Manchester Shudehill could certainly be a lot better especially for a major city, but it certainly…read moreisn't too bad either, with a good number of connections via bus, while also having Metrolink services and being a short walk away (or one stop on the Diamond Number 8 bus and/or Metrolink towards Bury) to Manchester Victoria Railway Station. The station's layout is easy to follow, although it is split into two bus stations, most of which do go from the main terminal. Buses from here serve most of Manchester including Bury, Bolton, Salford, Rochdale, Middleton and the MRI. National Express also run coaches from here going across the country. I would love to see digital bus timetables showing when the next bus is, which I've seen in other locations across England, which perhaps could list destinations and towns showing the next bus to go there, which means you can always get the next bus and know how long it'll take without the need for third-party mobile phone apps. The staff inside the station seem friendly, and although they do try to help it stay clean, it doesn't always stay that way, mainly down to members of the public openly making a mess including smoking (which is forbidden), or the occasional litter or pigeon problem. There is an ATM outside (Be careful as this is a common spot for homeless people), newsagents and a coffee shop (which never seems to be open) at Shudehill. 3*

Shudehill Interchange is one of Manchester's transport hubs that is far less scummy than Victoria…read morestation and much less stressful than the bustling Piccadilly Station. You can catch the metro from Shudehill either as well as many local buses. It's also the Manchester stop for Megabuses which I love because the bus station is only five minutes away from my flat. Mega useful. Inside the bus station is a newsagents which sells confectionary and crisps and stuff for your journey, and generally the station is clean, light and well maintained. There's a few seats if you've got a long wait too. Ooh, also dead useful is that there is a cash machine just outside the main entrance. Dead handy if you're over in Trof or tv21 and need some more cash quickly.

Didsbury Village Metrolink is a fairly new addition to the Metrolink network, the station opened in…read more2013. It is in a great location for Didsbury Village with the suburb's shops and restaurants a couple of minutes away on foot. It is on the South Manchester Line between East Didsbury and Rochdale Town Centre, with some Rochdale-bound trains terminating at Shaw and Crompton. It is a pretty basic tram stop, it is fairly clean, with ample shelter, it has ramped access onto street-level which is easier for everyone, to avoid dealing with slippy steps or slow lifts. 4* - Nice tram stop. It would be even better if they finally set the Stockport extension into motion.

Very close to the heart of Didsbury village, a useful service to get into Manchester or to the…read morenearby shopping area of Parswood.

Piccadilly Gardens Metrolink is one of the most used stations on the Manchester Metrolink Station,…read moreit opened in 1992 before being rebuilt in 2009. It consists of a single island platform with services mostly running every 12 minutes on key routes. It's pretty much your bog standard tram platform, there are some backrests and seating while waiting for your tram, and some shelter, although on days with heavy rain and wind, it won't do much at all. Each side of the platform has ramped access and stairs making it easy to get in and out of, it's also facing Piccadilly Gardens bus station and City Tower, making it easy to continue on your journey. Ticket machines are available on the platform, but it's easier just to tap in and out with contactless nowadays, where the fares are now capped. It's a very busy interchange, so can get very crowded on the platforms, one thing I think isn't well thought out at the Metrolink stops in the city centre is that people just stand in the way, which makes it difficult if you're rushing for a tram, or trying to get off, there isn't really anywhere to go. Due to the central location, Piccadilly Gardens is on multiple lines and serves trams to Altrincham, Ashton Under-Lyne (via Piccadilly Station and Etihad Campus), Bury (via Victoria Station), Eccles (via Media City) and other part-route variations of the above. 3* - Bog standard tram stop, right in the heart of the city centre. It isn't somewhere you'd want to spend too long and can be uncomfortable at peak times, but with trams coming every couple of minutes, you shouldn't need to be there long.

Piccadilly Gardens acts as a busy interchange for buses and trams in and out of the city. You can…read morepretty much get a tram or bus to anywhere from here. So if you're in town and need to get out, Piccadilly Gardens will probably have a bus or tram going to somewhere at least vaguely near you. With the high volume of traffic going through, things can get pretty hectic down there, so make sure you're looking both ways when you're crossing the street and finding which stop is yours. It seems as if buses and trams are coming from all directions! If you're getting a bus up from Fallowfield on an evening, chances are you'll be sharing the bus with loads of pissed-up students on their way to some club. When you finally arrive in Piccadilly Gardens, they'll barge past you to get out of the bus and then they'll literally run as fast as they can to the nearest doorway or corner to empty their bladder. Lovely.

Market Street Metrolink is located right at the top of Market Street, in Manchester city centre, it…read moreis opposite Primark and is one of the busiest stops on the network as a whole. If you're heading to the Manchester Arndale, Piccadilly Gardens and many attractions/events in the city centre, this stop could be handy for you. It is on the yellow, green and dark blue lines meaning trams from here go to Piccadilly, Altrincham, Manchester Airport and Bury (via Victoria). As with all stations on the Metrolink network, this stop is step-free. You are able to use ramped access on both sides of the platform, although there is the option of taking a couple of steps too if you're in a hurry. The station isn't too exciting - it does have adequate shelter for the regular rainy days we have in Manchester, as well as a couple of seats, it generally isn't a place you're going to spend too much time due to the regular services from here. While the station isn't staffed 24-7, at peak times and whenever there are maintenance works at the station or on the network as a whole, you can expect staff members on the platform to offer assistance. 4*

The Metrolink tram system covers a good part of Greater Manchester (from Bury to Altrincham and…read moreManchester Piccadilly to Eccles). When making an onward connection at Manchester Piccadilly, it's clearly sign-posted, simple and speedy to find. The maps on the platform are easy-to-follow. On-site machines permit you to get your ticket just before you board (although you might need to allow a little extra time for this). Trams run very regularly, around every 12 minutes. Once on-board, the large windows are a boon - even in the rain - as they give you a good perspective on Manchester's diverse offering - from the impressive new super-modern developments to the canalside, former mill areas and historic buildings.

Prestwich Metrolink is your typical Metrolink station, it is on the Manchester Piccadilly - Bury…read moreline with trams in both directions, average day services will run every 12 minutes in each direction. This was actually a railway station for a considerable amount of time, which again is typical with the Metrolink network, it opened as a train station in 1879, before closing in 1991 and re-opening in an impressive 8 months, in April 1992. It is in a good location for Prestwich town centre, including Marks and Spencer, Tesco and a couple of restaurants and also many bus services call nearby, for a slightly slower journey into town or more further afield with the X43 Witchway into Burnley via Rawtenstall and the X41 into Accrington. The station seemed clean, it had partial shelter, I did struggle to find the exit which is a ramped pathway on the Bury bound platform at least. 3* - Useful station for me in order to catch Transdev buses or to go into Pretswich, could be better signposts around the station to get out and on with your journey, and the stepped area could be maintained to avoid being dirty/smelly.

Station needs a bit of cleaning but very conveniently located.read more

Trafford Bar might not be the most impressive Metrolink station on the network, but the location is…read moreideal for Old Trafford Football Stadium (Wharfside is still much closer on the new Trafford Line) as well as providing easy access to the Trafford Centre via the X50/250 bus (Whenever there's a fault on the Trafford Line I like getting the bus from here to the Trafford Centre after getting on in the city centre, saves a lot of time!) Considering it only has two platforms and isn't a main city centre station it serves a good number of destinations including Altrincham, Bury and Manchester Airport. You can also get a train here into both of Manchester's major train stations, Piccadilly and Victoria. It might not be the most modern or exciting of stations and the entrance from the main road might not be the greatest journey at night as it involves a couple of side streets, but still a pretty useful station for the Trafford area. 3*

I'm surprised the Metrolink station at Victoria Station hasn't been reviewed since 2010, especially…read moreconsidering the recent refurbishments of late at Victoria, which included a new Metrolink area, which is pretty nice and modern, and in the central part of the station. Victoria Station has had £44 million spent on it, making it all look really nice, and for a metrolink station it is quite nice, and much nicer than the one in Piccadilly which is a little dark, gloomy and "Underground" They is a ramp or a few steps to get here, and it is in line with the other platforms, of course you have places for coffee nearby and the facilities of Victoria Station. Victoria is on quite a "few mini lines" but the main line it is on is Rochdale - Ashton Under lyne and Bury - East Disbury, but it does have trams from other places and central Manchester too. If I'm correct, they is plans to build a connection with city center locations and Piccadilly Station soon, which would be good. They isn't much to comment on further, as it is pretty much an above average metrolink station, and I don't want to start commenting on Victoria Station in general too much as that is a different review, but it is defiantly one of the nicer metrolink stations I have seen as well, under shelter as well so I feel it does deserve 3 stars.

This particular metrolink stop is located right inside the Victoria Station - very similar to…read moreManchester Piccadilly. This is a stop on the Bury line, and to get there you need to walk across the rails. Apart from its location in Manchester's oldest train station, this must be the most exciting feature of Victoria metrolink. However, if you like watching the buildings flying past, then there may be additional pleasure in riding past Manchester's Green Quarter, with its glass-and-concrete apartments.

Wythenshawe Town Centre Metrolink Station is a pretty average Metrolink station, it is split across…read moretwo platforms, one going towards Victoria and the other going towards Manchester Airport, it is also attached to the Bus Station, forming an Interchange, which you can use to carry on your journey. It opened in 2014 and is in Fare Zone 4, as suggested by the name, it is located in Wythenshawe Town Centre, just turn past Boots and you have the Wythenshawe Civic Centre Shops, including Asda, many pound-shops Superdrug and a Post Office, One of the card readers on the platform didn't seem to be working and did have an error with my pass, it would have been good to see more readers on the platform rather than just one at every-end, especially with contactless payments now becoming more common along the network. The stop was clean, it had sufficient shelter considering the most amount of time you'll have to spend here is around 10-12 minutes during its peak Monday-Saturday service, or a little longer on a Sunday. 3* - Average tram stop, it is in a good location as suggested by the name, I do think it's a shame for Wythenshawe residents that trams now terminate at Victoria in most cases, rather than carrying on further, meaning you'd have to change at Cornbrook or get a bus into Piccadilly.