Victoria improvement works (2 June 2024)
Documentation of the improvement works which happened near to Victoria tram stop on 2 June 2024.
For the entire day on 2 June 2024, the line between Victoria - Abraham Moss/Monsall was closed to in-service trams for track replacement work. The stated reason is “condition of track”.
The location the improvement works took place was near to Millgate Sidings on the Bury Line, just east of Victoria. The works were done on an approximately 53 metre-long section of the outbound track only (from 53°29'21.6"N 2°14'18.4"W to 53°29'22.4"N 2°14'15.8"W).
The Bury Line is a converted heavy rail line. Manchester Victoria East Junction used to run six heavy rail tracks, the down and up fast lines being the northernmost two tracks, the down and up slow lines the next two tracks south, and the southernmost two tracks leading to Collyhurst Tunnel towards Irk Valley Junction. Metrolink’s arrival meant that the two southernmost tracks were converted to light rail. Before the Metrolink, there was a track switch that linked the current Metrolink outbound track to the up slow track at Man Vic East. The points were removed for the Metrolink on the heavy rail and light rail tracks, however not all of the track was lifted. A small section of it still intersected with the Metrolink outbound line, so trams have been passing over the track and possibly damaging the nose of the track crossing (that didn’t even need to be there anymore) travelling at speeds a little over 30mph.
There was a Temporary Speed Restriction (TSR) added to this section of the track on 17 August 2021, and it limited driver speeds and was effective in a 45-metre zone. The TSR was 10mph, reduced from the line speed of 50mph.
Vehicles and equipment to be used during the improvement works were seen on the cleared-out land immediately to the west of the tracks by Collyhurst Tunnel’s north portal on 1 June 2024, the day before the improvement works began. The equipment and vehicles were moved over to Millgate Sidings before the works began.
After the works were completed, the intersecting out-of-use 26-metre section of track was removed, and trams continued to run with the TSR in place for a few more days. The TSR was removed after end of service on 12 June 2024, and since then, trams leaving Victoria outbound have been able to accelerate towards 50mph immediately after passing all of the points east of Victoria. Drivers don’t often reach 50mph at this section due to a 30mph permanent restriction at the top of the descent down to Collyhurst Tunnel.
Service changes: Bury-Abraham Moss, Rochdale Town Centre-Monsall, East Didsbury-Exchange Square, Manchester Airport-Cornbrook. All other services ran as normal: Altrincham-Etihad Campus, Eccles-Ashton via MediaCityUK, The Trafford Centre-Deansgate-Castlefield.
