The Airport Line is a
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
line of the
Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink (branded locally simply as Metrolink) is a tram/ light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. The network has 99 stops along of standard-gauge route, making it the most extensive light rail system in the United Kin ...
in
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
running from
Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre is the central business district of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England situated within the confines of Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way which collectively form an inner ring road. ...
to
Manchester Airport via the suburb of
Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe () is a district of the city of Manchester, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Cheshire, Wythenshawe was transferred in 1931 to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a massive housing estate there in the ...
. The line was opened in November 2014 as part of phase three of the system's expansion.
Route
The line runs mostly on
reserved track
Reserved track, in tram transport terminology, is track on ground exclusively for trams (in the US, typically called a "private right-of-way").
Description
Unlike street running track embedded in streets and roads, reserved track does not need t ...
alignments with short sections of street–running. The southern half of the route mostly uses the wide grass verges alongside roads.
From Manchester city centre, the route is shared with the
Altrincham Line
The Altrincham Line is a tram line of the Manchester Metrolink running from Manchester to Altrincham in Greater Manchester. Originally a railway line, it was, along with the Bury Line, converted into a tramway during 1991–92, as part of the fir ...
as far as , and then the
South Manchester Line
The South Manchester Line (SML) is a tram line of the Manchester Metrolink in Greater Manchester running from Manchester city centre to Didsbury. The line was opened as far as St. Werburgh's Road in 2011 and then to East Didsbury in 2013 as part ...
as far as . The Airport Line proper starts at a junction just south of St Werburgh's Road stop, where the line leaves the former railway trackbed, and runs off to the south-west. It joins Mauldeth Road, running along the central reservation to stop. It then runs on street along Hardy Lane for a short distance, before crossing onto a tram only viaduct crossing the
River Mersey
The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...
and the Mersey Valley flood plain.
[
]
The line then continues on a low embankment to Sale Water Park stop, serving the Sale Water Park
Sale Water Park is a area of parkland including a artificial lake in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Opened in 1979 and owned by Trafford Council, the water park lies in an area of the green belt running t ...
; this stop is also near Junction 6 of the M60 motorway
The M60 motorway, Manchester Ring Motorway or Manchester Outer Ring Road is an orbital motorway in North West England. Built over a 40-year period, it passes through most of Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bol ...
and has park and ride
A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ( ...
facilities. The line then runs parallel to the M60 for a short distance before turning south-west and crossing it on a tram only bridge.[
After crossing the motorway the line serves stop. Between Northern Moor stop and stop the line runs on a strip of land which was originally reserved for a road scheme. The line then crosses onto Moor Road, where it serves stop, before crossing onto a reserved track section alongside the road. A tram bridge takes the tracks over the Mid-Cheshire railway line and into stop. The line then runs alongside the road for the next few miles, serving stops at and , before crossing the ]M56 motorway
The M56 motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, serves the Cheshire and Greater Manchester areas of England. It runs east to west from junction 4 of the M60 at Gatley, south of Manchester, to Dunkirk, approximately north of Ches ...
on a purpose built bridge.[
The line then runs along Hollyhedge Road with other traffic, before turning onto a segregated section of track alongside Brownley Road, serving stops at and . The route crosses to another segregated alignment on the south side of Poundswick Lane, crossing the northern end of Rowlandsway before turning left into stop.][
]
The line then runs along segregated roadside track sections, for the next few miles, serving stops at , and , before passing under Ringway Road via an underpass, and into the terminus at station: The two tram platforms at the Airport station were built alongside the mainline rail platforms allowing interchange between the trains and trams.[
The total distance between St Werburgh's Road and Manchester Airport is 9 miles (14.5 km).][
]
History
The line was opened as part of the third phase
Third phase is the term for a stable emulsion which forms in a liquid–liquid extraction when the original two phases (aqueous and organic) are mixed.
The third phase can be caused by a detergent (surfactant) or a fine solid. While third phase is ...
of the system's development, which also included new lines to East Didsbury, Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 45,198 at the 2011 census. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, east of Manche ...
, and Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
.
Construction work for all Phase 3b lines began in March 2011. On the Airport Line, a 580-tonne steel bridge was erected in Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe () is a district of the city of Manchester, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Cheshire, Wythenshawe was transferred in 1931 to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a massive housing estate there in the ...
over the M56 motorway
The M56 motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, serves the Cheshire and Greater Manchester areas of England. It runs east to west from junction 4 of the M60 at Gatley, south of Manchester, to Dunkirk, approximately north of Ches ...
on 25 November 2012. The Airport Line opened on 3 November 2014, more than one year early, and at a cost of £368 million.
Proposed future development
Wythenshawe Loop
The original plans for the line included a loop from Roundthorn tram stop
Roundthorn is a tram stop on the Manchester Metrolink network. It opened on 3 November 2014 on the Airport Line, between Southmoor Road and Roundthorn Road. The stop is next to the Roundthorn Industrial Estate and is the closest Metrolink stop ...
to the existing line at Manchester Airport via Wythenshawe Hospital
Wythenshawe Hospital (previously University Hospital of South Manchester) is a large NHS teaching hospital in Wythenshawe, South Manchester, England. It provides general medical services to the local and regional area as well as being a national ...
and Newall Green
Newall Green is an area in the Wythenshawe district of Manchester, England. It is on the west side of the M56 motorway, approximately 1 mile from Wythenshawe Town Centre.
Newall Green has two secondary schools
A secondary school describes a ...
. The line would have had stops at , and . Although axed in 2005 to control costs, the Wythenshawe Loop remains an aspiration of TfGM. The route could link with HS2
High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...
Manchester Airport High Speed station
Manchester Airport High Speed Station is a planned High Speed 2 station at Manchester Airport, on the southern boundary of Manchester, England, next to Junction 5 of the M56 motorway on the northern side of the airport north-west of Mancheste ...
.
TfGM have submitted a bid for funding to extend the Airport Line to Terminal 2.
Extension to Manchester Airport High Speed station
Plans for the Manchester Airport High Speed station released in 2020 include provision for an east–west tram link. This would see the Airport Line extended to serve the new station.
Services
As of January 2018, trams operate from Manchester Airport every 12 minutes, and terminate at in the City Zone. At opening, Airport Line services had terminated at and later due to lack of capacity through the city-centre, which was remedied by the opening of the second city crossing. In March 2016, an early morning service was introduced between the airport and , which was in February 2017 also extended to Deansgate-Castlefield. TfGM have indicated that there could also be a 6-minute service at peak times after 2017.
Usage
During the first full year of operation, 1.88 million journeys were made on the Airport Line.
See also
* Styal Line; heavy-rail line also serving Manchester Airport.
References
External links
LRTA entry on this line
Map of the line
{{authority control
Manchester Metrolink lines
Transport in Manchester
Manchester Airport
Wythenshawe
2014 establishments in England
Airport rail links in the United Kingdom