Cornbrook, one of Europe's busiest tram stops with trams passing through every 30 seconds, will shut for three weeks starting Monday, July 13, for essential repair work. The closure will cause widespread disruption, with no trams running through Manchester city centre on the Altrincham, Eccles, and Trafford Park lines. East Didsbury and Airport services will terminate at Firswood, and bus replacements will be provided.
Major Engineering Work Underway
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) will replace approximately 3,000 tons of rails near Cornbrook, along with ballasts and 800 concrete sleepers. Network Director Ian Davies described the work as 'one of the biggest engineering works' TfGM will ever undertake. The existing rails are nearing the end of their 30-year lifecycle, forcing trams to travel at reduced speeds.
Davies stated: 'We're running at around five miles per hour through this section... Once we've completed this work, we'll be able to run at 20mph, which will mean that passenger journey times will decrease and things will get quicker.'
Impact on Events and Passengers
The closure coincides with major events including Manchester Day, Comic Con Manchester, and The Hundred at Emirates Old Trafford. Davies apologised for the disruption, promising passengers a 'significant difference' in journey times. While exact time savings were not specified, he assured noticeable improvements.
Additional works will occur during the three weeks at Deansgate-Castlefield and on the Eccles line, alongside city centre infrastructure upgrades. This follows previous disruptions on the Rochdale-Oldham line and closures at key city centre stations.
Future-Proofing the Network
Davies acknowledged that further work at Cornbrook is planned around October half-term. He stated: 'We will let this engineering work bed in and then we will come back in and we will do some additional engineering work during that final week.' The work is part of a £150 million investment to 'future proof' the network over three years.
When asked about passenger confidence, Davies said: 'What we're trying to do is we're trying to expend that £150 million worth of investment as quickly as possible... Once we've completed this work, people will notice journey times have decreased right across the network.' He added: 'The life cycle of a rail is around 30 years. So, we'll do this piece of work now, and I'll be long retired by the time we have to come back and do this again.'
Advice for Passengers
Passengers are urged to check the Bee Network app and website for updates and alternative travel options, including walking, cycling, and commercial bus services. Davies concluded: 'There really is not a good time to undertake this engineering work, but we do try and time the quietest time in the network... I'd like to apologise to our passengers for the disruption... and thank everybody for their patience.'
