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.

Heaton Park Metrolink is a tram stop. It is in Fare Zone 3 between Bowker Vale and Prestwich on the…read moreAltrincham - Bury line of the Manchester Metrolink. I've used this station on a couple of occasions now, although I prefer to use Bowker Vale as it's easier for me to get home, it is useful that cars can pretty much park right outside the station if you're being booked up or looking to get an Uber. The 135 bus service, also from Manchester - Bury also passes the station. There is a small car park right outside the station which is free for Metrolink passengers but with only nine spaces, it isn't reliable and pretty much always appears to be full, even in the evening. The station has two island platforms, you'd have to go up and down the stairs (or lifts) to get between them. The station is very dark and poorly lit pretty much throughout so doesn't feel like the safest or most welcoming place, especially at night when trams become less frequent anyway. 3* - It's a basic tram station at the end of the day, the location is great if you're heading to Heaton Park, and the car park is handy too if you're lucky enough to get one of the few parking spaces, but doing more to improve the safety in the station at night is a must whether it's better lighting, security or both.

A dark and what seems quite a grubby light railway station . Seems to be full of youths at night…read moreand occasionally trying to throw stones at teams from the bridge , but a new lift has been installed and gets very busy with events at Heaton park ! I'd go to bowker vale as your more likely to get on ! The car park for Heaton park is also very small !

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

Bowker Vale is located on the Bury line of the Manchester Metrolink, services run between Bury and…read moreManchester city centre, every 6 minutes at peak times, with services continuing onto Altrincham or Piccadilly Station after Manchester city centre depending on which tram you board. The location is good, there is short-stay parking, ideal for dropping someone off on the street outside the station. The 59 bus which runs between Oldham and Manchester Piccadilly, and other bus services, including the 41, also stop just outside the station, on Middleton Road. It is a short walk from the main road to the station, with ramped access or steps. If you end up on the wrong platform, there is a staircase and a bridge to cross the tracks. While the station does not have lift access, both platforms are accessible without needing steps from the street. It is a basic tram stop apart from that, it is very poorly lit, especially from the street to the platform, which could be a problem in the evening. The lack of shelter also could be a problem on one of the many wet and windy days we get in Manchester, with only partial shelter. There are a small number of seats, but again these do get wet, despite being under a small roof and aren't the most comfortable. 3* - Average tram stop, the location is useful if you're looking to save some time getting into Bury or Manchester compared to the bus. It's also the closest tram stop to Middleton town centre, which has wrongly been excluded from the tram network.

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.

Whitefield Metrolink Station is one of the many stations on the Manchester Metrolink network,…read moreoriginally a train station it is now only used and operated by Manchester Metrolink on the Bury line, services from here generally go from Bury to Manchester Victoria, and then onto either Altrincham or Manchester Piccadilly. The station is between Besses o' th' Barn (when going towards Manchester) or Radcliffe (when going towards Bury), it is only 5 minutes on the tram to Bury, which is around 3x quicker than what it would take driving, meanwhile it takes around 20 minutes from here into Manchester Victoria, around the same as it would driving. Talking more about the station its-self, like all Metrolink stations it is step-free, however, the step-free access is really weird, it isn't signposted very well and doesn't involve going in the main station entrance its-self, instead, it involves going down side streets to follow the ramp access. The overall look and feel of the station after that is similar if not the same to any other Metrolink station that isn't in the city centre. Impressively, this is one of the stations with park and ride facilities meaning you can drop off your car and get onto the tram, which is a great idea to save parking costs of going into Manchester, or time and parking costs of going into Bury, with over 200 regular parking spaces and over 10 disabled parking spaces. The station also has toilets nearby, in Morrisons across the way and it also has small newsagents at the front of the station, which very few Metrolink stations have. The chances are when travelling from here, you probably would have to get a connecting train somewhere in Manchester, such as from Manchester Victoria or Cornbrook depending on which service you get on and which one you require, I'm struggling in terms of rating this station, I didn't like the main entrance going into the station, I found it a little dark and gloomy and the step free access wasn't well sign-posted, yet still it is in a decent location with toilets and a supermarket nearby and does provide a large amount of parking, which very few Metrolink stations do, I feel due to the entrances into the station and issues with signage and other reasons mentioned, Whitefield Metrolink Station only deserves a mid to high two-star rating.

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.

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.

Fairly straight forward!…read more You arrive at the station, you go to the machine and ... After several taps later you are finally able to complete your order on the "touch" screen to buy your ticket. These machines are not touch sensitive and need a firm couple of presses! Bring your foam hands! The tram stop finally has an LED screen to tell you when the next tram is due - an absolute miracle when you're in a rush and need to decide if you have time to hit up the cash machine or if you need to grab that taxi instead. The facilities have improved over the years but the touch screens definitely need looking at again!

This is not the brightest place to spend time, however, all being well you should only be here for…read more5-10 minutes!! Its a very standard Metrolink stop which has a reasonable sized car park where you can park all day for free (not overnight though or you'll get fined!). There are 2 ticket machines on each platform and plenty of room to shelter from inclement weather.

Crumpsall I can say isn't the brightest of places but this tram station comes to what you would…read moreexpect from the Manchester Metrolink. There are trams running from the centre and into bury coming at regular intervals so your never waiting around too long. 2 ticket stations are located on each platform too. All in all, pretty standard.