New tram line right on track
LEADERS HAIL START OF CONSTRUCTION AIMED AT CUTTING CONGESTION
PASSENGERS are one step closer to boarding trams to the Trafford Centre after the first track was laid - and transport bosses hope its completion in 2020 may cajole commuters out of their cars.
Speaking at Parkway Circle as the £350m project reached a major milestone, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the long-awaited route would offer a ‘real alternative’ to drivers. The line is the first big project to benefit from the Devolution deal the handing over of more power to the region’s leaders from government.
It is this that unlocked the cash along with £20m from Trafford Council - to make Trafford Park Metrolink a reality.
When finished, the line will feature six new tram stops at key spots, including the Trafford Centre, EventCity, the Imperial War Museum North, Manchester United’s Old Trafford and Trafford Park, Europe’s biggest trading estate and home to 35,000 workers. Because the route is mostly off-road, it is aimed at easing congestion - an issue Mr Burnham has spoken passionately about.
He said: “Improving public transport in Greater Manchester is a top priority for me.
“By extending Metrolink to some of the busiest visitor attractions in Greater Manchester, we can give people a real alternative to driving and help reduce traffic congestion.”
He again dismissed plans to tackle congestion through charging motorists - and said he did not support the ‘workplace levy’ to charge employers for worker parking spaces, which forms part of Transport for Greater Manchester’s draft strategy on how to tackle pollution.
It is among a number of possible solutions drawn up to tackle high nitrogen dioxide levels and answer government calls for a ‘clean air plan.’
But Mr Burnham told the M.E.N.: “The message is we want to make it as easy as possible to encourage people to leave their cars at home, but for many people that’s not a possibility.
“There are people who have no alternative but to use their cars. It isn’t fair to pass a charge on to them.
“We’ve got to improve public transport before other options like that.”
He said as well as extending Metrolink, the bus and train networks also need to improve, and he described as ‘frustrating’ the government’s lack of action on some promises to improve transport links.
Services on the new line will eventually run from the Trafford Centre through Manchester city centre to an improved stop at Crumpsall - but works will be done in a ‘patchwork’ fashion across the area depending on which sections of land are ready first.
Sean Anstee, leader of Trafford Council, said areas around the track were vital for both the jobs and visitor economy, as well as boosting investment and regeneration.
“To witness the first piece of track being laid here at Parkway Circle is a great achievement and a real sign of progress for what will be a key tram service for the people of Trafford and far beyond,” he added.
Andrew Fender, chairman of the TfGM, said the new line - part of a drive to provide sustainable alternative to cars - was building on the momentum of the completed Second City Crossing.