a tiny extension to Rotherham over National rail that only works once in a blue moon. Sheffield council treat Sheffield like it's a village when instead we could have had a system as big as manchester's.
Another great video also like the honky tonk style piano anyone know the name of the track? keep em coming and thanks for keeping me entertained in these sad times.
If only Bristol could get something like this.
i think stockport should be next build a metrolink from east didsbury then eventually connect with ashton or hyde in the future electric trams are better for the future then oil powered buses
Shame about Mumps going and the rest of the line, sometimes progress hust takes too many casualties!
I've spent a lot of my time these past couple years in the Fallowfield Loop, mainly at the site of Hyde Road Railway Station, where I have found parts of the station buildings, buried just under the ground! My most recent find, was a secondary chamber to the one I am currently exploring, which I will eventually excavate and go inside!
Wow sounds great! Didn't know there was anything left there
@@BeeHereNowuk Oh yes indeed there is! There's still two of the platform support columns in situ, partially broken with the top half off, there's a underground chamber from the second to last part of the station building, there's also the underground passenger subway that I discovered. If you go to my channel, my latest upload is of a second chamber I found that leads to the passenger subway, watch for the bonus footage at the end for the thrid chamber! There's a lot of surface remains, but it is mostly the underground stuff that is the best, I'll be back there this Sunday to go into the second chamber in hopes of getting a better look inside the third chamber, as I unfortunately left it too late this Sunday justgone.
@@Zentron Was that for the Hyde Road widening scheme?
@@sean9234 Yes, at the new bridge that was put up, the side which had the widening done to it, that was the site of Hyde Road Railway Station, you can see some of the white glazed bricks sticking out from the embankment, those bricks indicate the inside of the station.
I managed to get a better look inside the third chamber a few weeks ago, I have started to excavate it, hopefully in a few more weeks, I'll be inside! Here is my most recent video showing inside the third chamber: th-cam.com/video/N-sDLEsgSOE/w-d-xo.html
The busses, trams, underground lines in my city are painted turquoise (officially the colour is called: subaru vista blue)
Very unique colouring scheme.
Some people hate it, sone love it.
I love the colouring because it's very unique and you can spot you Transportation opportunity very far down the road because of its unique colour there is nothing you can confuse it with.
You can even spot over 1km away through a forest, because it sticks out of the leafy green and the blue sky.
Frankfurt?
I think Wigan is a little to far out of the city centre to warrant a Metrolink line, especially as it's well served on two lines by trains from Piccadilly and Victoria.
I think a line from Piccadilly to Marple Rose Hill via Guide Bridge and Hyde could do well.
Thanks for the kind comments. Yes I agree with you on both points there.
Nice extension from your last video all change
9:04 heyy i live in that building now lol
Nowt wrong wi' Eccles. He makes exceedingly good cakes.
You have a great system of transport In Manchester, here in Kent we only have really overpriced and really shitty busses and our only good transport is the national rail trains which go to London... funny that all good transport in this country goes through London.
Make your trains run like a grid
Kent is mostly London suburbs now anyway!
@@richardwills-woodward5340 well the Londoners who move here certainly act like it, my part of Kent isn’t quite yet luckily but it’s still annoying :(
Was that really an ex DLR train I saw?
Yes, it was the nearest example of a light rail vehicle then operating in the UK. It was temporarily fitted with a pantograph for this trial (DLR use third rail). Ironical, all this batch of DLR "trams" were eventually sold to Essen (Germany) where they were again fitted with pantographs to run on their tram network.
Oh how we dream of the long promised Tavistock - Plymouth light rail
How do you travel around the whole of zones 2 3 and 4 without going through zone 1 ?
You can’t, and that’s a major flaw in the network which at the moment has the lines arranged like the spokes of a wheel. There has been talk of a central line for years but the chances of it ever getting built are slim. As much as Manchester is good at getting things done, we are still at the mercy of the government, and they just don’t like spending that kind of money outside London.
What about the DLR stock with a pantograph there? What's the story? I know the ones that were sold to Essen, but how did these ones here come about?
probably used for the test trials
6:47 - Hate to be a pedant but that's most definitely a viaduct. :)
The East Didsbury terminus is kind of random and they really should have carried on to Stockport as proposed.
And they would've done if Stockport Council hadn't insisted on putting the congestion charge to a referendum - once they did that it was never going to pass!
@@Inkyminkyzizwoz I only know one one person who voted pro-congrestion charge, me. I seem to remember it was utterly hammered in the referendum. And not surprising too.
Actually Oldham technically does have a mainline station. Greenfield is in Oldham metropolitan borough.
Yes true I think I was just meaning the town centre.
Metrolink
1.50, magical. how long are the damn antiquated idiotic cars going to go on for, i lived in Reddish for a while, my ex mother in law still lives there
Manchester could have had a DLR - they still should - London has this semi-metro and it works over limited area size. London is ordering new DLR trains - why doesn't Manchester build a DLR and order together with London and bring down the cost - thinking like this would save millions and give Manchester the higher capacity and slightly faster system it needs that can then be complimented by expansion of the heavy rail network in the future. Costs of the DLR are cheap compared to the alternatives.
The fact that Manchester already has Metrolink is probably a good reason not to go for a "DLR Style" system there. If they were starting out back when they considered a new system then sure, but now it's probably easier to just integrate any new system into the existing Metrolink system. Most of what could be done with a DLR system (with the exception of not needing drivers, which is nullified by the need for PSAs) can already be done with the tram system they have, and slightly more too (e.g. tram trains, which arguably should have been in Manchester rather than Sheffield.)
@@fetchstixRHD The trouble is, the capacity issue, not to mention the speed. I am not advocating the eradication of trams, but more a cheap mass transit alternative to a better (but far more expensive) heavy rail metro to get people to the areas of Manchester under-served. Ultimately however, heavy rail in the only answer to getting people across and around the metropolitan size of Manchester (forgetting administrative borders now). Trams are great for short distances of a few miles. But the Bury mistake shows why taking over existing rail lines is an appalling action and idea that is still gaining traction. This, only because the rationale for it, is to take pressure off a sub-standard existing heavy rail network in Manchester where the money required to create a modern metro system with capacity required isn't there (yet). The answer isn't to remove the future opportunities. It seems there are several in GMPTE that think the Bury conversion was a big mistake and not worth the cost. I agree with these people.
Trams have their place, but they should be complimentary and not replacing existing track miles.
@@richardwills-woodward5340: Capacity and speed would most likely be very close between a "DLR style" system and the system Metrolink has at the moment (both are 80km/h [50mile/h] and run as multiple sets joined up). You could just as well put the "trams" underground or elsewhere and there wouldn't be much difference at this point in time, and unlike with a DLR system you can have a tram train system that doesn't force you to completely replace "real trains".
I just can't see any real benefits for going for an extra system of light rail to add to Manchester personally, I think you'd be better off either building upon and modifying Metrolink and/or doing something with the National Rail network.
(Additional: some of the slowness on Metrolink is down to M5000 ride quality being poorer than the T68s and conversion from fixed block railway style signalling to on sight operation, if I recall correctly. Those aren't inherent problems to the tram form however, and the DLR vehicles aren't the best at ride quality either.)
@@fetchstixRHD Agree a national rail is the better solution. What I am doing is trying to think about the best options within a fixed spending envelope. The big difference between tram and DLR is the DLR is much longer (they run as 6 car units - 3 pairs) and are far more frequent than the tram. 7 minute headways at best would be a joke in London. I do take your point about them being national rail compatible (unless you convert to tram signalling like the Bury Line - an example of what not to do). DLR also run at 50mph for much more of the journey. Trams keep slowing for every tiny thing - incredibly frustrating.
Over all, a national rail solution would be best. I cannot believe that Ardwick is still rotting away in an strategic city centre expansion location. Nor can I believe a line runs past the Etihad with no station. The tram can't cope on match days (I've seen the evidence though not a football fan particularly). Now with the Oakview CoOp Live venue, it just isn't a solution for Manchester. Heavy rail is being ignored by GMPTE. They aren't even trying with Network Rail like Birmingham's Mayor has - and got fantastic results! They are opening quite a number of stations on freight only sections and aiming for 6-8 car trains in their plans as standard with a 10 minute frequency. They get it. It is a shame Manchester don't so much. The tram is definitely needed, but in Manchester it has become somewhat of a religion. Wigan can't use trams, Leigh (if only it had a station instead of the bus) needs a connection and could never use a tram to central Manchester. I doubt anyone will spend on inter-suburban connections in the way rail already can and link up with more places at speed.
I just see no realistic chance of a heavy rail metro investment anytime soon, and with the tram being wholly inadequate as being the only option in so many areas, and with it having replaced trains (stupidly - especially Altrincham - Trafford and along that route) it is ruining the future needs too. The DLR I thought would be a faster, cost effective interim solution, but not the end game. On that, only heavy rail metros are the solution. Even the Tube will never be expanded with new lines as heavy rail metros are longer, faster and take you further in the outer suburbs. I don't think Burnham has any vision. However, contactless ticketing across the board will be welcome and buses really need branding too with a coherent network.
Trams are too expensive here, very unaffordable even with the average wage in Manchester, only way to get it for free is sneak on or get a disabled bus pass.
Manchester got screwed big time by the central government. It is unimaginable in Europe for a city of this size and importance to be without an undeground metro system. The trams are way to slow and inefficient for a city this size. A shame really
At least Manchester has a large tram network, Birmingham has a small line and nothing else
@@pdarsh3588 And then there is Leeds... the largest city in Europe without any form of mass transit
As a Manc I feel the pain of the two comments regarding Leeds and Birmingham. I have to say I agree 100% with the original comment Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds should all have underground systems, but our pathetic government is only interested in infrastructure spending of this type in London. The Metrolink is a victim of its own success, and is on many days far too crowded. How much more can it be expanded, there is a finite amount of land available for building on the surface.
Not gonna disagree with the central government having skewed priorities, but I have to say that Manchester easily has the UK's best transport network for a city its size outside Greater London. Funny enough, Metrolink's success shows that the system works rather well, however, you are right, capacity problems mean that Manchester will soon need an underground Crossrail of its own to meet demand.
It's be the opposite if it was London.
Yay, scott joplin
Tramlink scr be like:
9:13 edisfraw
We've had the same proposals for big cities here in the US but these tram lines are so laughably small that hardly anyone uses them. In fact, the Denver Airport to Denver Downtown Grand Central Station smells like bum piss and almost no-one uses it! Several lines that popped up in the 1990's have since been discontinued. City governments are realizing that the real answer to city transit problems is more motorways.
it’s not more motorways it’s making a public transport system that’s reliable, frequent and well maintained
From what I've read north American transport planners have a habit of planting these lines with stops that can't be reached on foot and/or are in places nobody really needs to go to. Many cities in Canada and the USA used to have these transport systems put in workable places but they were taken out. I'm afraid more motorways is not the answer or shouldn't be with sensible planning. Cars are like water. Build channels for them to flow and they will quickly fill up.
Uh... this should do some explaining
th-cam.com/video/MnyeRlMsTgI/w-d-xo.html
...and this
th-cam.com/video/Ds-v2-qyCc8/w-d-xo.html
... Aaaand lastly this
th-cam.com/video/RQY6WGOoYis/w-d-xo.html
A pox on Metrolink.
They did me out of the best job I had on the railway.
It usurped two of the most cost effective and remunerative suburban lines in the country.
It took Oldham off the rail network, despite healthy traffic levels.
It swallowed funds that if invested in heavy rail, could have given excellent improvement.
It does not cut congestion in the city, that was done by kicking traffic off certain routes.
It is 'successful' and 'well used' because the alternative was taken away.
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is.
They did.
Yes I'll agree with you there actually
But the railway service didn't penetrate the city centres at either end of the route, nor did it serve as many intermediate areas. The usage has increased massively since changeover.
If the Trafford Centre was a human, it'd have a massive ego, be very vain and very narcissisticA and be very shallow.
Theres a reason i call it the 'Trauma Centre'.
The new system is so fucking annoying with these zones
It's not very new anymore, it been around for a while. You get used to it after a while and it's quite simple
@@MorganTheTimeLord It's very continentally-minded, and if anything it makes things much simpler.
Very informative, but... CRICH is pronounced CRY tch
Oh no! I've been calling it "Crick" my entire life!! Haha. I blame my parents!
And while we’re at it, it’s Besses o’ th’ Barn, not Bessie’s!
Metrolink
Tramlink scr be like: