Ian Davies, Metrolink's network director, told the Manchester Evening News that bizarre incidents are routine on the UK's most extensive light rail system. “If you can imagine anything, it’s probably happened on the network. A few weeks ago we had a snake that somebody had brought on at the airport and it got into the roof panels,” he said.
Scale of Operations
The service carries 140,000 people daily across Greater Manchester, covering over 100km and 99 tram stops. It employs around 1,100 people directly and about 100 different contractors. Operated by KeolisAmey and overseen by Transport for Greater Manchester, the network served 46 million passengers in 2024. On a typical day, 120 trams are out, rising to 130 on busy days out of a total fleet of 147, running from 5am to 2am.
Behind the Scenes at the Depot
The Manchester Evening News was given an exclusive tour of the 24-hour operation at the Trafford depot. When the last trams arrive at 2am, a repair workshop team works on trams needing maintenance, aiming to return them to service the next day. With more trams offline due to engineering works, the team plans to catch up on repairs. Mike Todd, Head of Rolling Stock Delivery, said: “It’s like Christmas day for me. We have got a load of trams I can work on. We are planning extra resources and get ahead of the schedule which will improve the reliability.”
Across two depots, around 14 trams are serviced weekly, with teams working day and night, stopping only on Christmas Day. After recent heatwaves, Mr Todd said they are adapting trams to better handle hot weather, reducing breakdowns and ensuring “next summer we are not suffering with the same issues of reliability.”
Control Room Operations
The control room monitors the entire network via live CCTV and a huge screen showing tram positions in real time, with colours indicating punctuality. On a normal day, the atmosphere is calm. However, during major events like the Manchester Marathon, a record 200,000 passengers were moved. Steve Mabey, Head of Planning and Performance, said planning for events like Parklife starts months in advance, ensuring crowds from different events are kept separate. “You do not want to link two events on the service. You try to keep those crowds separate,” he said.
£150m Track Upgrade
Passengers face disruption as part of a £150m investment to replace 6km of track using 12,000 tonnes of new rail by March 2027. This includes work at Cornbrook, one of the busiest light-rail stops in Europe, where trams pass every 30 seconds. Speed restrictions on deteriorating track, particularly around Cornbrook, have slowed trams to 5mph when they should be 20mph. Mr Mabey said: “Some of the track is 30 years old and is being swapped out. Cornbrook is also one of the busiest stops in Europe. There’s a tram going through it every 30 seconds. 30 years of wear and you have three lines that join a single section.”
The work will close the west of the network for most of three weeks. Mr Mabey added: “Once we have installed those tracks, we won’t have to go back for another 20 years to do it again.” The upgrade aims to lift speed restrictions, improve efficiency, and build resilience for the future.
