Eccles Line

Eccles Line
Eccles Line
	An M5000 tram at Exchange Quay tram stop.
Overview
Locale	Manchester ; Eccles
Termini	Cornbrook ; MediaCityUK, ; Eccles Interchange ;
Stations	11
Service
Type	Tram/Light rail
System	Manchester Metrolink
Rolling stock	Bombardier M5000 (2009-Present); AnsaldoBreda T-68/T68A (1999-2014)
History
Opened	6 December 1999 (Cornbrook to Broadway); 21 July 2000 (Broadway to Eccles); 20 September 2010 (spur to MediaCityUK)
Technical
Line length	4 miles (6.4 km)
Character	Reserved track and; street running
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	750 volts DC overhead
Operating speed	50 mph (80km/h)
Route map
	Legend
	Zone 1
	Zone 2
	Trafford Park Line
	to The Trafford Centre
	This diagram: view ; talk ; edit ;

Last updated March 19, 2024

The Eccles Line is a tram line of the Manchester Metrolink in Greater Manchester running from Manchester to Eccles via Salford Quays, with a short spur to MediaCityUK. It was opened in phases during 1999–2000 as part of the second phase of the system's development. The spur to MediaCityUK was opened in 2010. The line contains a mixture of reserved track beds and a street running section.

Route

The line physically starts at a junction with the Altrincham Line, just west of Cornbrook tram stop, which itself was opened with the line, initially as an interchange between the Eccles and Altrincham lines. It then runs over the 650-metre-long Pomona Viaduct, which carries the line over the Bridgewater Canal: Pomona tram stop is located upon this viaduct south of the ship canal, and is the interchange with the Trafford Park Line which opened in March 2020.

The line then takes a sharp right turn to pass over the Manchester Ship Canal to enter the Salford Quays area, and plunges down to street-level to get to Exchange Quay tram stop. It takes another sharp turn and crosses Trafford Road to get to Salford Quays, then runs alongside and crosses over The Quays (road) and travels on a short bridge (Furness Quay Ramp) to get to Anchorage. After crossing another road and travelling on a short off-street section, it gets to Harbour City. There is a short spur after this tram stop to MediaCityUK. After the next stop, Broadway, the line begins running on the street at South Langworthy Road, then takes a sharp left turn to get onto Eccles New Road and Langworthy tram stop. It runs all the way to Eccles town centre along Eccles New Road, serving Weaste and Ladywell, temporarily pulling to the side of the road to serve tram stops instead of disrupting traffic, much like the East Manchester Line, another line on the Metrolink network. After Ladywell, the line ducks into a tunnel underneath Ladywell Roundabout, and reappears at street-level again just before Eccles tram stop, and at the same time, the track singles: Eccles is served by a single-platform tram stop.

Route map

Map of the line Ecclesline.png — Map of the line

History

During the 1990s, Salford Quays became a business district specifically redeveloped for commerce, leisure, culture and tourism with a high density of business units and modern housing, complemented by a cinema complex, office blocks, and waterfront promenade.^[1] As it had poor public transport integration and no rail provision, it was earmarked for a potential Metrolink line as early as 1986 and legal authority to construct the line through the Quays was acquired in 1990.^[2]^[3] The Quays received millions of pounds of investment and a public consultation and public inquiry resulted in government endorsement in 1994. In autumn 1995 a 4-mile (6.4 km) Metrolink line branching from Cornbrook tram stop to Eccles via Salford Quays capitalising on the regenerated Quayside was confirmed as Phase 2 of Metrolink.^[2]^[4]^[3] No funding came from central government and money was raised from the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA), the European Regional Development Fund and private developers.^[2]^[3] In April 1997 Altram, a consortium of the Serco, Ansaldo and John Laing, was appointed to construct the Eccles Line; Serco, responsible for the Sheffield Supertram would operate the whole network under contract; Ansaldo provided six additional vehicles — T-68As – and signalling equipment. Construction work officially began on 17 July 1997.^[2]^[3]^[5]

The Eccles Line was officially opened as far as Broadway tram stop on 6 December 1999 by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who praised Metrolink as "exactly the type of scheme needed to solve the transport problems of the metropolitan areas of the country";^[6]^[7] a service to Eccles Interchange joined the network on 21 July 2000,^[4]^[2] and was officially declared open by Anne, Princess Royal at a ceremony on 9 January 2001.^[8]

The specially-constructed 360-metre (0.22 mi) long spur to MediaCityUK tram stop was opened on 20 September 2010, to serve the MediaCityUK development.^[9] The Eccles Line underwent essential track renewal over a two-month period in 2016.^[10]

Services

As of 2024, there are two services running on the Eccles Line:^[11]

A 12-minute interval service from MediaCityUK to Etihad Campus, running during Monday to Saturday daytimes only.
A 12-minute interval service from Eccles to Ashton-under-Lyne running all hours, during evenings and Sundays this service runs via MediaCityUK.

Rolling stock

To commence operations in 1999, six T-68A trams were ordered to operate the line. These were variants of the original T-68 trams which had operated the original system from 1992, which had modifications to allow them to operate on the street running section of the Eccles line with other motor traffic. All of the T-68 fleet was eventually modified to allow them to operate on the Eccles line.^[12]

From 2009 the new fleet of M5000 trams were introduced, and these replaced the T-68/A trams during 2012–14.^[12]

Related Research Articles

Manchester Metrolink is a tram/light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. The network has 99 stops along 64 miles (103 km) of standard-gauge route, making it the most extensive light rail system in the United Kingdom. Over the 2022/23 financial year 36 million passenger journeys were made on the system.

The Firema T-68 was a model of light rail passenger vehicle first operated on the Manchester Metrolink network in Greater Manchester, England in 1992. It was constructed by Firema specifically as a high-floor, articulated bi-directional tram to operate solely on the Manchester Metrolink system.

Bury Interchange is a transport hub in the town of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. Opened in 1980, it is the northern terminus of the Manchester Metrolink's Bury Line, which prior to 1992 was a heavy-rail line. It also incorporates a bus station.

Cornbrook tram stop is a tram stop on Greater Manchester's light rail Metrolink system in the Cornbrook area of Manchester, England. It is an interchange station, allowing passenger transfer between the network's Altrincham, Eccles, Airport, Trafford Park and South Manchester lines. The station opened on 6 December 1999 for line transfers and allowed street-level entry and exit to the public from 3 September 2005. It takes its name from Cornbrook Road, between the A56 and Pomona Docks on the Manchester Ship Canal, and was built on what was a Cheshire Lines Committee route to Manchester Central railway station. The stop is one of the most used on the Metrolink network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exchange Quay tram stop</span> Manchester Metrolink tram stop

Exchange Quay is a tram stop on the Eccles Line of Greater Manchester's light rail Metrolink system. It is located in the Salford Quays area, in North West England, and opened on 6 December 1999 as part of Phase 2 of the system's expansion. The stop serves the Exchange Quay office complex and the surrounding area. It is also often used as a stop for Old Trafford football stadium.

Anchorage tram stop is on the Eccles Line of Greater Manchester's light rail Metrolink system, in the Salford Quays area, in North West England. It opened on 6 December 1999 as part of Phase 2 of the system's expansion, next to The Anchorage skyscraper that was constructed in 1991, and near the terminus of Salford's old Dock 9.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harbour City tram stop</span> Tram stop on the Eccles Line of Greater Manchesters light rail system

Harbour City is a tram stop on the Eccles Line of Greater Manchester's light rail Metrolink system. It is located in the Salford Quays area, in North West England, and opened on 6 December 1999 as part of Phase 2 of the system's expansion. The two platforms of this tram stop are staggered. The outbound platform is about 50 metres away from the inbound platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salford Quays tram stop</span> Manchester Metrolink tram stop

Salford Quays tram stop is a stop on Greater Manchester's light rail Metrolink system. It is located beside Salford Quays, on Metrolink's Eccles Line. It opened as part of Phase 2 of the system's expansion, on 6 December 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway tram stop</span> Manchester Metrolink tram stop

Broadway is a tram stop on the Eccles Line of Greater Manchester's light rail Metrolink system. It opened to passengers on 6 December 1999 as part of Phase 2 of the network's expansion, and is located in the Salford Quays area of the City of Salford, in North West England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Langworthy tram stop</span> Manchester Metrolink tram stop

Langworthy is a tram stop on the Eccles Line of Greater Manchester's light rail Metrolink system. It opened to passengers on 21 July 2000, as part of Phase 2 of the network's expansion, in the Langworthy area of Salford, in North West England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weaste tram stop</span> Manchester Metrolink tram stop

Weaste is a tram stop on the Eccles Line of Greater Manchester's light rail Metrolink system. It opened to passengers on 21 July 2000 as part of Phase 2 of the network's expansion, and is located the Weaste area of the City of Salford, in North West England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladywell tram stop</span> Manchester Metrolink tram stop

Ladywell is a tram stop on the Eccles Line of Greater Manchester's light rail Metrolink system. It is located in the Weaste area of the City of Salford, in North West England, and opened on 21 July 2000 as part of Phase 2 of the system's expansion.

MediaCityUK tram stop is a stop on the Manchester Metrolink light rail system. It is located in MediaCityUK, in Salford. The stop serves MediaCityUK, The Lowry, the Imperial War Museum North and other parts of Salford Quays. It is at the end of a short spur from the Eccles Line.

The history of Manchester Metrolink begins with its conception as Greater Manchester's light rail system in 1982 by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, and spans its inauguration in 1992 and the successive phases of expansion.

The Trafford Centre is a tram stop built for Greater Manchester's Metrolink light rail system, built to serve passengers boarding and alighting at the Trafford Centre on the Trafford Park Line. Previously known as intu Trafford Centre, the tram terminus received the name The Trafford Centre after intu ceased ownership of the shopping centre, the tram stop's namesake. The stop is located adjacent to Barton Dock Road between Ellesmere Circle and Bright Circle.

This timeline of Manchester Metrolink lists significant events in the history of Greater Manchester's light rail network.

The Altrincham Line is a tram line of the Manchester Metrolink running from Manchester to Altrincham in Greater Manchester. Originally a railway line, it was, along with the Bury Line, converted into a tramway during 1991–92, as part of the first phase of the Metrolink system.

This is a list of confirmed or proposed future developments of the Manchester Metrolink light rail system in Greater Manchester, England.

Zone 1 of the Manchester Metrolink light rail network is the heart of the system where all of the other lines converge. Its boundaries are broadly equivalent to those of Manchester city centre, and approximately mirror the city's Inner Ring Road. Within Zone 1, first opened in 1992 as the City Zone, trams largely run along semi-pedestrianised streets rather than on their own separate alignment. The original route between the Altrincham and Bury lines ran to Victoria station via Market Street and High Street, and was soon joined by a branch to Piccadilly station by a three-way delta junction. A second route between the South-West and North-Eastern parts of the network was built to ease congestion on the original line. Opened in 2017, the Second City Crossing (2CC) added one additional stop to the network.

References

↑ "Salford Quays Milestones: The Story of Salford Quays" (PDF). Salford City Council. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
1 2 3 4 5 GMPTE 2000.
1 2 3 4 GMPTE 2003, p. 10.
1 2 Kessell, Clive (30 November 2011). "Manchester Metrolink 20 Years of Evolution". The Rail Engineer. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
↑ "Manchester Metrolink, United Kingdom". railway-technology.com. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
↑ Ward, David (2 August 2004). "Tram fury rattles ministers". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
↑ GMPTE 2003, p. 13.
↑ "Whistle-stop Princess takes home hat souvenir". Manchester Evening News. 9 January 2001. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
↑ "Metrolink trams pull in to MediaCityUK station for first time". Manchester Evening News. 20 September 2010. Archived from the original on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
↑ Cox, Charlotte (27 June 2016). "Commuters face first full day of disruption as Eccles Metrolink line is closed for two months".
↑ "Transport for Greater Manchester tram times". TfGM. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
1 2 "T68 and T68a — Metrolink phase 1 and 2". Light Rail Transit Association. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2016.

Bibliography

GMPTE (2000). Metrolink, Transforming Our Future: A Network for the 21st Century. Manchester: GMPTE Promotions.
GMPTE (2003). Metrolink: A Network for the 21st Century (PDF). Manchester: GMPTE Promotions.^{[ permanent dead link ]}

External links

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[Milestones-1] "Salford Quays Milestones: The Story of Salford Quays" (PDF). Salford City Council. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2013.

[FOOTNOTEGMPTE2000-2] 1 2 3 4 5 GMPTE 2000.

[FOOTNOTEGMPTE200310-3] 1 2 3 4 GMPTE 2003, p. 10.

[evo-4] 1 2 Kessell, Clive (30 November 2011). "Manchester Metrolink 20 Years of Evolution". The Rail Engineer. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.

[metuk-5] "Manchester Metrolink, United Kingdom". railway-technology.com. Retrieved 10 January 2013.

[fury-6] Ward, David (2 August 2004). "Tram fury rattles ministers". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 January 2013.

[FOOTNOTEGMPTE200313-7] GMPTE 2003, p. 13.

[8] "Whistle-stop Princess takes home hat souvenir". Manchester Evening News. 9 January 2001. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2013.

[MEN-opening-9] "Metrolink trams pull in to MediaCityUK station for first time". Manchester Evening News. 20 September 2010. Archived from the original on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2010.

[10] Cox, Charlotte (27 June 2016). "Commuters face first full day of disruption as Eccles Metrolink line is closed for two months".

[11] "Transport for Greater Manchester tram times". TfGM. Retrieved 2 January 2016.

[lrtat68-12] 1 2 "T68 and T68a — Metrolink phase 1 and 2". Light Rail Transit Association. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2016.

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