Metrolink announces late night tram services to return on Fridays and Saturdays

Metrolink bosses have announced trams will run until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays from later this month.

Trams will continue to run from midnight every 20 minutes until close to 1am.

The late night Metrolink service will run across the network from September 29th with departure times varying depending on each line and stop.

Pre-pandemic services saw tram frequencies of every 12 minutes up to 1am as part of a ‘festive enhancement’ which benefitted shoppers, revellers and late night workers across the city.

Danny Vaughan, head of Metrolink at Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “We are partially reintroducing the 1am finish on Friday and Saturday nights.

“It is only on a 20-minute frequency for now. We will look to make an improvement on that later in the year.”

The Ashton-under-Lyne to Eccles service will continue to operate as normal but during peak times it will not call at MediaCityUK. Commuters can continue to use the Broadway and Harbour City stops during these times.

Customers can continue to change onto MediaCityUK services from Deansgate Castlefield.

Metrolink is also bringing back the MediaCityUK to Etihad Campus peak service which will be reintroduced on Monday, September 25th.

This follows the completion of engineering works between Eccles and Weaste later this week, which has taken place throughout the summer. 

Trams will run every 12 minutes between 7am and 8pm Monday to Friday, and from 9am until 6.30pm on Saturdays. 

The reintroduction means there will be a six-minute service during peak times between Harbour City and Etihad Campus. 

It comes after passenger numbers showed demand between the Etihad and MediaCityUK had recently returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Mr Vaughan continued: “We have seen a return in demand focused between Etihad Campus, Manchester city centre and MediaCityUK.

“This peak service will be a real benefit to our customers, with more frequent trams meaning less time waiting and more pleasant journeys on trams that aren’t too crowded.

“The Salford Quays area is one of the best served parts of our network and passengers changing at Deansgate also have the option of a Trafford Centre service, which stops at the Imperial War Museum, right across from Media City.”