Transport in Manchester

Overview of the transport infrastructure of Greater Manchester

Transportation in Greater Manchester

Overview
Locale| Greater Manchester
Transit type| Buses, car, cycling, airport, commuter rail, tram, tram-train, high speed rail (proposed)
Number of lines| Bus routes: 600+
Tram: 8
Rail: 16
Number of stations| Bus stops: 12,000
Tram stops: 99
Train stations: 101
Daily ridership| 824,657 (2014)[1]
Operation
Operator(s)| Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM)

The transport infrastructure of Greater Manchester is built up of numerous transport modes and forms an integral part of the structure of Greater Manchester and North West England – the most populated region outside of South East England which had approximately 301 million annual passenger journeys using either buses, planes, trains or trams in 2014.[2] Its position as a national city of commerce, education and cultural importance means the city has one of the largest and most thorough transport infrastructures which is heavily relied upon by its 2.8 million inhabitants in the Greater Manchester conurbation and further afield in the North West region. Public transport comes under the jurisdiction of Transport for Greater Manchester.

Greater Manchester is the county with the most extensive motorway network in the United Kingdom.[3] According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it has the most traffic lanes side by side (17), spread across several parallel carriageways – the M61 at Linnyshaw Moss, Greater Manchester,[citation needed] close to the M60 interchange. The M60 is one of only two motorways in the UK designated as an 'Orbital Motorway', (the other being the M25 around London).

Greater Manchester still has an extensive citywide rail network compared with other British cities with over 200 tram and train stations - much of which dates from the Industrial Revolution. Two mainline termini (Piccadilly and Victoria) and four through mainline railway stations in the central area (Deansgate, Oxford Road, Salford Central and Salford Crescent) form the Manchester station group. Ultimately, Manchester sits at a rail bottleneck, and it is hoped investment in the proposed Northern Hub from 2013 to 2019 by Network Rail will alleviate this.[needs update]

Manchester Airport is the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow and Gatwick. The city also has an extensive network of canal systems which converge into Manchester. The Manchester Ship Canal, built in 1894, was the largest ship canal in the world on opening and is incomparable to any other canal in the United Kingdom, which are mostly built for narrowboats and barges.

It was the first city in the United Kingdom to re-introduce trams to the streets with the 1992 opening of Manchester Metrolink, which is currently the largest network in the UK, having surpassed the Tyne & Wear Metro.[4] As of January 2022 it has 99 stops, with the line to the Trafford Centre having opened in March 2020. No underground system exists in Manchester, however this was proposed on numerous occasions before the Metrolink tram system was built, the GMCA have stated that the city will need a metro system in the future to meet the city's growing population.

## Ticketing

[edit]

Smart ticketing was rolled out across Greater Manchester in 2015.

A variety of travelcards are available for passengers in Greater Manchester under the System One banner. System One travelcards provide a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly pass and have varying options, offering combined multi-mode travel passes for bus, tram and train.

## Air – Manchester Airport

[edit]

See also: Manchester Airport

Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport, formerly Manchester (Ringway) Airport, is the busiest airport outside London by a considerable margin with over double the passengers of its nearest non-London rival, Edinburgh Airport. With over 200 destinations, the Airport serves the most destinations of any airport in the United Kingdom and is viewed as the international flight hub for the whole of Northern England, North Wales and parts of the Midlands.[5] In 2008 the airport handled 21.2 million passengers but was badly affected by the 2008 financial crisis. The Airport gradually recovered and had become the fastest growing major airport in the United Kingdom by 2014 with 20.7 million passengers.

North American scheduled destinations served directly include New York City (JFK and Newark), Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver and Barbados.

Middle Eastern and Asian destinations include Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Singapore. There are also firm plans for non-stop services to Bangkok. Many European and domestic destinations are served. Manchester to London is one of the highest density airline routes within the UK and is one of the busiest domestic sectors in Europe, but is now experiencing serious competition from the improved railway link.

It is served by a dedicated railway station and a dedicated Metrolink line.

## Road

[edit]

See also: Manchester Congestion Charge and Cycling in Manchester

A map of the Manchester motorway and main road network showing the convergence of routes. A view of the Mancunian Way elevated motorway which cuts through the city centre.

The city of Manchester is the least car dependent city in the United Kingdom with 243 cars for every 1000 people but remains one of the most congested cities in Europe due to the dense nature of the Greater Manchester conurbation.[6] Research in 2008 suggested that Manchester is the fourth most congested city in Europe.[7] Another study in 2014 ranked Manchester as the most congested city in the United Kingdom outside London.[8]

In May 2017, Transport for Greater Manchester said that it was considering bringing in a revenue neutral £7.50 daily charge for drivers of polluting vehicles as part of plans for Clean Air Zones.[9] However Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said that he would not introduce such a charge, although legal responsibility lies with councils rather than the Mayor.[10] In September 2018, the leaders of the local councils in Greater Manchester met to discuss charging the most polluting vehicles in a bid to improve the poor air quality in Manchester, which is responsible for around 1,000 premature deaths a year. Around 20% of private cars in the region, mostly pre-2015 diesels, and 70% of buses would be hit by the charge. The council leaders have a statutory responsibility to present plans reducing the amount of harmful nitrogen oxide in the air to legal limits to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by 31 December 2018 and must implement a Clean Air Zone unless a suitable alternative compliance strategy can be identified.[11] To meet the statutory requirements other cities such as Birmingham and Leeds have already decided to introduce Clean Air Zones while London is expanding its existing zones operating hours to 24 hours per day. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority after much delay decided to introduce a Clean Air Zone to the entire area of Greater Manchester. However, no vehicles are required to pay.[12]

Greater Manchester and Greater London are the only two UK conurbations with a separately numbered orbital motorway (though it is possible to circumnavigate Birmingham via several differently numbered motorways). The Manchester ring road is called the M60. Unlike London's M25, the M60 actually runs within the Greater Manchester conurbation providing good inter-suburban links, rather than around the outside of the conurbation. The M60 has 27 junctions, numbered clockwise from junction 1 at Stockport in the south-east.

The M60 between junction 16 (Pendlebury/Kearsley) and junction 17 (Prestwich/Whitefield) is the second busiest section of road in the UK, after the M25 at junctions 13 & 14 (Heathrow). In 2010, it was decided that ramp metering would be used at numerous junctions on the M60 in an attempt to cut queues.[13]

The city also has an inner ring road. Part of this is the A57/A57(M) (known as The Mancunian Way), which runs south of the city centre, linking the western M602 (which spurs from the M62) to the eastern M60 and M67.

The other main motorways serving Manchester are the M56 (to the airport, Chester and the M6 southbound to Birmingham), the M61 (to Bolton, Preston and the M6 northbound to Lancaster), the M62 (west to Liverpool and east to Leeds and Kingston upon Hull), the M66 (to Bury) and the M67, which was originally planned as a route to Sheffield but was never completed. All of these motorways connect with the M60.

## Cycling

[edit]

Main article: Cycling in Greater Manchester

To combat growing vehicular traffic and pollution, the city of Manchester actively encourages cycling and in recent years has introduced dedicated cycle lanes segregated from bus traffic on main thoroughfares into the city centre as well as a cycle sharing scheme delivered in collaboration with Mobike which was rolled out in 2017.

As part of their Bee Network initiative, Transport for Greater Manchester have designated several traffic-free routes within the M60 motorway as "cycleways". Several routes of Sustrans' National Cycle Network also pass through or near Manchester city centre including the 6, 55, 60, 62 and 66.

## Rail

[edit]

Main article: List of railway stations in Greater Manchester

See also: Manchester station group

* Piccadilly, Manchester's main terminus and busiest station

* Victoria, Manchester's secondary station serving rail routes throughout Northern England

* Oxford Road, an elevated station for passing rail services to Wales, Scotland and the Midlands

* Deansgate, the smallest of the group with limited passing rail services

* Map of rail and tram services in Greater Manchester

Manchester holds a pivotal position in railway history as a birthplace of passenger rail travel on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which opened in 1830. Railway links to London were established by 1842. By the turn of the 20th century, the city centre was encircled by large termini stations, which included:

* Manchester London Road (now Manchester Piccadilly)
* Manchester Victoria
* Manchester Central
* Manchester Exchange
* Manchester Mayfield

Cutbacks followed the Beeching Report in the 1960s, with Manchester Central, Manchester Exchange and Manchester Mayfield closing to passengers. All rail services in the city centre were then mainly concentrated on Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria as well as the smaller Oxford Road and Deansgate stations. Manchester Piccadilly was the busiest railway station in England outside London in terms of passengers in 2005–2006.[14]

Manchester Piccadilly

Manchester Victoria

Stockport

Manchester Airport

Bolton

Wigan Wallgate

Rochdale

Stalybridge

Altrincham

Cheadle Hulme

Ashton-under-Lyne

Marple

Horwich Parkway

Bury

class=notpageimage|

Railways in Greater Manchester

Primary route

Secondary route

Rural route

Goods only

Heritage railway

Metrolink

Disused railway

Manchester Piccadilly, the principal station for the City of Manchester and busiest station in Greater Manchester by number of passengers.

Greater Manchester still has an extensive citywide railway network with two mainline termini (Piccadilly and Victoria) and four through mainline railway stations in the central area (Deansgate, Oxford Road, Salford Central and Salford Crescent). Rail use by passengers in Greater Manchester nearly doubled in the ten years from 2001 to 2011 and is predicted to rise by a further 54% from 2011 to 2020.[15] Its central location means the city acts as a key bypass for rail to cities such as Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh.[16] Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Northern, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales all operate trains through Manchester. Manchester sits at a rail bottleneck, and it is hoped investment in the Northern Hub scheme by Network Rail will alleviate this.[17]

There are several smaller stations around the city centre, including Oxford Road and Deansgate (formerly Knott Mill), and Salford Central across the Irwell in the City of Salford.

Piccadilly and Victoria are now linked by the city's Metrolink tram system and the Ordsall Chord, a short rail link that opened in 2017. The urban and suburban areas are covered by a sizeable network of railway lines, including to Ashton-under-Lyne, Bolton, Stockport and Wigan. Full timetables are from National Rail Enquiries. The commuter rail network within Greater Manchester (which numbers 101 stations) is the third most extensive (after Glasgow) outside Greater London and the South East.[18]

### Future

[edit]

In recent years, upgrades have been made to existing rail infrastructure in and around Manchester. Piccadilly was renovated prior to the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and has been rated as one of the best large stations in the country. From 1998 to 2008, the West Coast Main Line linking Manchester to Glasgow, Birmingham and London was upgraded reducing journey times but fell short of the targeted 155 mph top speed.

The Manchester hub report was published in 2010 by Network Rail, examining possibilities of how the rail network in Manchester could be improved amid large passenger growth to and from Manchester. Network Rail proposed a £560 million scheme which would alleviate rail bottlenecks across northern England in 2011. Full funding for the project, now called the Northern Hub was confirmed in July 2012, as part of the Government's High Level Output Specification (HLOS) for the rail industry for 2014–2019.[19]

Two new through platforms are planned as part of the Northern Hub project however in 2017 the construction was not confirmed.[20] At present there are twelve terminating platforms but just two through platforms. Congestion is common at peak times and trains often incur delays for following trains down the line at Oxford Road. The new proposals will provide up to 700 more trains per day with space for 44 million more people to travel by train each year.

Victoria station has undergone a series of upgrades. The station was rated as the worst in the UK following a 2009 study and plans for a new roof have been in place since 1996. Work commenced in April 2013. Installation of the new £17 million ETFE roof began on 5 May 2014 and work on the station was completed in August 2015.[21][22] Part of the new roof collapsed, injuring some people in October 2016[23]

## Tram – Metrolink

[edit]

Main article: Manchester Metrolink

Metrolink consists of 99 stops and 65 miles (105 km) of track over eight lines. A Bombardier M5000 tram introduced in 2009 Manchester Metrolink Passenger Numbers from 1992 to 2017[24]

Manchester has an urban light rail / tram system called Manchester Metrolink. Operated by a Keolis Amey consortium, Metrolink links the city centre to termini in Altrincham, Ashton-under-Lyne, Bury, Didsbury, Eccles, Manchester Airport, Rochdale and at The Trafford Centre. It is a high-frequency service, with trams running 5 times an hour on every route. It carried 44.3 million passengers in the financial year 2019/2020.[25]

Trams first appeared on the streets of Manchester in 1877 and by 1901 were taken over and electrified by Manchester Corporation Tramways. The system grew to the third largest in the UK but was abandoned in 1949. Proposals for a light rail system in the city grew from a 1970s proposal by SELNEC to build three rapid transit lines. This idea was superseded by the Picc-Vic project but light-rail was resurrected again in the 1980s; it was these proposals which led to the creation of the Metrolink, the first routes of which were opened in 1992.

Plans to extend Metrolink were reinstated after an election-time u-turn by the Labour Government which had rejected the plans months earlier, despite years of support. The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive led the fight to ensure that the extensions be built, with significant support from local councils and communities and Manchester City Council.[26] In July 2006, the government announced a major extension to the Metrolink system, which is intended to form the first phase of the so-called 'big bang' expansion. If the eventual desired system is completed, passenger numbers are predicted to more than double to an estimated 50 million per year.

Since the initial approval of the system from the public, local and national government, and environmental groups, Metrolink has become something of a victim of its own popularity.[27] Many routes are extremely busy, especially at peak times, and prices have risen at far above the rate of inflation. The network has also gained a reputation for being somewhat unreliable.[28] In 2011, Stagecoach Group who operated the Metrolink under contract to Transport for Greater Manchester, sold the contract to the RATP Group.[29]

## Bus

[edit]

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|

Bee Network buses in Greater Manchester's Oldham Interchange.

Greater Manchester has an extensive bus network of 577 routes (2025),[30] managed by Transport for Greater Manchester,[31] including a night bus service which is one of the most extensive outside London.[32] The bus network had an annual ridership of 145.8 million passengers in 2023.[33]

Manchester was the first council outside London to bring buses back into public control after their deregulation in 1986.[34] This was carried out in 3 tranches, commencing in September 2023 and concluding in January 2025. Tranche 1 saw Bolton, Wigan and parts of Bury and Salford being brought under the Bee Network. Tranche 2 expanded to Oldham, Rochdale, the rest of Bury, further parts of Salford and North Manchester. Tranche 3 added the remaining areas of Greater Manchester. The introduction of the Bee Network saw new branding, a new integrated ticketing system, and new vehicles, along with other improvements, being brought to Greater Manchester's bus system.

Buses are now operated under the Bee Network brand by companies including Metroline Manchester, Stagecoach Manchester, Go North West, Diamond North West and First Greater Manchester.

The first of Manchester City Centre's two main bus stations is in Piccadilly Gardens; a major transport interchange between Metrolink and local buses to the south. The second, Shudehill Interchange, serves both Metrolink and local buses to the north. Megabus use Shudehill for their National Coach services. Coaches operated by National Express serve the Manchester Chorlton Street coach station.

The major routes with high passenger volumes include Oxford Road/Wilmslow Road, often claimed to be one of the busiest bus corridors in Europe. Further major bus corridors include Stockport Road between Manchester and Stockport, Oldham Road between Manchester and Failsworth, Hyde Road between Manchester and Hyde, Princess Road towards Wythenshawe and the A6 corridor in Salford.

Three free shuttle bus services are available, which are currently operated by Stagecoach Manchester.

First Greater Manchester previously operated a number of 'overground' services; high frequency colour-coded services connecting Manchester with many large towns around the conurbation including Bolton, Bury, Oldham and Rochdale. The colour-coded branding has largely been dropped since the start of the 2010s and the colours are only used to advertise specific routes. First operated the 'Night Bus' on many of the most busy routes but these services, namely the 8 service from Bolton-Manchester, but this has been dropped, and the last services on most routes is on or around 12am. At their height, First Greater Manchester operated on high frequency route between Bury-Manchester, the 135 service, which operates every six to ten minutes is the competing bus route with Metrolink's Bury Line. This service was operated using only articulated buses, but this has ceased in recent years and the buses moved on to other services such as the 471 on its route from Bolton-Rochdale via Bury, they have since been withdrawn entirely.

Greater Manchester bus stops were replaced over a five-year period. The older bus stop flags were based on a nationally adopted design featuring a single-decker bus and were used over the entire country with the exception of London. Following bus deregulation there was no compulsion to use the national symbol, and several passenger transport executives like West Yorkshire Metro's Metro and Merseyside adopted a new bus stop flag design featuring their capital M logo. GMPTE inherited their own M-shaped logo and also began to use it on the glass back of bus shelters from the late 1990s. They have subsequently introduced this to a new design for bus stop flags – firstly used in 2002 on high-priority routes – and now being erected across the entire GMPTE area.

In 2011, with a change of name and remit of the transport authority, these were replaced by a modified "M" design.

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, several hundred bus drivers in Manchester working for Go North West went on strike for two months.

As of June 2022 the night bus network includes routes 43, 86, 103, 112, 142, 143, 192, 201, 203, 216 and 219.[35] Most depart from the central point of Manchester Piccadilly.

In June 2025, a Bee Network double deck bus drove at speed under a low rail bridge, shearing off the bus roof. Fifteen people were injured, three seriously.[36]

## Waterborne

[edit]

An aerial image of the Manchester Ship Canal converging in Salford and Trafford, just outside Manchester boundaries A freight ship and a narrowboat on the Ship Canal.

One legacy of the industrial revolution is an extensive network of canals: the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal, Rochdale Canal, Bridgewater Canal, Ashton Canal, and the Leigh Branch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Most of these canals were constructed for transporting commodities such as coal and iron at a time when vehicular transport was not present. Most of these canals are now used for recreation.

The Manchester Ship Canal is the only purpose built-ship canal in the United Kingdom, and upon opening in 1894 was the largest ship navigation canal in the world allowing for ships with a length of up to 600 feet to navigate its 36-mile route. The deteriorating state of the Irwell Mersey Navigation and the excessive dues charged by the Port of Liverpool fuelled influential Mancunian businessmen such as Daniel Adamson to find a solution, and consequently the idea of a ship canal was formed. The ship canal never became the success its patrons had wished, and traffic peaked in the 1960s. The canal fell into a state of disrepair, but since the 1990s there has been renewed efforts to use the canal more as a transport route. Freight is once again being carried on the canal.[37] The ship canal is also used for leisure,[38] and a scheme to use canal and River Irwell as a waterway to transport commuters has also been envisaged.[39] A trip from MediaCityUK at Salford Quays to Spinningfields in Manchester city centre it is hoped would take 15 to 20 minutes.[40] Manchester Water Taxis ran boats from the Trafford Centre and Old Trafford to the city centre, taking around an hour from the Trafford centre to the city centre and 20 minutes from Old Trafford to the city centre.[41] These came to an end in June 2018, with the company citing a lack of proper landings for customers putting people off[42]

## Proposed

[edit]

### Underground metro

[edit]

See also: Picc-Vic tunnel

An underground system does not exist in Manchester but there was a proposal to create an underground system in the 1970s. The Picc-Vic tunnel was proposed to link Piccadilly and Victoria stations with a number of stations between both. The proposal was shelved due to cost and was deemed impractical with Manchester's network of tunnels and building basements from the Victorian era creating construction difficulties. The Guardian exchange which doubles up as a nuclear bunker also has a series of interconnected tunnels running under Manchester which total over six miles in length and 60 metres (180 feet) in depth in certain areas.[43]

Excavation work under the Manchester Arndale for this project began in the 1970s, but was soon abandoned due to costs and rumours of 'subterranean obstacles'. Other abandoned tunnels hidden for decades have recently been discovered including a 460-metre canal tunnel from the River Irwell to the canal system[44][45][46]

## Manchester public transportation statistics

[edit]

The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Manchester, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 89 min. 31% of public transit riders, ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 18 min, while 28.% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 7.2 km, while 12% travel for over 12 km in a single direction.[47]

## See also

[edit]

* Cycling in Manchester
* Category:Transport in Greater Manchester
* Category:History of transport in Greater Manchester

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Facts & Figures". Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
2. ^ "Transport for Greater Manchester Facts & Figures". tfgm.com. Transport for Greater Manchester 2015. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
3. ^ The Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester has the most extensive motorway network in the United Kingdom. Archived 9 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine Oldham College -About Manchester URL accessed 28 June 2007
4. ^ "Future extensions". Transport for Greater Manchester. Retrieved 19 May 2013. "By 2014 the expansion programme will mean Greater Manchester will have the largest tram network in the UK."
5. ^ Campbell, Scott (10 April 2014). "China route highlights Manchester's 'northern hub' aim". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
6. ^ "Fareham named as Britain's most car dependent town". The Telegraph. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
7. ^ "Europe's Most Congested Cities". Forbes. 21 April 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
8. ^ "Greater Manchester one of the most congested road networks in Europe". Manchester Evening News. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
9. ^ "Greater Manchester congestion charge considered". BBC News. 9 May 2017.
10. ^ "Greater Manchester congestion charge: Mayor Andy Burnham rejects plan". BBC News. 11 May 2017.
11. ^ Williams, Jennifer (7 October 2018). "Drivers could be charged to go into Manchester city centre". Manchester Evening News.
12. ^ "Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone and Financial Support Scheme". cleanairgm.com. Clean Air Greater Manchester. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
13. ^ "Bright idea to cut M60 queues". menmedia.co.uk. 25 August 2010. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
14. ^ "Passenger Numbers 2005–06". Retrieved 1 October 2007.
15. ^ "The Missing Link: Rail line between Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria stations to boost jobs and business". Manchester Evening News. 5 April 2011.
16. ^ "Manchester Hub Study". Steer Davies Greave. August 2007. Archived from the original on 4 December 2010.
17. ^ "Manchester transport schemes vital to regional economy". Institution of Civil Engineers. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2012.[permanent dead link]
18. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). gmltp.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2022.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
19. ^ "Northern Hub rail plans put to government". BBC News. 26 September 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
20. ^ Cox, Charlotte (8 February 2017). "'Crass stupidity' delays plan for new Piccadilly platforms". Manchester Evening News.
21. ^ "Manchester Victoria station's restoration works start". BBC News. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
22. ^ "Manchester Victoria upgrades to be finished this month". railtechnologymagazine.com.
23. ^ "Two hurt in Manchester Victoria Station roof collapse". BBC News. 18 October 2016.
24. ^ "Light rail and tram statistics (LRT)". GOV.UK. 5 September 2023.
25. ^ "Transport for Greater Manchester Facts & Figures". tfgm.com. Transport for Greater Manchester. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
26. ^ "Get our Metrolink back on track Archived 15 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine", Manchester City Council, 25 November 2005; Retrieved 14 May 2006.
27. ^ "Metrolink: are you being taken for a ride?". BBC. June 2003. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
28. ^ "Metrolink scores 6/10 (and that's according to the bosses)". Manchester Confidential. 22 February 2010. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
29. ^ RATP buys Manchester Metrolink operator Railway Gazette International 2 August 2011
30. ^ "Greater Manchester pioneers return of locally controlled and accountable bus services in historic first". Transport for Greater Manchester. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
31. ^ Maps of bus routes and a public transport journey planner for the Greater Manchester are on the Bee Network website.
32. ^ "Night bus services". Night bus services | Bee Network | Powered by TfGM. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
33. ^ "Greater Manchester Bus Performance Report 2023" (PDF).
34. ^ "Greater Manchester pioneers return of locally controlled and accountable bus services in historic first". Transport for Greater Manchester. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
35. ^ "Night bus services". Transport for Greater Manchester. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
36. ^ Housden, Tom (22 July 2025). "Dramatic video shows Manchester bus roof sheared off by low bridge". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
37. ^ "Manchester Ship Canal – Introduction". Peel Ports Group. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
38. ^ "Manchester Ship Canal Cruises". Mersey Ferries. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
39. ^ "Go to work in a waxi: Plans for water taxis on River Irwell". Manchester Evening News. 9 December 2010.
40. ^ "Water taxis could get green light this month". Manchester Confidential. 23 September 2011. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011.
41. ^ Slater, Chris (8 November 2016). "Watch: The route taken by Manchester's new water taxis". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
42. ^ Heward, Emily (22 June 2018). "Manchester's water taxi service runs aground after two years". Manchester Evening News.
43. ^ Schofield, Jonathan (7 August 2012). "The Good, The Standard, The Ugly: Dial House, Salford". Manchester Confidential. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
44. ^ "Manchester Salford Junction Canal – Subterranea Britannica". subbrit.org.uk.
45. ^ "Manchester and Salford Junction Canal". Pennine Waterways. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
46. ^ Wainwright, Martin (14 March 2012). "Manchester's tube train that never was". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
47. ^ "Manchester Public Transportation Statistics". Global Public Transit Index by Moovit. Retrieved 19 June 2017. Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

## External links

[edit]

* v
* t
* e

Railway stations in Greater Manchester

Bolton|

* Blackrod
* Bolton
* Bromley Cross
* Daisy Hill
* Farnworth
* Hall i' th' Wood
* Horwich Parkway
* Kearsley
* Lostock
* Moses Gate
* Westhoughton

Bury|

* Bury Bolton Street †( Bury)
* Ramsbottom †
* Summerseat †

Manchester
(Manchester station group in italics)|

* Ardwick
* Ashburys
* Belle Vue
* Burnage
* Deansgate ( Deansgate-Castlefield)
* East Didsbury
* Gorton
* Levenshulme
* Manchester Airport
* Manchester Oxford Road
* Manchester Piccadilly
* Manchester Victoria
* Mauldeth Road
* Moston
* Ryder Brow

Oldham|

* Greenfield

Rochdale|

* Castleton
* Heywood †
* Littleborough
* Mills Hill
* Rochdale
* Smithy Bridge

Salford|

* Clifton
* Eccles ( Eccles)
* Irlam
* Moorside
* Patricroft
* Salford Central
* Salford Crescent
* Swinton
* Walkden

Stockport|

* Bramhall
* Bredbury
* Brinnington
* Cheadle Hulme
* Davenport
* Gatley
* Hazel Grove
* Heald Green
* Heaton Chapel
* Marple
* Middlewood
* Reddish North
* Reddish South
* Romiley
* Rose Hill Marple
* Stockport ( Stockport)
* Strines
* Woodley
* Woodsmoor

Tameside|

* Ashton-under-Lyne ( Ashton)( Ashton)
* Broadbottom
* Denton
* Fairfield
* Flowery Field
* Godley
* Guide Bridge
* Hattersley
* Hyde Central
* Hyde North
* Mossley
* Newton for Hyde
* Stalybridge

Trafford|

* Altrincham
* Chassen Road
* Flixton
* Hale
* Humphrey Park
* Manchester United Football Ground
* Navigation Road
* Trafford Park
* Urmston

Wigan|

* Atherton
* Bryn
* Gathurst
* Hag Fold
* Hindley
* Ince
* Orrell
* Pemberton
* Wigan North Western
* Wigan Wallgate ( Wigan)

† stations on the East Lancashire Railway (heritage)

* List of open stations
* List of closed stations
* TfGM
* Transport

* v
* t
* e

Closed railway stations in Greater Manchester

Bolton|

* Bolton Crook Street
* Bolton Great Moor Street
* Chequerbent (1831)
* Chequerbent (1885)
* Chew Moor
* Darcy Lever
* Horwich
* Lostock Lane
* Plodder Lane
* Rumworth and Daubhill
* The Oaks

Bury|

* Ainsworth Road Halt
* Bradley Fold
* Brandlesholme Road Halt
* Bury Knowsley Street
* Greenmount
* Holcombe Brook
* Knowles Level Crossing Halt
* Molyneux Brow
* Radcliffe Black Lane
* Radcliffe Bridge
* Ringley Road
* Sunny Wood Halt
* Tottington
* Withins Lane
* Woodhill Road Halt
* Woolfold

Manchester
(city centre in italics)|

* Baguley
* Chorlton-cum-Hardy
* Clayton Bridge
* Dean Lane
* Didsbury
* Fallowfield
* High Street (Metrolink)
* Hyde Road
* Levenshulme South
* Longsight
* Manchester Central
* Manchester Liverpool Road
* Manchester Mayfield
* Manchester Oldham Road
* Miles Platting
* Mosley Street (Metrolink)
* Newton Heath
* Northenden
* Park
* Wilbraham Road
* Withington and West Didsbury

Oldham|

* Delph
* Derker
* Diggle
* Dobcross
* Failsworth
* Friezland
* Grasscroft
* Grotton and Springhead
* Hollinwood
* Lees
* Measurements
* Middleton Junction
* Moorgate
* Oldham Central
* Oldham Clegg Street
* Oldham Glodwick Road
* Oldham Mumps
* Oldham Mumps (LNWR)
* Oldham Werneth
* Royton
* Royton Junction
* Saddleworth
* Shaw and Crompton
* Uppermill

Rochdale|

* Broadfield
* Broadley
* Middleton
* Milnrow
* New Hey
* Shawclough and Healey
* Wardleworth

Salford|

* Agecroft Bridge
* Barton Moss
* Cadishead
* Cross Lane
* Dixon Fold
* Ellenbrook
* Irlams o' th' Height
* Little Hulton
* Manchester Exchange
* Monton Green
* Oldfield Road
* Ordsall Lane
* Pendlebury
* Pendleton
* Pendleton Bridge
* Seedley
* Walkden Low Level
* Weaste
* Worsley

Stockport|

* Cheadle (CLC)
* Cheadle (LNWR)
* Cheadle Heath
* Cheadle North
* Hazel Grove (Midland)
* High Lane
* Heaton Mersey
* Heaton Norris
* Stockport Portwood
* Stockport Tiviot Dale

Tameside|

* Ashton Moss
* Ashton Park Parade
* Audenshaw (1st)
* Audenshaw (2nd)
* Droylsden
* Dukinfield and Ashton
* Dukinfield Central
* Godley East
* Hooley Hill
* Micklehurst
* Oldham Road
* Park Bridge
* Staley and Millbrook

Trafford|

* Altrincham (1st)
* Bowdon
* Broadheath (Altrincham)
* Cornbrook
* Dunham (W&SR)
* Dunham Massey
* Partington
* West Timperley

Wigan|

* Amberswood (Hindley)
* Astley
* Atherleigh
* Atherton Bag Lane
* Bamfurlong
* Boar's Head
* Golborne North
* Golborne South
* Hindley Green
* Hindley South
* Howe Bridge
* Leigh
* Lower Ince
* Lowton
* Pennington
* Platt Bridge
* Red Rock
* Tyldesley
* Westleigh
* West Leigh and Bedford
* Whelley
* Wigan Central

* List of closed stations
* List of open stations
* TfGM
* Transport

* v
* t
* e

The City of Manchester

About Manchester|

* Architecture
* Tallest buildings
* Grade I buildings
* Warehouses
* Banking
* Culture
* Dialect
* Economy
* History
* Media
* Television programmes
* Music
* Madchester
* Pop music
* People
* Politics
* Schools
* Science
* Sociology
* Sport
* Streets
* Symbols
* Transport
* Cycling

Parliament
constituencies|

| Blackley and
Middleton South|

* Charlestown
* Crumpsall
* Harpurhey
* Higher Blackley
* Moston
* This constituency also contains part of Middleton in neighbouring Rochdale Borough Council.

|

Gorton and
Denton|

* Burnage
* Gorton & Abbey Hey
* Levenshulme
* Longsight
* This constituency also contains Denton in neighbouring Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council.

Manchester
Central|

* Ancoats & Beswick
* Cheetham
* Clayton & Openshaw
* Deansgate
* Miles Platting & Newton Heath
* Piccadilly
* This constituency also contains Failsworth in neighbouring Oldham Council.

Manchester
Rusholme|

* Ardwick
* Fallowfield
* Hulme
* Moss Side
* Rusholme
* Whalley Range

Manchester
Withington|

* Chorlton
* Chorlton Park
* Didsbury East
* Didsbury West
* Old Moat
* Withington

Wythenshawe
and Sale East|

* Baguley
* Brooklands (Manchester)
* Northenden
* Sharston
* Woodhouse Park

* Manchester Airport
* This constituency also contains Brooklands (Trafford), Priory and Sale Moor in neighbouring Trafford Council.

Geographic areas|

* Ardwick
* Ardwick Green
* Baguley
* Belle Vue
* Benchill
* Beswick
* Blackley
* Bradford
* Burnage
* Cheetham Hill
* Chorlton-cum-Hardy
* Chorlton-on-Medlock
* Chorltonville
* Clayton
* Collyhurst
* Crumpsall
* Didsbury
* Fallowfield
* Gorton
* Harpurhey
* Heaton Park
* Hulme
* Levenshulme
* Longsight
* Lower Crumpsall
* Manchester Airport
* Miles Platting
* Moss Side
* Moston
* Newall Green
* New Moston
* Newton Heath
* Northenden
* Northern Moor
* Openshaw
* Parrs Wood
* Peel Hall
* Ringway
* Rusholme
* Sharston
* Victoria Park
* Whalley Range
* Withington
* Woodhouse Park
* Wythenshawe

| City Centre|

* Ancoats
* Castlefield
* Chinatown
* City Centre
* Gay Village
* New Islington
* N.O.M.A.
* Northern Quarter
* Piccadilly Village
* Spinningfields
* St John's Quarter

|

* v
* t
* e

Transport in Greater Manchester

* Transport for Greater Manchester
* Bee Network
* Bee Card
* Museum of Transport

Air|

* Barton Aerodrome
* Manchester Airport

Bus|

| Current Operators|

* Arriva North West
* Blackburn Bus Company
* Burnley Bus Company
* D&G Bus
* Diamond North West
* First Greater Manchester
* Go North West
* High Peak Buses
* Metroline Manchester
* Rosso
* Stagecoach Manchester
* Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire
* Warrington's Own Buses

|

Former Operators|

* Bluebird
* Bullocks
* Finglands Coachways
* GM Buses
* Jim Stones Coaches
* JPT
* Magic Bus
* Manchester Community Transport
* Mayne Coaches
* Maytree Travel
* UK North

Routes|

* 17
* 42
* 52
* 53
* ~~58~~
* 135
* 192
* 409
* X41 Red Express
* X43 Witch Way
* ~~X57 Snake~~
* free bus route 1
* free bus route 2
* ~~free bus route 3~~
* V1
* V2
* V4

Road|

* European route E22
* Kingsway
* M6
* M56
* M60
* M61
* M62
* M66
* M67
* M602
* A57(M)
* A627(M)
* Manchester Inner Ring Road

Tram|

* Metrolink
* History of Metrolink
* Timeline of Metrolink
* Greater Manchester Metro Limited
* Firema T-68
* Bombardier M5000

Cycle|

* Cycling in Manchester
* National Cycle Route 6

Rail|

| Stations|

* List of open railway stations
* List of closed railway stations

|

Lines|

* Buxton
* Calder Valley
* Crewe–Manchester
* Glossop
* Hope Valley
* Liverpool–Manchester
* Manchester–Chester
* Manchester–Preston
* Manchester–Southport
* Stafford–Manchester
* Stockport–Stalybridge
* Styal

Current Operators|

* Avanti West Coast
* CrossCountry
* East Midlands Railway
* Northern
* Transport For Wales
* TransPennine Express

Former Operators|

* British Rail (1948–1997)
* Regional Railways (1982–1996)
* Network NorthWest (1989–c.1992)
* First North Western (1997–2004)
* Northern Rail (2004–2016)
* Arriva Rail North (2016–2020)
* TransPennine Express (2016-2023)

TIF bid|

* Congestion charging in Greater Manchester
* Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund
* United City

* Category
* Commons
* See also: Transport in Manchester

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