Evolution of the Manchester Metrolink

6 April 1992

Manchester Victoria station to Bury opened (converted railway line).

27 April 1992

Manchester Victoria to G-Mex (running on the streets through Manchester city centre).

15 June 1992

G-Mex to Altrincham (converted MSJ&AR railway line).

20 July 1992

Spur to Manchester Piccadilly station opened (street-running)

10 August 1998

High Street and Market Street one-directional stops closed. New two-directional stop opened at Market Street.

6 December 1999

New branch opened up to Broadway. Cornbrook opened as interchange between Altrincham and Eccles lines.

21 July 2000

Broadway branch extended to Eccles.

31 March 2003

Shudehill opened to serve a future bus station which would open in 2006.

20 September 2010

MediaCityUK tram stop and spur opened off the Eccles Line. G-Mex renamed to Deansgate-Castlefield.

18 April 2011

Abraham Moss opened on the Bury Line.

7 July 2011

Branch from Trafford Bar to St Werburgh’s Road opened.

13 June 2012

Branch from Irk Valley Junction (near Victoria) to Oldham Mumps temporary stop opened.

16 December 2012

Oldham Mumps temporary stop to Shaw and Crompton opened.

11 February 2013

Manchester Piccadilly station to Droylsden opened.

28 February 2013

Shaw and Crompton branch extended to Rochdale Railway Station.

18 May 2013

Mosley Street, causing delays in the city centre, closes.

23 May 2013

St Werburgh’s Road to East Didsbury opened.

9 October 2013

Droylsden branch extended to current terminus at Ashton-under-Lyne.

16 December 2013

Woodlands Road, 250 metres away from Abraham Moss, closes. Queens Road opens a little further south on the Bury Line.

27 January 2014

Oldham Mumps temporary stop closed on 17 January. New street-running section through Oldham town centre opened.

31 March 2014

New street-running section opened from Rochdale Railway Station to Rochdale Town Centre.

3 November 2014

Airport Line, the final Phase 3 extension: St Werburgh’s Road to Manchester Airport via Wythenshawe opened.

6 December 2015

Extension from Victoria to Exchange Square opened.

26 February 2017

Exchange Square to St Peter’s Square opened, completing Second City Crossing (2CC).

22 March 2020

Trafford Park Line opened from Pomona to intu Trafford Centre.

23-24 January 2021

Over the weekend, intu Trafford Centre renamed to The Trafford Centre.

28 October 2025

Barton Dock Road renamed to Trafford Palazzo.

27 diagrams I put together showing how the Manchester Metrolink has expanded since 1992. Hover over the diagrams to view information about every extension.

All maps/diagrams © TramographyMCR and licensed for reuse under CC BY-SA 4.0.