Metrolink passengers travelling into the city centre on the Altrincham line will not be able to get past the Deansgate-Castlefield stop for two months this summer.
Beginning on Sunday 28th June, work on a new St Peter’s Square stop will require passengers to either walk on to their destination – or take the bus, known as a Metroshuttle, on to Piccadilly.
The restrictions will be lifted by September, but no trams will stop at St Peter’s Square for a further 10 months after that while work continues. A single line will however pass through the stop, meaning passengers can reach other destinations in the city centre and beyond.
The disruption will continue next summer, when the completion of the works will require a final eight-week shutdown, before the stop reopens in autumn 2016.
The works will see a new, expanded stop built closer to the new Cenotaph. It will have two island-style platforms and two sets of track in each direction, allowing more services to run through it on the existing lines and the Second City Crossing line.
Transport for Greater Manchester today released a series of CGIs showing how the new stop will look.
Peter Cushing, Metrolink director at Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “We’re completely rebuilding the St Peter’s Square stop and all our planning has been geared towards limiting the impact, as far as possible, on our customers and the services we offer. We need to stop running trams run through St Peter’s Square at the start and end of the construction work – so we’ve planned this during the quieter summer months.
“Over eight weeks this summer we’ll be carrying out works to make sure we can keep trams running on a single line through the square for the vast majority of the work programme. It’s all geared towards keeping connections for our customers across the city for people to get to work, shops, and travel to big events or enjoy a night out.
“Make no mistake, it’s a hugely complex and challenging construction project, but I’m confident we’ve planned the right services to keep reliable, frequent tram links across the city.”
Passengers will be able to catch Metroshuttle buses to Piccadilly from both the Cornbrook and Deansgate-Castlefield stops. They will be free of charge.
