Part of a Metrolink line to close to replace 1.7 kilometres of worn track

Two tram stops on Metrolink’s Eccles line will close for ten weeks for major rail replacement work.

Track renewal work will be carried out on Eccles New Road which will result in the closure of Eccles and Ladywell tram stops from Saturday July 15 to Thursday September 21. Services will continue to operate as normal between Weaste and Manchester city centre, as well as the MediaCityUK and Trafford Park Metrolink lines.

The works will see the replacement of 1,700 metres of worn rails, according to transport bosses.

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Metrolink say a 'fully accessible' bus replacement service will also run to take passengers between Weaste and Eccles, serving Ladywell.

Signed pedestrian walking routes will also be in place and customer service staff will be on hand to help passengers.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and KeolisAmey Metrolink (KAM) regularly carry out maintenance, repairs and renewal to track, overheard wires and other equipment.

Work has previously been carried out on the Eccles line in 2021 and 2022 to replace sections of worn rail along the line, which first opened 22 years ago. A total of 1.7km of worn rails will be replaced as part of the latest phase.

Undertaking the repairs over the summer and early autumn will ensure that as much work as possible is completed and reduced the need to close the line for longer in the future, according to Metrolink.

Danny Vaughan, TfGM’s Head of Metrolink, said: "I’d like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience these works will cause. It is, however, essential to do to keep our services safe into the future.

"It will be the final summer of rail replacement for some years, and this year we will be running trams all the way to Weaste from the city centre, in order to minimise disruption."

Travel advice and information can be found on TfGM's website.^[2] For any other queries prior to, or during the course of, these engineering works, passengers are urged to contact the TfGM Customer Relations team at [email protected]^[3] or by calling 0161 244 1000.

References

1. ^{^} by clicking here (manchester.page.link)
2. ^{^} on TfGM's website. (tracking.vuelio.co.uk)
3. ^{^} [email protected] (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)