Member Article

East Didsbury Metrolink to open three months early

East Didsbury in Manchester will get its new Metrolink line three months ahead of schedule, with the new passenger service set to open on Thursday 23rd May.

The new line is a 4.4 km extension of the previous South Manchester link, and has a further five stops that will call at Withington, Burton Road, West Didsbury, Didsbury Village and East Didsbury.

A 300-space park and ride facility will also open at the East Didsbury stop, and will be free for Metrolink passengers.

The service will run every 12 minutes all day Monday to Saturday and between 9 am and 6 pm on Sundays and bank holidays, beginning at 5.49 AM next Thursday

Transport for Greater Manchester Committee’s chair, Cllr Andrew Fender, commented: “It’s fantastic to be able to announce the opening of this new line several months earlier than we expected.

“It’s something that I, personally, have been promoting for more than 30 years, but for it to be complete so far ahead of schedule is a wonderful achievement, and my thanks for that go to TfGM, our local authority partners and, of course, our contractor, MPT.

“I am particularly pleased that the last government committed funding for this project before the last general election. This ensured that the contract was signed before the spending axe fell.

“This new line is a great addition to our ever-growing Metrolink network and will give people a new and exciting way to experience all the vibrant things that South Manchester has to offer.”

Cllr Nigel Murphy, executive member for environment at Manchester City Council, said: “Having a well-connected city where people can easily access employment, social and leisure opportunities is absolutely fundamental to Manchester’s future success.

“This new line is another important step towards delivering that vision and it will be great to see it up and running.”

New lines are planned for Ashton, Oldham and Rochdale town centres and Manchester Airport via Wythenshawe, all of which will be completed by 2016, with the earliest completions expected by winter this year.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .