{"id":360163,"date":"2025-08-20T19:16:23","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T19:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/360163\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T19:16:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T19:16:23","slug":"where-might-the-cheshire-metrolink-extension-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/360163\/","title":{"rendered":"Where might the Cheshire Metrolink extension go?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Early work to take Metrolink to every corner of Greater Manchester – and beyond its borders – is starting soon. Ethan Davies examines where service might run – and if this is a realistic possibility(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

Metrolink extensions have hit the headlines again this week, but it\u2019s not the usual suspects making a splash.<\/p>\n

For years, talk of extending trams to Stockport<\/a> town centre and introducing tram-trains to Heywood<\/a> dominated discussions of Metrolink<\/a>\u2019s future, but that subsided after Chancellor Rachel Reeves approved funding for both in June.<\/p>\n

Now, attention has turned to longer-term ambitions to take Metrolink to every corner of Greater Manchester \u2014 and outside its borders.<\/p>\n

To see planning applications; traffic and road diversions and layout changes; and more, visit the Public Notices Portal HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Plans to begin early-stage preparation work on six new potential lines are closer and closer to becoming a reality. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) will start work on a \u2018formal strategic outline case\u2019 for three new lines in autumn of 2025, all connected to Manchester Airport<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One is a \u2018Stockport to Airport tram-train\u2019, another is a called \u2018Airport Western Leg tram\u2019, and the third is a tram-train from \u2018Altrincham<\/a> to the Airport\u2019 with \u2018potential links to mid-Cheshire\u2019.<\/p>\n

Work on a second strategic outline case will begin next summer on three lines focused on the north-west quarter of Greater Manchester, specifically a Salford<\/a> Quays to Salford Crescent tram, a city centre to Salford Crescent tram, and lastly trams or tram-trains out to Wigan<\/a> via Atherton, Bolton<\/a>, and Leigh.<\/p>\n

Andy Burnham<\/a> has since confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service where the mid-Cheshire service would end up.<\/p>\n

The mayor’s long-term future transport map for the region, which does not currently include tram-trains to Bolton(Image: TfGM)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be in the direction of Warrington is what we\u2019re looking at,\u201d he said on Tuesday (August 19). \u201cSo there\u2019s an early piece of work underway to look at what that would mean. Obviously lots of people commute to Greater Manchester from the Warrington area.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the mayor clarified the Warrington line is not a top priority. He added: \u201cIt\u2019s a medium-to- longer-term consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n

The LDRS understands formal work to determine the route is yet to begin, showing how embryonic the move is. But it\u2019s not a new idea.<\/p>\n

In fact, the mayor first unveiled a plan for \u2018tram-trains\u2019 to Cheshire \u2014 namely Warrington and Wilmslow<\/a> \u2014 back in 2019.<\/p>\n

A GMCA map showing options for expanding Greater Manchesters Metrolink service(Image: GMCA)<\/p>\n

The Greater Manchester \u2018tube map\u2019 announcement showed tram-trains going from the city centre to Warrington via Urmston<\/a> and Irlam. Wilmslow services came from Manchester Airport and Wythenshawe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The \u2018death star\u2019 <\/a>map, as it was nicknamed, outlined his vision for how residents would get around the region.<\/p>\n

It was not filled with pie-in-the-sky dreams, though.<\/p>\n

It made the case for franchising buses, and five-and-a-half years later, the Bee Network made that a reality. Also listed by the map were the Heywood and Stockport projects and the introduction of Bee Network rail, which all look set to be a reality in coming years.<\/p>\n

Tram-trains to Warrington via Irlam and Urmston were also shown in the 2024<\/a> TfGM \u2018Draft Rapid Transit Strategy\u2019, but the Wilmslow service had been modified to a traditional rail route.<\/p>\n

So while the Cheshire plans are in their infancy, they are not fanciful, if past \u2018death star\u2019 plans are anything to go by.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Early work to take Metrolink to every corner of Greater Manchester – and beyond its borders – is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":360164,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[8916,15333,748,2508,393,4884,2465,26383,285,8825,16,15,8718],"class_list":{"0":"post-360163","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-andy-burnham","9":"tag-bee-network","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-cheshire","12":"tag-england","13":"tag-great-britain","14":"tag-manchester","15":"tag-metrolink","16":"tag-politics","17":"tag-transport-for-greater-manchester","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom","20":"tag-warrington"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115062701131505568","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/360164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}