TRANSPORT | Metrolink ‎Extension

[Ashtonian]

Great news indeed !

[Freel07]

Really good news about the testing in Ashton early next year and the trials in and around Etihad Campus and Merrill Street this weekend.

Its just my luck that the Ashton tests start on a Wednesday as from January I will not be working Mondays and could manage an early morning outing on a Monday!

[WatcherZero]

Is that blue building flats or offices? It has a huge service area on the roof.

[Manchester77]

Originally Posted by WatcherZero

Is that blue building flats or offices? It has a huge service area on the roof.

I think it's flats so the thing on the roof may be either lift equipment etc or a car park?

[dj]

Originally Posted by Manchester77

I think it's flats so the thing on the roof may be either lift equipment etc or a car park?

Car park? Surely it's the header tank for Ashton's giant water slide...

[Johnny de Rivative]

For the last hour or so one of the PIDs at Edge Lane has been showing 'Bury - DELAY'.

I think this probably implies some kind of movement elsewhere on the EML, although the Droylsden half of the line is impassable at present. I guess the favourite is trams coming out of the back of Piccadilly, ready for the exercise at Man City later on?

[laser2k]

I just walked to New Islington from Picc - no trams in evidence and all the gates closed from what I saw

[Johnny de Rivative]

Well the 'Bury' indication has gone now, and I am wondering if they will actually run trams to-day? We only have the info from the Man City website, nothing on TFGM. It may just mean they will open the CityLink walkway to observe the crowd movements, still an event in itself . . .

[madferret]

I took the announcement as referring to crowd and traffic movements with the temporary road closures. Once they know they can keep it flowing then they add in trams to the mix!

[JackClare]

More very large holes have appeared on Union Street in Oldham this week. No photo's, but I think laying of the Manchester-bound track is quite imminent from King Street stop to just before Oldham Central stop. I won't be in Oldham again until Monday 7th though, so hopefully, weather permitting, there will be more track down in Union Street next time!

Also, cracking news on the Ashton testing! I'll be going to Ashton Moss on January 1st, quite looking forward to seeing, for the first time in real life, part of the EML

[r02bapurdie]

Good picture of Ashton Johnny I was going to say they got totem in at Ashton Under lyne stop as been down that way today but sadly I didn't take any picture due to rain and that why I don't been down to Eithad too, as I didn't fancy wait in rain for tram to came and then found out they not doing testing today.

Originally Posted by JackClare

More very large holes have appeared on Union Street in Oldham this week. No photo's, but I think laying of the Manchester-bound track is quite imminent from King Street stop to just before Oldham Central stop. I won't be in Oldham again until Monday 7th though, so hopefully, weather permitting, there will be more track down in Union Street next time!

If I right the MPT guys are off now for two weeks for Xmas mean they will't be in work until 2nd Jan or even 7th Jan so next time u go into Oldham u might not see anything different.

[WatcherZero]

Originally Posted by Johnny de Rivative

Well the indication has gone now, and I am wondering if they will actually run trams to-day? We only have the info from the Man City website, nothing on TFGM. It may just mean they will open the CityLink walkway to observe the crowd movements, still an event in itself . . .

My take on that was they were closing roads to simulate road traffic on a match day, that data probably used to calculate traffic light timings.

[r02bapurdie]

Any news if they did any testing from Piccadilly to Velopark this evening?

[Johnny de Rivative]

No, no tram movements were involved, Andrew - as Watcher says it was just to take a look at the natural movement of crowds with Beswick Street and Merrill Street closed. Did anyone see this? To be honest, with both of those roads closed there shouldn't be too much impediment to the tram going rolloping through!

I had hoped to walk along the tramside 'City Link' footpath so as at least to get some closer shots of the alignment and surroundings, but they only opened it for the mass exit after the match, by which time it was dark and I was back home watching the results!!

Ah well, another day, another dollar. Glad you enjoyed your trip to Shaw, Martin, btw thanks for the pictures of Down South - I may have a look over there if it fines up a bit, then take a couple of weeks break for the Construction Industry's 'Winterval'! - I'm sure there won't be any more construction work, Andrew & Jack, until 7.1.13.

[DiscoSteve]

all fences were up and blocking track at Asda as we were leaving - there was no way a tram was coming through

[kriis101]

Not sure which thread this should be in, but as I left work (2:45am) 3054+3061 passed Mosley St towards St Peters Sq as a double!! Probably being transferred from Queens Rd although not sure why '54 would be there ???

[Johnny de Rivative]

As the construction industry closes down for two weeks, here’s a few shots from around the railway bridge at Baguley :-





The pedestrian ramp up to Baguley tramstop platform :-

















Heading North to Moor Road and town :-

[r02bapurdie]

Originally Posted by Johnny de Rivative

No, no tram movements were involved, Andrew - as Watcher says it was just to take a look at the natural movement of crowds with Beswick Street and Merrill Street closed. Did anyone see this? To be honest, with both of those roads closed there shouldn't be too much impediment to the tram going rolloping through!

I had hoped to walk along the tramside 'City Link' footpath so as at least to get some closer shots of the alignment and surroundings, but they only opened it for the mass exit after the match, by which time it was dark and I was back home watching the results!!

I think I mis read the link as read it again, the were nothing about tram will be running on EML yesterday and it just said "the road around Eithad will be closes after full time", which I thorugh the will be testing a tram from Piccadilly to Velopark but it seen they didn't.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpo...ostcount=26513

[scientist12]

In the absence of any construction work I will attempt to entertain you slightly off topic with my photo's from Sale water park.
Manchester flood defence system in action, water is pouring through the gates to the (man made) lake (metrolink bridge is in the background but obscured by the footbridge):
image hosted on flickr

IMG_1419 by scientist12, on Flickr
image hosted on flickr

IMG_1428 by scientist12, on Flickr
The lake appears to expand, though I can't see how it's happening, but some of the water appears to end up in this field:
image hosted on flickr

IMG_1439 by scientist12,
A banana to Altrincham passes safely above the flood plain no more than a mile from where banana's will pass to the airport.
on Flickrimage hosted on flickr

IMG_1443 by scientist12, on Flickr
A double, bridges are still turquoise and in my opinion should now be painted yellow:
image hosted on flickr

IMG_1436 by scientist12, on Flickr
On the way home, these houses in Chorlton are going to have trams on their door steps. Open the curtains in the morning and there they are, quite fancy it myself.
image hosted on flickr

IMG_1422 by scientist12, on Flickr

Soggy Christmas everybody

[Phreud]

I had to go down to the Airport today so I took some pictures of progress there - only with my phone so image quality isn't great. A less soggy and grey day for tram-line construction tourism than yesterday, though.

As has been said here before, the heavy rail service from Piccadilly to the airport is so fast that the tram must be intended primarily to connect the airport with Wythenshawe and the other South Manchester suburbs.

Work beginning in the area of the future platform(s)












This attempt to capture the wider scene didn't come off without a zoom lens.
The future line is behind the whitish fence in the middle ground,
to the right of the tail of 'The Station'