Visiting All Manchester Metrolink Tram Stops
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- čas přidán 4. 07. 2021
- There are 99 stops on the Manchester Metrolink network stretching out as far as Bury and Rochdale, as well as running through the heart of Manchester. But how long does it take to travel the entire system? So I asked my local 'Northern Correspondent' to accompany me on the trip of doing just that - riding the entire tram network!
Note: We got a taxi between Manchester Airport/Altrincham, and again between Trafford Centre/Eccles - if you were doing this using 'pure' Tube Challenge rules, you would stick to public transport only - i.e. use buses to make those connections .... which wouldn't be as fast.
If you want a copy of my Manchester Metrolink map, it's available here on my Downloads page: geofftech.co.uk/downloads.html
Been doing a few *very* approximate calculations (as you do). If you wanted to do the different lines via the “get off at each stop and wait for the next tram” method, by my reckoning each would take the following (as I say, some very approximate maths going on here): Altrincham - City Centre 1hr 40mins; Airport - City Centre 3hrs 45mins; East Didsbury - City Centre 1hr 20mins; Trafford Centre - City Centre 1hr 20mins; Ashton - City Centre 1 hr 45mins; Rochdale - City Centre 3hrs 50mins; Bury - City Centre 1hr 15mins. About 14-15 hours in my book. 😳
See you next Friday then, Karl. 5am start?
@@geofftech2 I'm going to be *that* person that points out that the first trams are actually at 6am...before somebody else inevitably does. :-)
@@Karlinski73 what about the 3am airport tram (is that still a thing?)
@@matthewedmondson2713 It might be now that everything has (only just) gone back to full frequency again....
I'm from Manchester's but I moved some where else
I have to say as a Mancunian that the Metrolink is an absolute godsend. Buses can be languishing and trains aren't seldom what you need, but the Met is the perfect transport for the Mancunian cosmopolitan. Just wished they stretched to Denton in Tameside where I live and not Ashton...
Ashton to Stockport via Denton and Reddish would be a great (and easy) start.
Yeah Stockport too 😂 hopefully one day soon
Most reliable transport in Manchester
Also Atherton too
@@sylvia7777 and walkden
"Who's stupid idea was it to go to Salford?" You sound like every BBC presenter circa 2011. You're very weclome, mate.
Mine, ive just moved out and will be moving back in September...
"He who goes to Salford, is doomed to go back to Salford."
Bri'ish
@@elvpse Truly a horrible fate
@@wta1518 luckily im a naz-
Geoff, you inspired me: yesterday I rode my local light rail (Portland, Oregon's Metropolitan Area eXpress, or Max) to the ends of all the lines. It took me 7 hours and 45 minutes. Thanks for another super-fun tram video!!
How many stops in total? Did you use taxis or buses?
@@geofftech2 My route took me through 91 of the 94 total stops (most of them pass-throughs so I only clocked a few new on/off stops); 120.83 miles / 194.45 km. I walked to the nearest station, then used only Max for the entire route of the Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, and Orange lines, ending up back where I started. 9 changes of trains (excluding when I forgot to take a selfie at the airport/red line terminal, so had to get off and go back for it) and I helped rescue a sparrow from the train at the end of the Orange line.
The next time I do it, I am going to position the start so that the route hits all 94 stops. Also, I am going to start MUCH earlier in the day
@@the_cheese I'm a Mancunian who's visited Portland a few times and I think the Max system is pretty damn good. A rare sight in the US. Really great city too
Great job, guys. We love this!
I like Metrolink
@@williamevans6277 same makes it eziert to get into Manchester
If you only had waited to this week to do it you might have done it quicker as a lot of the lines have gone back to normal running at 6 minute intervals so less waiting around at tram stops. The trams are yellow because the bee is the emblem of Manchester. You might have seen a lot of bee emblems on street furniture in Manchester. Also the Mayor of GM is setting up a TfL style of public transport system starting with trams and buses called the Bee Network.
And the buses are going to have similar livery to the trams which is nice
thanks Andy, great info! 👍
Great news, about this Bee Network thing. We need more TfL clones to modernise the UK's cities and get everything to co-ordinate together.
yeah omg they could have missed out on the world record of manchester tram network
I'm impressed! A much bigger network than our own, so called 'Croydon Trams' which, similarly, was largely BR trackbed. (With a little bit of street running and tram type curves to get from one bit of BR railway to the next.)
Great vlog and much enhanced by your 'Northern Correspondent' (Karl.)
The trams in Dublin use some old rail alignment and some old canal alignment, along with some street running.
Between Cornbrook and St Peter’s Square it's the ‘busiest section of light rail anywhere in the world’
Meanwhile, the West Midlands doesn't have so much of a network but a single line running from Wolverhampton to Birmingham. The Wolverhampton end's in the process of getting a spur to the mainline station, while the Birmingham end's been extended twice, a third extension is in progress, and a spur to Digbeth (via the site of the HS2 Station) has just started construction. The bulk of the line runs on an old BR alignment (part of which has a BR line running by its side), while ground clearance has started on another disused BR line in anticipation of the eventual second line (which will take passengers to Merry Hell in Brierley Hill).
@@mittfh Hahaha that would be such a great name for a tram stop.😂🤣
@@2H80vids Officially, it's the Merry Hill Shopping Centre, but even though it has plenty of car parking, the typical chaos of finding a space reasonably near to an entrance has resulted in its local nickname...
Born and raised in Bury, lived and worked in Nottingham for the last several years. So the Metrolink/NET videos have been a real trip for me (bad pun intended).
Also the entire Metrolink in 1 day - Geoff you mad man.
I mean, he was once the record holder for going to all the London tube stations in the shortest time.
Not even 1 minute and Geoff gets called a ‘Swine’ 😂
lol
bruh ive seen you on Captain Sinbad comment sections too, top commenter everywhere damn
@@roshn.i Well, I’m just having fun here like everyone else.
Goodnightfrom KRISH PATEL 🐤🐤😈😈😈😈
You are so very lucky to have such a well-connected transit system. The trams are amazing in addition to all the train lines. We are stuck in such a car culture here in the U.S.
As a Manc, I'm buzzing about this upload. Cheers!
“Can you hum the tune to chorlton and the wheelies” - in a millisecond my brain kicked in and I was transported back to a happy childhood ha ha ha haaa
I like Metrolink, the real definition of a 'turn up and go' system (I'm sure there are the usual delays and the like now and again of course!), always feels quite strange suddenly merging into the hustle and bustle of the city centre too! (I wouldn't envy the job of a Metrolink driver!)...great value for money too especially at weekends unlimited tram travel across the entire network from 18:00 on Friday until close of play Sunday for £6.80 which also works out quite well in terms of finding a hotel as you can often find them in Bury / Altrincham etc. at over half the price of staying central!
I just wish it was faster like on the Underground, the Metrolink trams seem to take forever to stop and start
I remember the old electric trains that ran from Victoria to Bury, a third rail type. They had special compartments reserved for 'Ladies Only'.
That's a good idea, they still do that in Japan
I worked with the Metrolink design team for the Salford Quays/Eccles line, back in around 2000. Enlightening (and managed to get grass track installed at the Quays)
Thankyou!
But damn slow. It really is bordering on pointless that section to salford Quays. It is quicker to walk.
I like how through all of this there's never any point at which either ask "why are we doing this?". It's just this implicit assumption that it's a good thing to do. Respect.
crying that i went home from uni just as geoff is in manchester and passes through the tram stop right outside my flat
Have to say, Manchester trams have done amazingly well in the past 20-odd years
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you kindly for making this video. I used to live in Manchester until two years ago, when I had to head back to Spain; my plan was to come back as soon as I could, but then the COVID pandemic happened and all my plans went to shaite.
All my memories of the city are somewhat linked to its tramlines: from traveling at early morning to work at the airport, to go to the cinema at East Didsbury, and sometimes to hang out with my pals at Market Street... This video's given me a nice trip down memory lane! I don't know yet when I'll be able to get back to Mcr, specially now that the brexit restrictions are gonna get even harder for us foreigners, however, the time I spent there's been the happiest and more fullfilling in my life, and my heart is aching to go back there as soon as possible. Cheers, mates.
As a Manc, I hope you make it back soon…
I am challenging the HK version today! Wish me luck!
I will be starting at 9:15 at Yuen Long Terminus. We have 11 routes in the northwestern part of the New Territories and the system has 68 stops. The only official run took 3 hours and 10 minutes, and I am challenging this mark!
Updated: I did it and set a new record of 2:51:47!
My ride was: Yuen Long>761P>Tin Yat>706>Tin Yuet (walked to Chestwood)>751>Siu Hong>614P>Town Centre>751>On Ting>505>Sam Shing (walked back to Siu Lun)>614P>Tuen Mun Ferry Pier>610>Tuen Mun Hospital>751>Tuen Mun>505>Kei Lun
So cool!!
Geoff I hope you enjoyed that day out as much as I enjoyed watching that, it looked really fun. Thanks.
I have to say, those of you who live in the UK...you have no idea how good you have it in terms of public transport, particularly trains!
The Bury line used to be a unique third rail DC system when it was BR.
Like the Southern Rail network
The Bury line was run by the old GMPTE hence why it was the first to be converted to Trams. I remember they had the old brown and orange livery and slam-shut doors.
@@donovanemery597 Not quite. Bury was side contact at 1200V DC, rather than the 750V DC top contact as used in the SE.
Ah yes, The class 504's, that were about as reliable as Jeffrey Archer's memory......😉
It was part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway before that, and the rolling stock was painted in Malachite green. Used to travel on it a lot when I was a little lad in the 1950's it rocked and rolled all over the place.
Oh no Karl's back 😂😉. Lets see how many times Geoff calls the Trams a Train
Tram trains are just Pacer's siblings
strictly speaking these are both. The M5000s can run at train speeds on old train lines, so aren't really functionally distinguishable from a slower train. Especially the 3060-3120 model, as it can only be ran on the spereated tracks.
Great video mate, I live quite close to Manchester- a 20 minute train ride, so it is quite nice to see a video here. I love how you have travelled all the Metrolink stations, congratulations to you!
I love the Manchester tram network.
It's a lovely bit of modern convenience.
always a delight before bed time to watch a new Geoff Video. Hope you and yours are all keeping well
Missed opportunity for some interesting facts:
1. Altrincham and Navigation Road are also NR stations, there is a crossing between Timperley and Navigation Road that allows the tram and railway line to cross each other
2. The Trafford Centre line was only opened in March 2020 and contains a stop for Manchester United, not to be confused with Old Trafford which has been around a lot longer and serves the cricket ground.
3. Etihad Campus on the Ashton line is the stop for venues such as the Etihad Stadium, Velodrome and National Squash Centre, all built for the Commonwealth Games. However the stadium doesn’t have a railway station just due to geography and proximity to Piccadilly but is served by more buses than Old Trafford football stadium so both football teams in Manchester are now served by a similar number of public transport options
4. The Eccles line contains a branch to MediaCity, home of the BBC, ITV and Coronation Street. In fact at that point, the Trafford Centre line and MediaCity line are walking distance apart across a bridge over the Bridgewater Canal so Coronation Street now has a closer stop.
Good facts
Old Trafford station was previously called Warwick Road
Re your no 3: there is a separate stop for Velodrome, in fact. Most locals think of it as Asda Eastlands which is even closer to the stop than the actual Velodrome
5. Central park was built in 2005 in high anticipation of trams getting to Rochdale that year, but it opened only in 2012.
There are pictures relating to this also, which had me thinking, why were there yellow handlebars at central park, before we caught even a glimpse! of the current M5000s?
I've waited for this for SO long!
Hi Geoff, from new Zealand, so enjoy your entertaining videos of the railway scene in UK, just wonderful stuff cheers
thanks Barry, very kind. hello to NZ! 👋
Hey Geoff! I’m a big fan. You may already be planning this, but you should definitely do a video on all Supertram stops in Sheffield! That would be fab. :)
I'm amazed how much its changed since I lived up there! Great video. 👍
Great video Geoff! Love the Manchester metro link. Keep up the hard work, can’t wait for the next video.
You’ll need to do all the stops on the Tyne and Wear Metro! That would be epic!
I’d happily volunteer to be Geoffs guide on that one!
Done already
I waste a lot of time on CZcams and I must say that this is the best waste of time ( only 12 mins +) I've had . Thankyou .
"Around the Metrolink in 6 and a bit hours" hats off to you both I couldn't sit on a tram for that long! The Oldham Loop under BR ran Pacers from Rochdale through Oldham and then onto Wigan and Kirkby. It was a journey I loathed as a child, sat on a 'bone-shaker' Pacer for 3-4 hours there and back... that was an exhausting journey.
same here Preston to colne ..17 stops
Hi Geoff. I’m loving watching all your previous tram videos. Don’t forget, if you need any tea and Jaffa cakes when you visit, Thanet Parkway station again, then just let me know. Thanks as always for making brilliant videos for us all to watch. Really appreciate it 😃🚂
I visited Manchester in 2019 and took the Tram from Airport to City Center - just because it took so long and I wanted to see as much as possible during the ride. I enjoyed it :)
Thank you so much for putting this together Geoff.
I'm been looking forward to Geoff doing this video for ages
Evening Geoff. Thanks for that as I’m from Royton near Oldham and it’s my tram network. I used it for work today from Derker to village on the Trafford centre line 😀 East Didsbury was the Manchester central to London St Pancras line 😆 Cheers Stevie
I wish the bits between Victoria, Piccadilly and the end of the Cornbrook viaduct were in subway tunnels like the ones in Newcastle and Liverpool, but also keep the city centre tram tracks to run a heritage double decker service as a tourist attraction. It also would be nice if the busway were converted into a tramway and if there were tram tracks on Princess Road, as well as tram-train tech on Manchesters local suburban rail lines. I love what's been done thus far!
A city center tunnel is very much needed in my opinion. Could also merge the 3 stops around the Arndale into one big station underneath it. Fewer stations there would allow for longer and faster vehicles. I'd also like to see a route down Oxford Road at least to Fallowfield, maybe on the surface but perhaps cut and cover in order to keep the buses moving.
This looks like a proper and decent network - great stuff going round it all!
That was epic! Great job both of you, now I want to definitely ride the tram in Manchester 👍
The yellow trams may have been inspired by those in Amsterdam. Very high visibility and striking too.
Yay metrolink finally
Everything in Manchester is yellow because the worker bumble bee has been the city mascot for over 150 years.
Geoff sings 99 Tram stops go by. LOL An old Nena 80's Joke. Good Video Geoff.
Been in Manchester for a while and I still couldn't tell you where Anchorage is, and I'd half forgotten it existed.
Karl is my favourite journey accompaniment. Top bloke
Finally, a video that''s shot around my local area!
This was fun to watch. Haven’t been back home in over a year because of covid and some related complications, but now I have via you, Geoff, hahah
Carl's a good foil for Geoff! And great local knowledge.
Fun Fact: Cornbrook was originally a stop for Interchange only, with no street entry or exit.
Also: You could have taken a shorter route at Piccadilly to get the TfW train ;-)
well they still made it
I enjoy getting off at Cornbrook and walking down the canal to Deansgate-Castlefield
Cornbrook also features in the top ten list of the worlds coldest places
@@TheFjmtb Coldest *and* windiest!
You always used to find the "Met Ed's" at Cornbrook issuing penalty tickets to fare evaders! If your from Manchester and have been riding the tram for years you will understand that colloquialism!
Absolutely brilliant totally enjoyed this well done to both of you
Enjoyed being with you and your local mate, (was it Norman?) on that romp through Manchester by Tram. Manchester seems like a fun place to
visit. Choose tram, train or bus it seems. Not to mention taxi if you have more folding money in your wallet. We had a great tram network here in
Brisbane but they scrapped it in the seventies when they started building freeways for our rapidly growing road traffic. This brought in a greater
expanding bus service with dedicated lanes, and our rail network moved into electrofication. But I'd surely love to visit Manchester to enjoy that
fantastic tram network. Thanks for a great episode!
Geoff Marshall is a CZcamsr with a particular set of skills.
Brilliant, great stuff Geoff. 👏👏
As I remember it, yellow was chosen as a happy colour when we changed over from the old teal. I think I read that on a flyer at the time.
Fantastic, really enjoyed this!
I had a cousin who lived near Shaw & Crompton Station in the late 80's (then called "Shaw" and situated on the opposite side of the level crossing). Pacers were the norm then, although the occasional 150 Sprinter and even the odd "heritage unit" could be seen. Oldham Mumps and Werneth stations were still open (now diverted away from) and trains terminated in a now disused bay platform at Rochdale. It's all changed now, my cousin moved on to Spain in the 90's (I don't know if he's on his way back to Blighty now...!!)
Brilliant guys. Been in Manchester a lot and use a day ticket. Never thought of doing full network though. Well done.
Looks like a beautiful tramsystem.
The Bury line opened some time in 1890,s and run by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Rly.
There where no stops between Bury and Manchester Victoria was the terminus. Extra stations came later on as needed and later on taken over by BR
When Metrolink took over the track was extended out of the station through the city centre and back onto the old BR line the other side of town.
I Love Karl so Much His accent is the best - Also Hi Karl again :)
I would love to visit Manchester some day, I wouldn't be surprised if this is the biggest high-floor tram network anywhere.
between Cornbrook and St Peter’s Square it's the ‘busiest section of light rail anywhere in the world’
@@Salfordian Correct, Cornbrook is the busiest stop out of all 99 stops in terms of services.
Am I right in saying that its actually a 'light railway' and not a tram system because you board at a platform and not street level ?
@@kenthepen4857 nothing to do with height, trams are a form of light rail
@@JordanRussKOL plus Deansgate and St Peters Square
Great video as usual, a warm welcome to Bury,
Very Very enjoyable video, laughed a lot!!
I did this trip in 2016 (less the Trafford Centre branch, which wasn’t open), but with no taxis and a few buses (between Rochdale and Bury, Wythenshawe and Altrincham). It took about 8 hours all up, but it certainly wasn’t the fastest way to do it! It was quite the trip - I was exhausted by the end of it too.
OMG Impressive woohoo ❤
Love from Manchester, England ❤️ 🇬🇧
Nice one mate Well done and thanks a lot for sharing with us all
Enjoyed that, my youngest goes to Salford university and when my wife and I go up there we always use the tram, next time you’re there maybe visit the Lowry centre next to Media City
I've done the exact same mad dash from the tram at Piccadilly up to Platform 13/14 many a time 😂 Up one flight of stairs, meander left through the open area, turn right at the blind corner before the second set of stairs, bumping into everyone coming the other way, slight double back once into the main concourse, hope not to be accosted by the ticket people, across 2 travelators all the way to the other side of the station, not before one final set of stairs, this time descending onto 13/14 😁
Lovely to see you've done the Manchester trams Geoff, hope your overall impressions were positive!
I’m planning to visit every train and commuter rail station on the MBTA (Boston) network later this summer!! I loved watching All the Stations and all of these tram videos too.
I did a similar thing on the Sheffield trams a few years back with my cousin.
Loved this one.. thank you
That was good fun. Well done lads!
Fun fact: The LA metro rail system's current livery is suspiciously similar to the Metrolink's livery. I wonder who did it first. Also, the Didsbury line is also an old railway alignment.
Metrolink only changed to yellow a few years ago. They were white and mint green before that so depends on how old the yellow of LA metro is!
I was thinking about that also in the context of a Pomona station, since LA will have a Pomona LRT station within a few years as well.
@@MAK9246 this whole time I was saying “I remember them being green in 2009, did I imagine that?” - glad to know I didn’t
Before the Trafford Centre line Pomona was even less used as there was basically zero reason to get off there, there was one office building there and a bunch of wasteland that used to be docks
Now you can use it to change for Trafford Centre/Eccles line at least
All the time I worked at rochdale and bury I was wondering wen u would come and visit us....now I've missed you!!!
Been waiting for this
Now all that's left in the UK for geoff to do metro-wise are the Birmingham, Blackpool, sheffield and Edinburgh trams.
I was born in Manchester, loved the trams very useful form of travel.
best feeling watching this guy go places and in your mind you’re like - “hey i go there” - “thats the way i go to school”
Looks like you had fun guys.
I was fully expecting the outro to take place from the trackside pub at the Bury station on the East Lancashire Railway, only a 5 minute walk away. Missed bonus station opportunity there.
Haha Geoff, I circled Vienna several times, as far out as possible in city zone using all available types of public transport, one round is possible in one day: 15 hours, 56 changes 😉😉
Fascinating, amusing, instructive. Thanks to you both Now, Geoff, for an encore do the same thing on our Melbourne trams. 1,763 stops. LOL.
Why are there so many
@@airqx2808 Um, because it's the world's most extensive?
@@brucewilliams8714 bro 💀
Of course I know that but why is it the most extensive? Why do there have to be 1,763 when they could have far less? Ofc I know Melbourne’s big and that but why
@@airqx2808 Perhaps because Melburnians prefer convenience, having a tram stop within easy walking distance. They'd expect the same service from buses.
Exelent video. So much fun to watch.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I really enjoyed this , fun video and day
So gutted I wasn't in Bury when you did this.
Hello from Droylsden (formerly from Prestwich). In primary school we got took into the hall to be told about this new tram system which we could get on in Prestwich and get off in Manchester or Bury.
We have a Pomona on our network in Queensland, one of the least used stations in South East Qld.. Used to be single car platform first door of the first carriage to detrain.
Also I think it was the last place in Qld to have bells instead of alarms on the level crossing
Had my first shirt trip on the Manchester Tram. Piccadilly to Deansgate Castlegate Loved the Zones.
13 and 14 at Piccadilly are the ones I know best from getting on/off the Glasgow First Transpennine trains on those platforms! Did ride the tram once when I was going to see a student friend at the Trafford Centre.
Only a couple of weeks ago me and my brother completed going to every stop on the network (not in one day), needed the Trafford Centre line, which I have walked the entire length of many times during lockdown, just never rode the line before (also have walked all the way down the Altrincham line from Stretford, but you can walk all the into town along the canal, beautiful). I went on the tram on it's first day of operation all those years ago, I was a small child.
I think I've done 3 stops on a Mancunian tram in my life. Fascinating.
As if I went to London to do a tube challenge at the same time you come to my town to do a vid on the Metrolink. Hope you enjoyed Manchester Geoff!!!
Geoff as a cyclist I'm not really a fan of trams. Nevertheless this was interesting. I've never been to Manchester but you've given me another reason to go
I recently have been on holiday and ended up in Lancaster 2here we met Terry., a train enthusiast, he was helpful in working out which train we should get to go to Newcastle. We bonded over you, Geoff Marshall. 6ou bring people together Geoff
Ps must mention that all the train staff that we encountered travelling from Euston to Morecambe, from Morecambe to Newcastle and from Newcastle to King's Cross were all wonderful in helping my wife and with our luggage boarding and disembarking from all these trains. Truly Geoff train people are good.
Thank you Geoff! My old stomping grounds. Slightly miffed you missed out Milnrow (my hometown.). As locals we used to get the train to Rochdale and get the fast through train to Manchester.
Instead people get the tram to rochdale and then a BR train, instead of going round the Oldham loop. By the way, the Oldham loop used to be a very bouncy trip on Pacers.
Have a good day, from the Colonies.
thanks David, lovely comment!