First look at new Exchange Square Metrolink stop
NEW artist’s impressions reveal what the new city centre Metrolink stop at Exchange Square will look like when it opens this winter.
Construction work on the stop will start this summer after Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Manchester City Council agreed a final design that makes the most of limited space in Exchange Square while keeping plenty of room for pedestrians.
Architects Simpson Haugh and Partners’ innovative ‘island-style’ platform design will feature a brightly coloured steel and glass shelter with four ‘floating’ overlapping glazed roof panels. The pavilion style will make sure that the stop is visible in long views across Corporation Street.
On stop ‘furniture’ such as information displays and seating will be integrated into polished concrete columns to give the stop a clean, uncluttered design.
Work started last year to lay new Second City Crossing tracks on the section of the new line between Manchester Victoria and Exchange Square, which is being fast-tracked thanks to a major European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) grant.
Trams will run between Victoria and Exchange Square allowing Metrolink to run more trams between Shaw and Crompton and the city, ahead of the whole Second City Crossing being completed in 2017.
Cllr Andrew Fender, Chair of the TfGM Committee, said: “We’re seeing real progress with the Second City Crossing with track works well advanced along Corporation Street and work due to start this summer on brand new stops for St Peter’s Square and Exchange Square.
“The ultramodern designs for the new Exchange Square stop are impressive and it will be a great addition to a lively area of the city, making it even easier to visit the great range of shops, cultural and leisure destinations in the area.
“The Crossing also promises to improve travel both across the city and further afield, with more trams connecting more people with jobs.”
Cllr Kate Chappell, Manchester City Council’s executive member for the environment, said: “The new stop will not only look fantastic, it’s been designed with the tram user in mind, providing the best possible experience for the tens of thousands of visitors who will use it to get to the heart of the city centre’s shopping area.
“The stop will also form part of the Second City Crossing, making it easier for people to travel across Manchester and access a huge range of jobs.”
The Crossing will run begin on Lower Mosley Street and run through St Peter’s Square, down Princess Street, along Cross Street and Corporation Street and into Manchester Victoria station.
As part of the Crossing, project work to transform the Deansgate-Castlefield stop is nearing completion, and work starts next month at the St Peter’s Square stop which is being relocated and expanded from two platforms to four.
It is part of a co-ordinated three-year programme of works, known collectively as Grow, which will enable Manchester city centre to flourish for years to come.
Between now and 2017, the city centre will see more than £1bn of investment in projects to lay the foundations for continuing success by ‘future proofing’ the city’s transport infrastructure.
Also under the Grow umbrella are a series of major regeneration projects. Together they add up to a wave of investment unprecedented since the mid-1990s.
