£350m tramline to Trafford Centre gets green light
A £350m tramline to the Trafford Centre in Greater Manchester has been given the green light by the Government.
The 3.4-mile Metrolink line will go from Pomona to Trafford Park past the Imperial War Museum.
Plans were submitted to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling by Transport for Greater Manchester following a public inquiry last year.
Construction work could start by the end of the year and the line may open in 2020.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Tony Lloyd, said: “Our new Trafford Park line will connect people across Greater Manchester to thousands of new job opportunities as well as offering fast, frequent and sustainable links to some of our city-region’s greatest sporting and cultural venues, not to mention the Trafford Centre.
“This new line will boost our economy and bring us closer to our goal of a world class transport system for Greater Manchester. I look forward to seeing the first shovel in the ground this winter.”
Trafford Council Leader, Sean Anstee, said: “Excellent transport links are vital to make Greater Manchester as attractive as possible for businesses to establish themselves here and, with them, more jobs and apprenticeship opportunities.
“Trafford Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority has worked closely with TfGM to enable this proposal to come to fruition and I want to thank those whose hard work and effort has managed to achieve this wonderful opportunity for the borough.”
TfGM claim 89% of people were in favour of the extension plans in a 12-week public consultation in summer 2014.
Funding has already been secured by Greater Manchester Combined Authority through the “earn back” funding arrangement as part of the Greater Manchester devolution deal, said TfGM.
The Trafford Park line will pass under the Trafford Road Bridge and run alongside the existing promenade next to Manchester Ship Canal before joining Trafford Wharf Road.
The route will turn left onto Warren Bruce Road and then bear to the right onto Village Way up to Parkway. It then crosses over the Bridgewater Ship Canal before turning right onto Barton Dock Road, terminating outside the intu Trafford Centre.
Services will call at six stops – Wharfside, Imperial War Museum, Village, Parkway, EventCity and Trafford Centre.
Metrolink has tripled in size in recent years as part of a £1.5bn expansion, making it the largest light rail network in the UK. Services currently run to 93 stops spanning 62 miles (100km) of track, catering for more than 35 million journeys a year.
