It is located at street-level, and is near to Coalshaw Green Park. It was also purpose-built for Metrolink on the route of the former Oldham Loop Line:[3] the tram stop itself is not a converted railway station unlike some other tram stops along the Oldham and Rochdale Line.
History
South Chadderton one month prior to opening, May 2012.
Beginning May 1880, the Oldham Loop railway line operated through this area. The railway line was included in proposals in 1984 for conversion to light rail,[4] and following October 2009, the entire line closed for conversion to Metrolink operation.[5]
A brand new station was planned to be constructed at South Chadderton, however the railway line was high above street-level at the optimal location, which would have made building a fully accessible tram stop difficult.[6]
The original alignment was modified between 2009 and 2012 between the Drury Lane and Stanley Road rail bridges so that South Chadderton stop could be built at street-level instead.[7] This change is made obvious by steep inclines uphill for trams upon leaving South Chadderton in both directions, at 1:29.[8] A similar change was also done at Newbold tram stop further north up the line.[6]
Layout
South Chadderton has two side platforms serving two tracks and was constructed with accessibility in mind. There are three entrances to the station via pedestrian track crossings and ramps, and used to have bicycle lockers until around 2022.[6]
Two dot matrix passenger information displays stand on one platform each, showing estimated arrival times for trams in minutes up to 30 minutes prior (up to three at a time) and number of carriages.
Every route across the Manchester Metrolink network operates to a 12-minute headway (5 tph) Monday–Saturday, and to a 15-minute headway (4 tph) on Sundays and bank holidays. Sections served by a second "peak only" route (like this stop) will have a combined headway of 6 minutes during peak times.
South Chadderton is located in Zone 3, and the stop itself has two platforms which aren't named. The outbound platform (west) serves trams to Shaw and Rochdale via Oldham, and the inbound platform (east) serves trams towards Manchester, heading to East Didsbury via Exchange Square.
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