Industrial action affecting Northern train services

Saturday 8, Sunday 9 and Monday 10 July 2017

What's happening

Industrial action is likely to cause significant disruption to rail services provided by operator Arriva Rail North (Northern) on Saturday 8, Sunday 9 and Monday 10 July.

Most Northern services are not expected to run.

Any services that do run will be working to a revised timetable.

There will be no Northern trains before 7am or after 7pm on Saturday 8 and Monday 10 July.

There will be no services before 9am or after 5pm on Sunday 9 July.

The three day strike runs between midnight Friday 7th July and midnight Tuesday 11 July.

More information about the industrial action including strike timetables is available at www.northernrailway.co.uk/industrialaction

It is expected that alternative rail routes and roads will be busier as passengers change their journey plans particularly in the morning and evening peaks.

We have provided help and advice to keep you moving so you can prepare and minimise the impact on your travel plans.

Advice for your journey

Expect all public transport and roads to be busier than usual on the days of the strike, particularly in the morning and evening peaks, with the potential for journey times to be longer.

Metrolink tram services have been strengthened and Greater Manchester’s park and ride sites will be open.

Buses across the region may also provide useful alternative transport for disrupted rail customers.

Our journey planning tool can help you make alternative journey using public transport in advance.

Northern is advising its passengers to visit www.northernrailway.co.uk/industrial-action for up-to-date rail service information.

The National Rail Enquiries journey planner www.nationalrail.co.uk/ has Northern’s revised timetable information.

Plan ahead now
- Re-time – can you travel at a different time or on a different day?
- Reduce – would it be easier for you to work from home on affected days?
- Re-mode – how else could you make your journey?

Upcoming Metrolink Trafford Park Line Work

Dear Recipient,  

I would like to provide you with an update on Metrolink work in Trafford Park throughout July, work proposed are as follows:

-         Barton Dock Road – There will be temporary two-way lights on Barton Dock Road in-between Peel Circle and Park Way on Wednesday 5th July and Thursday 6th July from 20:00 until 05:00.

-            Village Way – There will be an overnight closure of Village Way (Eastbound towards Manchester city centre) from Parkway Circle for a distance of approximately 170 meters. The closure will start on Thursday 6th July from 00:01 until 06:00 (effectively this takes place during the early hours of Thursday morning).

-          Elevator Road – There will be a full closure of Elevator Road at its junction with Trafford Wharf Road from Monday 17th July for approximately six months.

-          Parkway Circle - There will be a one lane closure at Parkway Circle from Monday 24th July for a maximum of two weeks.

-          Park Way – Park Way, on its approach to Parkway Circle from the direction of the M60 will be reduced down to a single lane, at all times, from Monday 24th July for a maximum of two weeks.

-          Mosley Road – From 24th July for approximately 8 weeks, Mosley Road from Village Way, for a 40 metre length, will operate as one-way.  Traffic will be able to turn into Mosley Road from Village Way but will need to egress via the Mosley Road/Trafford Park Road junction. Following this period, the one-way operation will be reversed to allow traffic to egress from Mosley Road onto Village with entry to Mosley Road being via the Trafford Park Road/Mosley Road junction which will be managed by traffic signal control. This phase is expected to last around one month.

-      Bus changes – Stagecoach is planning changes to the route and frequency of the 250 and X50 services from Monday 24th July. For further information, please contact Stagecoach.

Please note that there will be signposted diversion routes in place for each of the above works and access to businesses will be maintained.

I have also attached the relevant Notices of intent for your information. Please see below:

- TPL 0020 Stop Up Notice VW

- TPL 0021 - One Way Notice - Mosley Road

- TPL0015a Notice Elevator closure

If you have any questions or queries regarding the above, or feel you or your business would benefit from a meeting or information event, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our team at MetrolinkTPL@tfgm.com or call us on 0161 244 1555 (lines open during office hours).

Kind Regards,

Bethan Stanway
Communications Officer

Transport for Greater Manchester

Cycling boost for Didsbury

People from Didsbury and further afield can now benefit from a number of improved cycling facilities, including a new secure cycle hub, at the East Didsbury Metrolink stop.

Located at the tram stop car park, off Parrs Wood Lane, the hub is ideally located for those working locally or in the city centre, providing secure, covered parking for commuter cyclists and other people travelling by bike.

Delivered by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the hub comprises 20 cycle pods – providing storage for 40 cycles – lockers for storing cycle helmets and other accessories as well as a bicycle pump and repair stand.

People who sign up to use the hub, which is covered by CCTV, will be given a swipe card to provide secure access.

Membership of TfGM’s Cycle Hub scheme costs just £10 per year and includes access to other district hubs across Greater Manchester.

The East Didsbury hub will complement the existing Sheffield stands and Bike Locker Users Club facilities located at East Didsbury Metrolink car park.

A number of other improvements have been made, including the provision of a cycle storage hub at East Didsbury railway station and improved lighting from Olive Shapley Avenue to the railway viaduct and East Didsbury Metrolink stop to Parrs Wood Lane tunnel.

A new all-weather path and improved signage to the Trans Pennine Trail has also been provided from East Didsbury railway station to Parrs Wood Lane tunnel.

The improved facilities complement Wilmslow Road Cycleway, which connects Didsbury Village and Whitworth Park, opened last year as part of the £20m first phase of the DfT Cycle City programme.

East Didsbury Metrolink Cycle Hub is also near the north-western end of the Mersey Valley and Stockport Cycleway, linking Stockport town centre with Parrs Wood, also part of the Cycle City programme.

Councillor Chris Paul, the TfGM Committee’s Cycling and Active Travel Champion, said: “The new improvements and cycle hub are great news for East Didsbury and make it much easier and more attractive for people to use their bike for leisure, commuting and running errands.

“As a handy extra, the cycle hub also has a number of handy, free-to-use tools that can help you with most minor repairs such as removing a tyre or reattaching a chain.

“I’d encourage people to use this chance to make a beneficial, long-term change to the way they travel – by getting on their bikes.”

The district cycle hubs – plus major hubs at MediaCityUK in Salford and City Tower in Manchester, which offer showers and personal lockers for cyclists – have been funded by the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

Cycle hubs are just part of TfGM’s wider Cycle City programme which includes new and improved cycleways and improved cycling facilities at schools, railway stations and workplaces.

TfGM also offers free bike maintenance sessions and adult cycle training to either learn to ride or improve on-the-road confidence for those who want to gain extra skills to help them get cycling more.

To find out more about cycling in Greater Manchester, including how to become a hub member, visit www.tfgm.com/cycling or follow @OfficialTfGM on Twitter.

MediaCityUK welcomes Mobike - Everything you need to know about the new Mobike service

MediaCityUK welcome the world’s largest smart bike-sharing scheme to its first European city

Mobike, the world’s first and largest smart bike-share, has launched at MediaCityUK and a number of locations across Manchester and Salford. 

Manchester’s first and only bike sharing scheme is entirely funded by Mobike, which hopes its bikes’ iconic silver and orange look will soon become part of the city’s main transport network.

The bikes have non-puncture airless tyres, a GPS tracker, built-in locks and a cashless smartphone app.

With chainless shaft transmission and durable disc-brake, they are hailed by their creators as ‘maintenance-free bikes’ with a four-year fix-free life span.

The bikes have been unloaded overnight to key locations jointly decided between Mobike, TfGM, and Manchester and Salford City councils.

A strong focus has been put on the areas that are most convenient for locals - near major train stations (Piccadilly, Victoria, Salford Central), and major throughways (Oxford Road, Deansgate), as well as vibrant destinations for food, retail, leisure, and entertainment (MediaCityUK, Northern Quarter, Great Northern Warehouse, Piccadilly Gardens, amongst others).

USEFUL INFORMATION – GETTING STARTED WITH MOBIKE

Step 1: Downloading the App and Signing Up

Download the Mobike app in the App Store or on Google Play and create an account using your mobile number. Receive and enter the verification code and make your one off (fully refundable) deposit.

Step 2: Locating a Mobike Near You

Open the Mobike app and check the map for the closest Mobike icon. You can reserve any Mobike for up to 15 minutes by simply selecting the bike and pressing “reserve.”

Step 3: Unlocking the Mobike

Open your app and press the “unlock” button at the bottom of the home screen. Scan the QR code displayed between the handlebars and the rear end of the bike. Once successfully scanned, the lock will automatically unlock and you may begin your journey.

Step 4: Parking and Locking the Mobike

Once you have arrived at your destination, safely park your Mobike at any public bicycle parking location and manually lock the bike by closing the lever on the smart lock. Once locked, the app will automatically end your journey.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Pricing: The deposit for the bikes will be £49 and fully refundable. For the special month of July, Mobike will offer a discounted £29 deposit to users. Usage is charged at 50p per 30mins. Mobike are looking into special pricing measures and schemes for identified groups, and will work with stakeholders to optimise these offerings.

Operations: Mobike are working with a local logistics company and a Manchester-familiar Operations team, in charge of redistributing bikes to key points of high-demand, whilst ensuring the bikes are in top conditions.

About Mobike

Mobike is the world’s first and largest smart bike-sharing company. Its mission is to bring more bikes to more cities, using its innovative technology to make cycling the most convenient and environmentally-friendly transport choice for urban residents. Using specially designed bikes equipped with GPS and proprietary smart-lock technology, Mobike enables users of its smartphone app to find a bike near them, reserve and unlock it, all using their smartphones. After reaching their destination, the user parks the bike by the roadside and locks it, automatically making the bike available to the next rider. The company officially launched its service in Shanghai in April 2016, and in just over a year, has since expanded the service to 130 cities globally.

By making urban cycling more accessible, popular, and smart, Mobike is delivering scaled sustainable mobility solutions for people and cities around the world. In the company’s first year of operation, Mobike users cycled over 2.5 billion kilometres, equivalent to a reduction in CO2 emissions of more than 610,000 tons based on calculations by the WWF China. In June 2017, Mobike received the WWF’s “Climate Solver Sustainable Urban Mobility Special Award” in recognition of the impact its innovative technology and promotion of sustainable transport.

For more information visit: mobike.com

Please see below images of the MediaCityUK Mobikes:

Customers invited to have their say on Metrolink fares

Metrolink customers are being invited to have their say on how fares will change from January 2018.

Starting today (Monday 26 June), the Metrolink Fare Survey will ask customers to choose between two options for increasing fares, before a final decision is made by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) this autumn.

The increase in Metrolink fares comes at the end of a transformational £1.5 billion programme of construction that has seen the network treble in size, with new lines now running to MediaCityUK, East Didsbury, Rochdale via Oldham, Ashton and Manchester Airport.

This year saw the final piece of the programme fall into place when Second City Crossing opened offering new links and more frequent trams through Manchester city centre.

Completion of Second City Crossing means that the network now comprises a fleet of 120 trams, 93 stops across seven lines and more than 60 miles of track spanning a system that is now the largest of its kind in the UK. Last year saw more than 37 million passenger journeys made by Metrolink.

Second City Crossing was a major construction programme that took three years to complete and during that time fares have been held at 2014 prices in recognition of the impact of the programme on Metrolink passengers.

Stephen Rhodes, Customer Director for Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), said: “The money we get from fares goes back into the network – it also pays back the money we borrowed to expand the system. It also pays for day-to-day costs like drivers, maintenance and security.

“We recognised that the work to create a new line through the city would be felt by passengers and so we held off increasing fares while it was carried out.

“However, Metrolink covers its day-to-day operating costs without any public financial support. Having held fares for three years we now need to return them to the level they need to be at to ensure that Metrolink can continue to operate on a financially sustainable basis into the future.

“Metrolink fares continue to offer good value for money, particularly for season ticket holders, as well as providing an environmentally friendly way of getting around Greater Manchester.”

To keep up with inflation, fares would normally have been expected to increase each year. That’s why, as well as returning to an annual fare increase of 1% above inflation starting in January 2018, we now need to apply a one-off rise to return fares to the level they need to be at. That’s why we are offering customers two options to choose from.

The first option would return fares to the level they need to be at in one go in January 2018 while the second would see that rise spread out over the next three years.

Under both options, fares will rise every year by inflation (RPI) + 1% from January 2018, as happened before 2014.

Customers can take part in the eight-week Metrolink Fare Survey by visiting www.metrolink.co.uk/fares-survey. It’s open from Monday 26 June through to Friday 18 August.

For more information on Metrolink services visit www.metrolink.co.uk, call Metrolink Customer Services on 0161 205 2000 or follow @MCRMetrolink for live travel updates.

24/25 June: Changes to weekend Metrolink services during improvement works

If you’re travelling with us this weekend please be aware that there will be some changes to services during improvement works.

Saturday 24 June

The following tram services will run:

• Altrincham to Piccadilly
• Altrincham to Etihad Campus
• Bury to Abraham Moss
• East Didsbury to Exchange Square
• Eccles to Ashton-under-Lyne
• Manchester Airport to Deansgate-Castlefield
• MediaCityUK to Piccadilly
• Rochdale to Monsall
• Shaw and Crompton to Monsall

The following replacement bus services will run, calling at all stops except Market Street.

• Crumpsall to Piccadilly
• Central Park to Deansgate-Castlefield

Sunday 25 June

 The following tram services will run:

• Altrincham to Etihad Campus
• East Didsbury to Exchange Square
• Eccles (via MediaCityUK) to Ashton-under-Lyne
• Manchester Airport to Deansgate-Castlefield
• Rochdale to Monsall

The following replacement bus services will also run, calling at all stops for most of the day*.

• Bury to Piccadilly
• Central Park to Deansgate-Castlefield

*PLEASE NOTE: Bus services will follow local road diversions for the Prestwich Carnival parade between 12-3pm, meaning that there will be no bus service at Besses o’th Barn, Prestwich and Heaton Park stops during this time.

Our staff will be at these stops during this time to advise customers. We apologise for any inconvenience during this essential work, which is part of a £44 million improvement package. Find out more here.

Please buy a ticket from the machines on stop or via the get me there app before boarding replacement buses.

Follow @MCRMetrolink for live travel updates on Twitter.