It might not be the news that many local shopkeepers want to here but transport officials will be discussing proposals to take Manchester’s Metrolink system to the doors of the Trafford Centre this week.
A report to the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee will show the 5.5km route, which will be used to assess the budget required and accompanying business case, leaving the existing Metrolink network at the Pomona stop.
From here it will run alongside the Manchester Ship Canal before following Trafford Wharf Road and Warren Bruce Road and then runs through the Village area of Trafford Park.It then crosses Parkway Circle and the Bridgewater Canal before terminating at the Trafford Centre.
While stop names are to be determined, they are planned to be close to key facilities, including Wharfside for Old Trafford, the Imperial War Museum North, Trafford Park Village, Parkway, EventCity and the Trafford Centre.
The scheme as a whole will be put to a public consultation next year, ahead of a formal application being made to government for a Transport and Works Act Order that would give TfGM the statutory powers needed to construct and operate the line.Securing the powers would allow construction to start once funding for the project has been confirmed.
Discussions will take place with government to that end over the coming months, with updates to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to follow.
The GMCA has already approved the initial funding required to get the scheme ‘shovel ready’, which includes an order for 10 new trams to serve the line at circa £2 million a vehicle.
