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Wednesday, 23 May 2007Metrolink upgrades on track
A multi-million pound project to replace nearly 20 miles of worn-out track on the Metrolink network will begin on Tuesday 29 May.
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority is investing more than £100 million on improvements to Metrolink, which will also include new ticket machines, stop upgrades and eight new trams.
The Bury Interchange and Radcliffe Metrolink stops on the Bury line will be the first to close, with replacement buses running to and from Whitefield. Extra staff will be on duty at all three stops to advise passengers.
Councillor Roger Jones, Chair of the Passenger Transport Authority, said: "This work will result in a major improvement for Metrolink and I hope passengers will be prepared to put up with a few months of disruption while it takes place.
"Anyone who's travelled on the Bury or Altrincham Metrolink lines will know that the track needs replacing. It's now more than 50 years old in some places as the lines were used by trains before Metrolink took over the route in 1992.
"Tram rides will be much smoother, quieter and more reliable when the work's finished and I'm sure both passengers and people living alongside the track will appreciate the difference."
Transport bosses are planning to keep as much of the network open as possible while the work takes place to upgrade the track on the Bury and Altrincham lines, and trams will continue to run on the Eccles line and in the city centre throughout the summer.
From Tuesday 29 May, replacement bus services will run between Bury and Radcliffe, Bury and Whitefield, and Radcliffe and Whitefield. Passengers will be able to use Metrolink tickets on the buses and to continue their journey by tram from Whitefield. Metrolink return and season tickets will be available at a discount from mid June.
Trams will carry on operating on the section of the Bury line between Whitefield and Manchester during most of June, and between Crumpsall and Manchester during June and most of July. The work on the Bury line is due to be finished by mid September.
Work to replace track on the Altrincham line is scheduled to start on Monday 2 July and to be finished by the end of August. Trams will continue to run on the section of the line between Old Trafford and Manchester until the end of July.
Sections of the Metrolink network will also be closed over the bank holiday weekend at the end of May while engineers prepare the system for the work to replace the track. The Bury and Radcliffe Metrolink stops will be closed on Saturday 26 May, and services will not run on the Bury line on Sunday 27 or Monday 28 May.
60,000 tonnes of ballast (the gravel which is laid on the track bed), 40,000 tonnes of sleepers (the concrete blocks the rail sits on), and nearly 40 miles of rail are being stored at the East Lancashire Railway depot in Bury. Up to five extra goods trains are running daily, except on Sundays, in each direction on the section of the line between Heywood and Bury, saving approximately 4,000 lorry journeys on local roads.
Passengers can find out more information about the work to replace track on the Bury and Altrincham Metrolink lines at www.gmpte.com/metrolink or by calling 0161 228 7811.
Media contact: David Harris or Becky Marr on 0161 244 1055, or email mediarelations@gmpte.gov.uk
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