Piccadilly Gardens works (27 Sep - 2 Oct 2026)
Shortly after the 14 September 2026 service changes on the Manchester Metrolink, the next batch of improvement works have started. No trams ran through Piccadilly Gardens between Sunday 27 September and Friday 2 October 2026 inclusive. It was likely that “outstabling” had to happen on the Ashton Line, as it is cut off from the two depots at Queens Road and Old Trafford because of the improvement works.
Metrolink workers operating near a track switch (MKT09P) in PIccadilly Gardens, facing west, 27 September 2026.
I only visited the works site on 27 September, and saw them working on the points. The tram route between Market Street and St Peter’s Square was still running trams, but no trams ran via Piccadilly Gardens.
Because Eccles services still ran via Piccadilly even with the 14 September 2026 service changes, the route had to be shortened four stops to Deansgate-Castlefield. All Altrincham/Bury services went via Market Street, and none ran on the Piccadilly section.
The points in Piccadilly Gardens seem to constantly need work done, less so these points shown in the picture above (MKT09P) but more so the points at Market Street tram stop (MKT05P), which has had much work done on it over the last few months at least.
Another shot on the workers on the points, 27 September 2026.
An unusual announcement has appeared on the Bee Network website, indicating that between Monday 2 November and Wednesday 4 November, there will be a ‘special’ testing closure of the First City Crossing and Piccadilly spur.
That seems to mean some services will be diverted and trams running on the First City Crossing and towards Piccadilly will effectively be running ‘on test’ but still in service. The details are not clear to me yet.
Tram replacement bus sign and a tram leaving Shudehill, 28 September 2026.
The usual replacement bus service was in operation between Victoria and Piccadilly not calling at Market Street (as Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens are close together), and there are also free buses operating around Manchester city centre.
Tram 3143 at Piccadilly waiting to begin service to Etihad Campus, 28 September 2026.
There was also the usual signposted walking route between Market Street/Piccadilly Gardens and Piccadilly station, said to take around 10 minutes.
A totem at the bottom of the escalators at Piccadilly station showing tram replacement bus times, 28 September 2026.
There were also some new methods of advertising replacement bus times and locations that the Metrolink tried out over this closure. I had never seen this kind of thing before the Piccadilly Gardens improvement works. Another method that is relatively new and only started this year is sticking posters on walls or shelters at tram stops, and using string-held banners for major closures.
I found it interesting that the replacement buses were not running at the same time as the free bus service. Free bus routes 1 and 2 in their courrent form run between 7am and 11:30pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and from 10am to 6pm on Sundays. The replacement buses for Metrolink between Victoria and Piccadilly do not run alongside the free buses to avoid redundancy.
This means that the replacement buses only ran a handful of services in the early morning, running every 20 minutes between 05:00-07:00 and 22:45-00:45 on the weekdays [28 September - 1 October] (with an extended 22:45-01:45 night service on Friday 2 October) and between 06:00-10:00 and 17:30-00:30 on the Sunday [27 September].
Improvement works, closed off entrance to Metrolink Piccadilly Platform A, 28 September 2026.
Platform A at Piccadilly was closed, and Platform B was used for turnarounds. Services are due to return to normal on Saturday 3 October, but not before a short closure of the Rochdale Line until 2pm on that day.
