Manchester Metrolink

Manchester Metrolink

Manchester Metrolink
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  • Piccadilly Gardens • 2 min walk
  • High St • 2 min walk
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  • John W
    Douglas, United Kingdom2,423 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Easy and accessible urban mass transit
    Wheelchair user. Payment is unclear on the raised platforms. It’s tap in and out with your payment card. Level entry, no gap. We went from St Peter’s Square to Media City to see a show at the Lowry.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 28 March 2024
  • YorkiesinDevon
    Exeter, United Kingdom291 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent system.
    We had several venues to visit, so the Metrolink proved to be ideal our purpose. The cost of a full day rover was only £4.75 and we took full advantage of that. The trams run very regularly and we were delighted with our tour of Greater Manchester.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 13 June 2024
  • VDV11
    London, United Kingdom117 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Could be a better experience
    Not bad from a reliability perspective but expensive if travelling in peak time and too often rammed in like sardines. My main gripe is the sheer volume of checking from revenue protection. It is more or less every time I use it, it never used to be like that. There have also been posters up eg that the ticket checks "are here to stay" or words to that effect, as if that is a good thing for the customer? It all feels a bit guilty-until-proven-innocent. I am absolutely for the catching of fare-evaders but I haven't seen anything remotely like it having used public transport in various places across the world. It's just not a particularly nice experience so often when you are trying to go about your business as a paying customer. I guess some may see it as a good thing.
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 20 September 2024
  • John W
    Douglas, United Kingdom2,423 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Good in parts.
    You actually have to be on the platforms to read the electronic information boards. There need to be info boards at every entry point. Often the ramps are at only one end of the platform. The schematic route map is next to useless. Both at the stations and on the trams. However I managed two returns from St Peter’s Square to Media City and one from Exchange Square to Rochdale. Only got on the wrong tram once. Was able to change. Using a wheelchair access is good, except when it’s busy. I hit rush hour. Couldn’t get on 4 consecutive Media City trams.
    Visited November 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 15 November 2024
  • MyUserNameWasTaken
    Llandudno Junction, United Kingdom12,939 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great and affordable way to get around Greater Manchester
    The Metrolink is a great way to explore both the city of Manchester as well as surrounding towns such as Sale, Altrincham, Bury, Oldham and Rochdale. The day saver tickets are excellent value for money and usually work out cheaper than buying tickets for individual journeys. I'll sometimes visit Manchester and buy a day saver ticket and spend the day randomly jumping on and off trams to visit places that sound interesting but I've never get to otherwise. The trams run so frequently you can do this without having to plan or check timetables, just turn at any stop and there'll be a tram along soon. There are also free Park & Ride car parks at some stops which means it usually works out much cheaper to park for free at a Metro stop and buy a tram ticket than it would be to drive into the city and pay through the nose for a car park there.
    Visited October 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 5 December 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles1,124 reviews
Excellent
593
Very good
343
Average
84
Poor
33
Terrible
71

akghosal
Stoke-on-Trent, UK98 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022
Used the Metrolink earlier this month when I went to visit the Christmas Markets in Manchester city centre from the Trafford Centre (Barton Dock to be more specific) and it proved to be quite convenient (more so with the recent extension to the Trafford Centre) to travel to the city centre from the Trafford Centre and then back to the Trafford Centre without the need to drive there & back and potentially get stuck in the busy Manchester traffic alongside looking for parking in the city centre (just left the car in the Trafford Centre and the tram did the rest of the work). Another strong point about the Metrolink is the fact that its quite extensive around the city and most of the surrounding/nearby towns, with other branches to Altrincham, Manchester Airport, East Didsbury, Ashton, Rochdale, Bury, Eccles and MediacityUK alongside the new branch to the Trafford Centre which makes it the most extensive tram network in England and the rest of the UK (really wish there were more tram networks like this around the country and that other existing networks like the Sheffield Supertram were more extensive like this). My only issues with the Metrolink although minor (which is why I took a mark off) is that while its quite extensive, the Trafford Centre line doesn't run into the heart of the city centre like the other lines (just terminates on the edge of the city centre at Deansgate Castlefield, although as the rest of the network was very frequent, it was relatively easy to transfer to another line), the tickets, while still relatively cheap, are a bit pricier compared to networks like the Sheffield Supertram (probably due to the different fare zones) not to mention the contactless payment option at the Barton Dock stop was a bit faulty and there can occasionally be some weird/dodgy people on some trams (when I was traveling back on the tram to the Trafford Centre, there were some kids who were messing about on board, although they thankfully didn't bother the other passengers and settled down a bit when more people boarded the tram). But apart from those minor issues, it was quite a good and extensive network and I definitely may use it more if I visit Manchester in the future.
Written 29 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bob R
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Solo
I used the tram at Manchester Piccadilly to get to and from Etihad Stadium for an evening football match. Plentiful polite and helpful staff on the platforms to ensure safety and to advise and guide a first-time user like me. I confess that I was dreading the return journey, knowing that there would be thousands queuing up after the match to get back to the city centre on the tram. There were, and I was a long long way back in that queue, but a fleet of trams and a small army of staff at the stadium and tram stop are well prepared and well drilled to keep the queue flowing safely and efficiently and I was back at Manchester Piccadilly just 45 minutes after the final whistle had blown at the Etihad football match. Amazingly efficient and all achieved without cramming us onto over packed trams....well the one I caught wasn't anyway. Well worth the £3.50 adult return fare.
Written 21 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Stewart C
Chatham, UK1,105 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
We used the Manchester Metrolink on a Saturday in August between Altringham & Media City via Cornbrook. We chose this mode of travel as it avoided driving into Manchester itself and the stops we used were convenient for our journey departure and destination points.
The station at Altringham is quite large and forms an interchange between tram, busses and mainline rail, the station has toilets but they are pay to use. We bought our ticket from the machine on the platform which was reasonably easy to use. We probably bought the wrong ticket with a weekend rover when a day rover would have done but we were aware of an imminent tram departure on the platform and did not wish to miss it. The platforms have customer information screens on them giving times for tram destination and departure times. The trams run at fairly frequent intervals giving a robust service pattern when running well.
The trams themselves are reasonably clean and functional and have customer information displays announcing the next stop. Changing trams at Cornbrook was straightforward, the different lines are identified by colour so it is easy to determine the destination of an arriving tram by looking at the information displayed on the front of the tram. Media City tram stop is a terminus requiring the trams to reverse direction.
Would certainly use again.
Written 22 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Debbie T
Altrincham, UK7 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Business
The tram system is a nightmare at the moment and very poor value for Tax Payers. You can't travel from Altrincham into most of Manchester City Centre Zone 1 due to works. You have to get off at St Peter's Square & walk. Good luck finding a replacement bus as there are no signs to direct you. When I approached an attendant about to ask for directions to Piccadilly Station she checked my ticket and gave me a Standard Fine of £120 pounds because I hadn't selected Zone 1 on my Day Pass because apparently if you travel further then Cornbook it becomes Zone 1 even if you currently can't use your ticket in the rest of the Zone 1 because it's 'closed for works'. When I tried to pay the fine on the website it would not recognise the ticket number and when I tried to ring the office during office hours it was always engaged or a recorded message quoting office hours which then cut you off. No wonder Metrolink are collecting record fines, they have made the system as confusing as possible and are spending all their funds on ticket inspectors rather than directing customers. Oh! And a sign letting travellers who have walked all the way from Piccadilly Station to St Peter's Square know that Altrincham trams are not currently departing from the 'Altrincham' left platform but only from the middle 'Bury' platform would be very helpful too. The message only tells you about 'Exchange Square'. It shouldn't be the same fine for getting confused over which Zone to select during the current severely reduced service as it is for not buying a ticket at all and fare dodging. My suggestion to Andy Burnham is please stop allowing Metrolink to make a lot of money out of confused working people during the current works - actually the 'incorrect Zone fines' should be suspended until Zone 1 is up and running again for all travellers. If you have been fined for not selecting the correct Metrolink Zone I suggest you contact Andy. He's actually good about taking action if he is aware of a problem.
Written 5 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gerard C
Manchester, UK3 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Solo
Despite a large party of Metro-link staff on hand to help on the station concourse - the first day of disruption between the two main railway stations of the city. The staff had clearly been briefed to give misleading information in making a tram transfer between the two stations.

It was possible to travel tram via St Peter’s square and Piccadilly Gardens from Victoria through Exchange Square. Yet, for some reason they were pushing the use of a bus from Urbis? In fact i was told my idea was not a possibility by a member of the staff drafted in on the first morning of disruption, to help elevated disruption?

The Urbis bus alternative to Piccadilly, was not remotely close to the platform at Victoria and requires a ticket before you board, i wax met by an unhelpful driver told me to go back to the station to buy the ticket.

I walked to Piccadilly Station in the end, after one final failed attempt to buy a ticket using the Bee Network app, which will only sell you a 2-3 day or weekly ticket. I would have mussed my train had i have not done do!

Sort it out Metrolink. Be truthful about tram connectivity in the city and stop pushing the use of a bus, when in fact there was no need to leave the tram platform at Victoria station to in fact get to Piccadily station on a tram!
Written 25 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kule Dude
Bromsgrove, UK926 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
An excellent alternative to busses in the city. Easy step free access and on time running.

We were a group of four visiting Manchester for the weekend and used several trams on Sunday and with the capped payment terms we each only paid £3.50 for numerous trips to Salford Quays and round Manchester City.
Written 2 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lucia B
United Kingdom1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2024 • Solo
Metrolink has a weekend card that for £6.80 allows you to travel from 6pm Friday to end of service on Sunday night.
As I knew I needed the tram both Saturday and Sunday I was planning to get one, but when I got to the tram stop Saturday the tram was arriving so there was no time to go to the ticket machine and I decided to use the tap-in tap-out option, thinking it would be the same.
To cut a long story short I got charged £8.40 on the Saturday and £4.90 on the Sunday, so today (Monday) I called them to ask why.
I was told that I incurred in a surcharge because I forgot to tap-out on Saturday night.
Assuming that they are correct (I believe I did tap-out) there shouldn't be any charge over £6.80 as for that amount of money you could spend the entire weekend on the tram traveling from one end of the line to the other.
Moreover I shouldn't have been charged at all for the Sunday trip.
The customer service employee sounded like a broken record, the only thing they kept repeating was that I incurred in a surcharge because, according to them, I forgot to tap-out, wouldn't listen to anything else.
Too convenient for them to keep those surcharges in place during the weekend, and employ parrots as customs care
Written 9 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

rgw75
Surrey, UK44 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2024 • Solo
Whilst I support the use of public transport there was definitely room for improvement for Metrolink.

I arrived like many others heading towards the exhibition centre looking to head over to St Peter’s Square at Manchester Piccadilly and looking at maps saw the Metrolink and thought excellent nice direct connection.

I got to the station to see only two of the destinations being served on the electronic display. Then I realised that there was roadworks enroute between Piccadilly Gardens and St Peter’s Sq. by this time I had tapped in so felt committed. For the main station welcoming passengers arriving on intercity services I was shocked by the lack of staff or electronic or printed service restrictions and recommended alternative routes.

There should be ideally electronic signage in the station and on platforms in prominent positions to keep passengers informed.

Clearer signage needs to be provided for directions to replacement bus services

I would also suggest it would be useful to give the lines a name, letter or number to make it easier for users to be directed especially when being sent on diversion. The fact the tram may stop prematurely is irrelevant but it would be good to see the general direct of travel.

Please also replace more maps of the network as searching every link on the map on the payment machine causes unnecessary delays.

That said when I got onboard the trams were quick, clean and reliable. There were staff at Piccadilly Gardens but it would have been appreciated if the gateway stations also had staff to support those from out of town and less familiar with the Metrolink service. I did feel guilty asking clearly and off duty staff member for directions but in the lack of clear messaging and maps it was my only option.
Written 6 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rziatyaan A
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Solo
I bought a 7 day pass for 35 pounds which expired a couple of hours ago and I didn’t know
I thought it lasts 7 days and today was the 7th day
The male officer told me it’s okay to get off and buy a ticket and female officer came and told gave me a penalty notice. She was so horrible.
Never gna buy weekly ever again
What’s the point of saying it’s a 7 day pass when it lasts 6 days
Never ever have I got on the tram without a ticket and this is my first ever fine. Not happy at all
Written 22 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Becky S
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
I just want to say how well run this service was, it was really well organised and all the staff were friendly and helpful. I attended Manchester with some friends for the Ed Sheeran concert. The first metro-station we went to was closed but there was a very helpful employee there to advice us on how to get to the next station. At the next station (in the train station) as soon as we entered the area the man told us which way to go for the concert, and in the next section another man ensured that all the people attending the Killers concert got on to the right tram and the same for the Ed Sheeran fans. Then on the platform the employees waved everyone over to the carriages that had the most space to try and fit everyone on. Yes it was a bit cramped but the overall running was fantastic. Couldn't fault it and would feel confident to use again.
Written 13 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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MANCHESTER METROLINK (2025) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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