One of the most fun experiences in Manchester is riding the tram. I enjoy the city and suburban views, the other passengers are always friendly and the most exciting part is when they have a raid on the tram to ensure all patrons have paid the correct fair. The police and revenue protection officers block all doors and its funny to watch people trying to get off and when they recognise regular travellers without tickets. read more

I have a love-hate relationship with the Metrolink in Manchester, there are so many things which are good, yet so many things which are terrible about the service. Metrolink is arguably one of the best ways to get around Manchester, in terms of speed, you skip the traffic of the roads, hopping on the tram which is always handy, especially with multiple stops having Park and Ride facilities, meaning you can park your car and go about your journey. Obviously, there are some exceptions, for example, if you're heading to Manchester Airport from the city centre, you would want to take the train which takes around 20 minutes, compared to getting the tram, from Manchester Piccadilly it would be a 57-minute journey, across two trams, changing at Cornbrook. Metrolink are also doing very well during difficult circumstances, they're maintaining the best route frequency to allow people to travel when needed, and space out too, the trams are often around every 10-12 minutes on most routes, meaning there's never too long to wait before getting a tram. They are also cleaning trams every two hours to make sure they are COVID-safe and secure, I think this is a reasonable time-frame given the circumstances. The trams are mainly comfortable and pretty spacious, the floor does get very slippy in the rainy weather, which we get more than our fair share of in Manchester so watch-out! There are 8 lines and 99 stations, all of the lines seem to call through Cornbrook, with 7/8 lines calling at Deansgate-Castlefield and Pomona, so you can pretty much get to any stop from anywhere if you're willing to change services along the way, but it would depend on how realistic it is, for example, it wouldn't be worth going from Sale to Sale Water Park, despite being only a couple of miles away it would be a long tram journey due to the construction of the lines meaning you'd have to change at Trafford Bar. All stations are step-free too, so that supports access for disabled people/trams without the need for ramps, sometimes the access is awkward and it is a good walk from the platform to the street, especially in stations away from the city centre outside of Zones 1 and 2, so again you might want to plan ahead. I do like the zone system as it simplifies the ticketing process (just touch in with your contactless card and be charged the lowest fair), it also means that if you are just going one-stop, you won't be charged for going into two zones, as when the zone changes, the preceding station is the following zone. Example) Sale - Zone 3 Brooklands - Zones 3/4 Timperley - Zone 4 The huge cons I have with Metrolink have to be, their customer service can often be pretty poor, I've tried to phone them many times, even using the customer service help point at the stations only to be greeted with the message "This person's phone is turned off", I get staff are having to work from home during the pandemic, but it's called "work from home" not "turn your phone off and ignore passengers from home" Other issues are, I hate how the trams don't have card scanners, Metrolink is one of the few trams I've used in Europe to not have either a conductor or anywhere you can scan your pass on board, this means if you're rushing for a tram, you could potentially miss your service through having to stop at the platform to touch-in, which is pretty ridiculous. I do think conductors on the trams would be great, especially to avoid this problem and stop anti-social behaviour, which can be a problem especially in certain areas/routes, it would also help tackle fair dodging and provide money to actually improve services, I openly heard a person bragging about the trams being free... due to a lack of inspections. It's great to see Metrolink working on expanding their routes too, in March 2020, they had a quiet launch of the Trafford Centre line, which finally added Metrolink services to the Trafford Centre, calling at Wharfside for Old Trafford Stadium, Imperial War Museum for Media City, and then Trafford Centre, I do think it's pretty strange how the construction of the new line came early, but the new trams for that line came late, this meant the services have to terminate at Cornbrook right now, which is annoying as it means changing trams. 4* - Still one of the better ways to get around town in most cases, the grey and yellow trams are becoming a symbol of Manchester, like the orange buses used to be, it does have its' flaws including the fact that on a match-day at The Etihad Stadium, they never seem to run enough services which often means waiting for ages and then being packed on the tram like sardines. read more

I am wondering who is writing this review. I just gave a train system 5 stars. The score is well deserved. On my trip to Manchester, I used the tram many times, always on time, easy to pay, clean, quick and a pleasant ride. What is not to like read more

Metrolink Trams - Public Transportation Near Me

We stayed in Manchester for a couple of days. It turned out to be next to the New Islington Metrolink station. What a great transport system for Manchester. It was so easy to get everywhere we wanted with one-day travel cards that were rather cheap. read more

Service is a lot less reliable since lockdown and I think they could be going on strike.

Bless the Metro. Whilst most of the trains and buses around Manchester city centre have ground to a halt because of the snow, the Metro is still running tickety-boo. There are reports of the Eccles line closing temporarily but as I type the rest are still transporting people to and from Old Trafford, Sale and other suburbs at their normal zippy speed. Of course some ticket machines are out of order and some still don't have any change but what the heck, these are minor grumbles. The Metro is still cleaner, cheaper (Return tickets cost approx £2.20) and more efficient than other transport modes like London Tube! Call it great engineering, clever forward planning or balls made of steel - whatever the reason, it's good to know there's one North West transport company that are able to confront The Big Freeze head on! read more

Metrolink Trams - Public Transportation Near Me

The Metrolink. Manchester's answer to London's Underground...what a joke. There are just so many things that the Metrolink does wrong! First of all, closing the tracks constantly with all sorts of different excuses about maintenance, renovation, track upgrading, blah blah blah! It's still the same crappy service, ticket machines which do not take cards and rarely accept notes, no conductor so you have to buy a ticket before you board or else (WHY do they not just change this already?!), smelly old trams which are just not adequately set out for the level of business that they get...the list of complaints goes on. What's most annoying is that they keep promising a better service. The trams links in the city centre have been closed for months and have just re-opened...has anyone noticed the difference?! Not really? Sure they dug up and relaid the track, we saw them doing that but has it made any difference to the service?! They have promised all new trams and ticket machines by Autumn which have not yet materialised...you better get your skates on Metrolink, you've not got long left. read more

Metrolink Trams - Public Transportation Near Me

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Trams trams trams, apparently trams revolutionised transport in central Manchester. I'm not so sure to be honest there is still a lot of cars in Manchester which are an absolute pain in the arse to cyclists such as me and my mate (who got clipped by a tram today, by the way). The trams serve a few major spots and you can get either side of a compass in one of them. Don't get on without a ticket though otherwise you face the very real chance of getting arrested by the tram police (happened to a friend). The trams go to Altrincham and all over the show really, if only more people used them hopefully we wouldn't have to dodge traffic on our bikes for years to come....... read more

Metrolink Trams - Public Transportation Near Me

After getting a temp job in Altrincham I realised this would either involve an incredibly long bus journey or a walk down to Stretford and a tram ride which would get me there in minutes. However, - it was pretty expensive (£3.50 peak return) - the ticket machines rarely functioned as they should - I often missed the tram due to a huge queue of school kids trying to use the machine - on several occasions I had to get off at Timperley and wait for another tram due to technical problems - the service wasn't great when it snowed - on one occasion I had to walk from Navigation Road to Altrincham due to a signal failure On a positive note, - I discovered it was much cheaper to buy a weekly pass from the travel office, which I could then upgrade to cover buses too (£6.50 extra) - it usually got me there on time - I got a sense of satisfaction when all the fare dodging scallies got caught (almost every day) - the trams were pretty empty, at least compared to the packed commuter trams heading from Altrincham towards Manchester Hopefully after the introduction of the new trams, the ticket machine upgrades and the digital information boards which have been proposed the Metrolink will be better than a-ok. It should probably learn a few lessons from its efficient European counterparts. read more

Metrolink Trams - http://www.metrolink.co.uk/ - Public Transportation Near Me

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I'm so glad the Metrolink is up and running again. When I first moved to Manchester last summer, the place was a mess of engineering works, boarded up platforms and diggers. The work seemed to take over the whole feel of the city. And then, thankfully and suddenly, it was all gone. I could finally see what the Metrolink was all about. I've used it a fair few times to get to work at Lancashire County Cricket Ground, and it made the 25 minute drive and annoyance of finding a parking space ludicrous when I could do the same journey from Shudehill in just 15 minutes. It's quite annoying that the ticket machines don't seem to give change, and the displays are quite hard to read. Apparently they are replacing these ticket machines soon, so I wait with baited breath for an improvement. If you're a pedestrian, the trams can be quite dangerous as you're always crossing over the lines when you walk about town, so make sure you look both ways. Otherwise you'll get a very loud honk from a tram and everyone will look at you. read more

Metrolink Trams - Public Transportation Near Me

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No, no, no. I need to take to tram to work everyday. I mean I can walk if I want to, but when you don't get to sleep enough, the last thing you want, is to walk to town. So, I live 3 minutes from the tram. You need to get there, to buy your ticket. Lucky you, if the tram is there, you need to wait for another 12 minutes, cuz otherwise you might get a lovely fine. All you need to start the day in the mood. So many ticket machines are so crap, that you want to smash them all sometimes. Some of them don't accept notes, and maybe all you have in your wallet is a note!!! Or your card, so therefore, you need to go to the nearest cash machine, grab a tenner and pay for the ticket. A pain. Prices? Expensive. As in, really expensive. Think about it. You can travel from city centre to Fallowfield with 1.10 or something. From Salford Quays to Piccadilly (7 minutes maximum on the tram) you pay 2 quid single or 2.2 for return. I find it expensive. If they drop the prices, I'll be happy to actually travel all day everyday by tram, without complaining at all. Oh, and before I forget, the staff is mean all the time. When they are checking for tickets, they believe they are cool and awesome, and they are going to make us buy tickets next time. The story...will continue... read more

When they aren't doing maintenance on the lines the metrolink is probably the most efficient way of getting from one side of Manchester to the other. Now i've moved to Baguley it is very handy having a tram stop within 5 minutes of my house to take me into Manchester without the need for a taxi. Usually purchase a day ticket with my girlfriend which costs £6.20 which is excellent value for both of us. Trams are usually pretty clean and the new stations are well lit which is a good thing. read more

Metrolink Trams - Public Transportation Near Me

Like most of Manchester's transportation system the Metrolink is completely unreliable and overpriced not to mention excruciatingly slow. In a city the size of Manchester you would expect something better but it seems Metrolink is still catering for a 1950s smaller town crowd. In the first week of my new job I had to tell my boss I'd be late because on a Saturday morning when people would normally be going to work I had to wait 20 minutes (despite them saying services would run AT LEAST) every 12. Just avoid this tram network at all costs, you'll regret using it!! read more

Here in Manchester, we like to think we've got everything London has, just on a smaller scale. Giant Ferris wheel, a bit littler. Albert Square, without Pat Butcher. Oxford Road, less retail, more boho studentville. A Piccadilly but without the brightly coloured New York-esque electronic brand screens. A tube system, but above ground, with strange and rather slow little carriages that make the same noises as steam trains. Hang on. We've invented a surreal transport system! Beat that, capital! To be fair, our tram system is pretty endearing as far as I'm concerned. I've used them a few times since moving to Manchester and I can't say I've ever been disappointed. This is a part of Mancunian heritage, so we shouldn't make fun of how slow they are, or the hit and miss ticket machines, or the seemingly archaic staff, or the fact that I don't have one within a reasonable distance of my apartment. Hey, it's all the way at the other end of Deansgate! The sun may be shining over Manchester now, but puh-lease, I've run across Deansgate in the rain. That ain't no picnic. They're actually a good little commute option, the trams. People needing to get to Altrincham, Sale, Timperley, Eccles and many other dormitory villages around the city centre won't be disappointed. The Eccles one stops right outside the big Morrisons and there's even a Weaste stop - doesn't sound like the nicest place in the world but those clever property boffins have been developing some great apartments over there at cheap-as-chips prices. If nothing else, the tram is fun to ride if you've got little else to do. And as has already been pointed out, they'll run in all weathers compared to a lot of public transport. What have you got to lose, apart from a couple of squid? read more

GMex metrolink is as basic as one can be: no extensive shelters (like at Heaton Park), stripped bare of anything unnecessary. The station serves as a stop on Eccles and Bury-Altrincham lines. What makes it stand out is how you get to and from there. If you are approaching or exiting the station from GMex or Whitworth Street West, you do this via a long staircase that connects the space by Revolution bar in Deansgate Locks with the platform. And if you are in the middle of Castlefield, you can take a spiral staircase just outside the Mamucium Roman fort. Whichever way of getting and from the station you choose, a good view of the surrounding roofs and roads awaits you. Certainly something to contemplate on your way back from work... read more

I have only started using the trams a few months ago and they are fantastic they are always on time and come every 20 mins from my stop but more frequently from other lines. The station is 10 mins walk from my house so it's great for when I'm going into manchester. They do a great value family ticket I think it's £6.20 for a day it's for 2 adults and 2 children but me and my partner use it it's s lot cheaper then getting 2 tickets. read more

Metrolink Manchester! Well heres my quick review of these trams, When they run on time and when its off peak they are great to use! But at peak times and when they are running late or have a problem on the line-ussually points failure at Cornbrook they are really really bad!!!! At peak times you can hardly board the tram and have to wait for the next one which are usually every 12 minutes, the cost of traveling on this pretty rubbish service is also not great! But it does make it easier to get around the city and the outskirts so i guess ill have to stick with it, i guess its better than the bus though! read more

The Manchester Metrolink runs a fairly good service in and around the city. Certain lines are over worked but plans for expansion may make the rush hour a little less hectic. There aren't many staff on hand to provide travel advice however, and I can imagine this makes the system a little difficult to navigate if you are a tourist. read more

Utter, utter shite! When it actually manages to run, the ticket machines don't work. And now they're extending it out to the Trafford Centre - what could possibly go wrong? read more

Paid seven pounds for a day ticket, as I had to do a bit of running around first thing, That's a lot of money. Metrolink have managed in the past to reverse over points and derail their rolling stock, whick I'm told by those in the know, is a real no-no. I don't know what clever manoever they pulled this afternoon at Deansgate-Castlefield, but it caused massive problems. They were unable to say when they would or could run an Altrincham service today. They are fun like that. I waited for 30 minutes at Cornbrook, where they flashed up messages inviting customers to go away and ude the 263 bus service instead. Unfortunately, the nearest that the 263 bus service comes to Cornbrook is about a mile and a half away. As far as I could perceive, customers don't come very high up on the picking list of this company. Can't provide a service which is their trade. Can't provide a replacement coach service. I checked this with one of their employees who confirmed that the emergency coaches only come out if they have planned stoppages. For unplanned eventualities, they just leave customers to rot, or so it would seem to me, whilst inviting them to go on a wild goose chase / treasure hunt for alternative transport., If I recall, they had a habit a few years ago, of shutting down certain stretches of track, letting 'mugs' pay them for an overpriced ticket, before eventually notifiying then by tannoy that they would be travelling slowly on some clapped out bus that might show up later. I have previously seen one of their little meltdowns on the Bury line. They promised the next tram in 10 minutes, and after 12 minutes they promised the same tram in 8 minutes. 10 minutes later they promised the same tram in 6 minutes. 8 minutes later they promised the tram in 4 minutes. This continued in this comic theme for a short while until they gave up and promised a tram in 15 minutes (which of course didn't arrive). I really don't know why I continue to give this company any of my money. Avoid at all costs. read more

Pretty simple tram stop. No thrills with only part of it kept covered from the elements but this is definitely one of the busier stops on the tramline. Right next door to the venue itself so no big problem there. Only used as a stop on the Eccles and Bury-Altrincham lines. read more

Disgusting customer service.All three machines at mediacity were not accepting cars payments.I rang the customer service phone number on.the machine assuming I would be able to.oay over the telephone but no! Had the supposed 'customer SERVICE' operator been apologetic I would have felt better but she very matter of factly told me there are cash points nearby.She did not furnish me with any information as to where.Maybe get a cash machine at the station if you can't keep your machines serviced.It is a bit rich to expect customers to go in search of a cashachine.just get customer service department to start actually offering a service and like so many car parks etc do...let you pay over the phone it's not state of the art technology it's already around! Had or not been for a kind customer lending me 70p so I could pay the 5.70 for the tickets we would have missed the second tram to our concert(yes loads of us missed the first one messing about trying to pay!)It really is disgusting read more

It deserves zero stars, it's an insult to all public transport systems, it's exPensive, there's constant delays, for example Monday 20/8 there were 20 minute delays on the bury line and to add insult to injury the tram was stuck for over 1 hour after just taking off without any explanation! It was very crowded and warm (no air conditioning) & this is not the first time this happened, ok rant over in short save money and time and get the bus read more