Commuters warned of strike-day disruption

Commuters are being warned to plan ahead and expect disruption on Friday (28 April) as staff on Northern rail services hold a one-day strike.

Most Northern services are not expected to run and any that do operate, working to a revised timetable, will be extremely busy.

All public transport and Greater Manchester’s roads are expected to be busier, especially at peak morning and evening times, with key commuter routes forecast to face the most pressure as people affected by the strike make alternative arrangements.

Numbers travelling will also likely increase as Friday marks the start of the May Bank Holiday weekend.

Transport for Greater Manchester, which is helping to co-ordinate the region’s response, is urging people to plan ahead and consider carefully their travel arrangements.

It is working to support Northern’s own customer communications effort and has created a special travel information page on its website to help keep Greater Manchester commuters on the move: tfgm.com/industrial-action.

TfGM’s Events and Operational Coordination Manager, John Fryer, said: “We are taking action to minimise the disruption to the transport network but we know there will still be problems.

“Commuters can play their part to minimise these and our advice is simple: plan ahead, be prepared, and think about all your travel choices.

“Can you travel at a different time or does your employer allow you to work from home? If you can travel at a quieter time, or in a different way – by bus, tram, bike, foot or a mixture – it can make a massive improvement not just to your journey but to people who simply don’t have a choice.”

As well as working with other transport authorities across the North, TfGM has taken action locally to help people who have to travel on the day of the strike.

As well as creating the travel information page, other TfGM actions include:
• Adding more capacity where it can to the Metrolink network
• Additional staff on Metrolink and at key bus stations to help commuters
• Publicising various park and ride sites to allow customers to complete their journeys by different transport options
• Working with bus and other train operators to maximise capacity across the network, particularly on the busiest commuter corridors
• Enhanced monitoring at its network control centre so traffic flows can be optimised by altering signal timing
• Working with local highway authorities to temporarily suspend roadworks where possible on the region’s main commuter routes

John added: “Our control room will open earlier and work later on the day of the strike and we’ll have additional customer service support on the phones and online to help people who have to travel, but our strongest advice is: expect disruption and plan ahead now.”

Metrolink Trafford Park Line – overnight works update local to the junction of Trafford Wharf Road & Warren Bruce Road

Dear Recipient,

As you may be aware, our contractor MPT started overnight works mid-March in the area of the junction of Trafford Wharf Road and Warren Bruce Road. I am writing to update you on these works and further planned works which will take place in this area.

As part of the enabling works for the project, utilities need to be diverted away from the future tram route. In the area of Trafford Wharf Road from Warren Bruce Road up to Elevator Road, BT need to lay ducting for the new telecom route, demolish old chambers and re-build new chambers with other similar utility diversions required. The required worksites for these diversion works will require the use of temporary traffic lights to maintain access for all road users.

These overnight works will start on Monday 24th April alongside the works our Metrolink contractor, MPT are presently undertaking to provide alternative access points for some Third Parties effected by the permanent works. Please note, there will be 8 hours of work carried out between the hours of 20:00 and 08:00. The works will generally be undertaken between Monday to Friday at night, however, weekend night working may be required.

Measures will be taken to minimise noise where possible and staff will be appropriately briefed before each shift.  Acoustic barriers will be erected locally around some of the noisier work activities to assist in reducing the noise levels.

Noise monitoring has taken place to measure the noise levels at MediaCity UK/Salford Quays whilst works were being carried out on Trafford Wharf Road. All readings have been below the threshold allowed for night-time working. We will continue to measure noise levels throughout the duration of the works to ensure acceptable levels are not breached.

These works have been consented to by Trafford Council until end of May 2017. Subject to further consents from the council, the works are due to continue for several months. We will write to you again to keep you updated of any major changes.

Day-time work on the new Metrolink Trafford Park Line project will increase in the coming weeks and we want to ensure that we are communicating any associated roadworks to everyone who travels to and through the area. If you have any family, friends, co-workers who you feel would benefit from being kept up to date with the project works, please forward the website details www.tfgm.com/MetrolinkTPL on to them where they can sign up to receive regular updates.

TfGM will continue to engage with stakeholders along the route and will provide further information as we progress. In the meantime, if you have any queries regarding the scheme or if you would like to arrange a meeting, please contact either me or a member of the Future Metrolink team on 0161 244 1555 or email MetrolinkTPL@tfgm.com  

To report urgent issues or incidents relating to this work, please call 0800 169 6150.  This number will be staffed 24 hours a day. 

Yours faithfully,

Bethan Stanway
Communications Officer

Transport for Greater Manchester

Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) - in the vicinity of the junction of Village Way and Mosley Road

Dear Recipient,

As you may know The Transport for Greater Manchester (Light Rapid Transit System) (Trafford Park Extension) Order 2016 (The Order) came into force on 24th November 2016. This Order gives Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) the legal powers to build and operate the new Trafford Park Metrolink Extension between Pomona and intu Trafford Centre. This new six stop route will offer fast, frequent connections to jobs, leisure, shopping and cultural destinations and across the wider tram network.

The Order has also given TfGM the legal powers to make any Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders (TTROs) required to facilitate the works. Whilst this process is usually undertaken by the Highway Authority, TfGM have, for administrative reasons, elected to undertake the process. However, please note that any TTROs made by TfGM are being made with the prior agreement of the Highway Authority – Trafford Council.

In order to facilitate major utility diversions required to build Metrolink it is necessary to introduce a temporary road closure of Mosley Road, from its junction with Village Way for a distance of 50 metres in a southerly direction, i.e. towards Westinghouse Road. Additionally, it will also be necessary to close the footway on the south side of Village Way between Mosley Road and the Central Park Trading Estate Access Road.

Please be assured that access to businesses on Mosley Road will be maintained during these works and that the closure of Mosley Road will only affect vehicular traffic.

Please find attached two Notices of intent for the introduction of these TTROs that will come into force on 8th May 2017. These restrictions may remain in force for approximately 3 years. However, should it be found possible to facilitate some access or egress movements into or out of Mosley Road or provide a pedestrian walkway along Village Way the traffic management will be amended accordingly.

Prior to these TTROs coming into force there is an Order that has been made by Trafford Council that will prohibit the left turn from Village Way eastbound into Mosley Road northbound. This restriction will come into force on 24th April 2017 and remain in force for a period of 2 weeks. Please note that this restriction will be lifted prior to the TfGM made Orders identified above coming into force.

Please see the links below to the plans that show all three of the restrictions and the diversion routes for traffic affected by them. There will be a diversion of bus services that use Mosley Road. Once details have been finalised we will update you.

Click here for 17-0621 Mosley Road closure April 2017

Click here for 17-0582 Mosley Road closure May 2017

Click here for TPL0003 PoD Notice

Click here for TPL0004 Notice - Village fw

TfGM will continue to engage with stakeholders along the route and will provide further information as we progress. In the meantime, if you have any queries regarding the powers under which these restrictions are being introduced or the Metrolink extensions in general, please do not hesitate to contact either me or a member of the Future Metrolink team on 0161 244 1555 (office hours) or email MetrolinkTPL@tfgm.com.

Yours faithfully,

Steve Burns
Metrolink Stakeholder and Communications Manager, Metrolink Projects
Transport for Greater Manchester

Easter & May Bank Holiday engineering work to affect city centre rail services and roads

Customers using weekend and bank holiday train services that run to and from Manchester Victoria, Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations are warned to expect disruption between 13 April and 01 May.

A number of city centre roads will also be affected with journeys taking longer and bus diversions in operation.

Network Rail is connecting Manchester’s Victoria and Piccadilly stations with a new rail link – the Ordsall Chord.

Network Rail needs to take over the rail lines that serve Manchester’s city centre stations so they can safely and efficiently carry out the engineering work.

The work includes removing and replacing the bridge at Water Lane, strengthening the Castlefield viaduct, laying new track and realigning existing track, and adding overhead line equipment and signals.

Roads around where the rail work is taking place – Chapel Street, Yorkshire Street, Johnson Street, Browncross Street and Quay Street – will be affected by local diversions between 07 – 28 April.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has created a special travel information page on its website to help keep people in Greater Manchester moving while the work is taking place: https://beta.tfgm.com/travel-updates/ordsall-chord

TfGM’s Demand Management and Safer Travel Manager, John Fryer, said: “If you are using train services which run to or through Manchester Victoria, Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations, or travelling in the surrounding areas, you could be affected by Ordsall Chord engineering work.

“To help minimise disruption and ensure a smoother journey our advice is to plan ahead, be prepared, and think about all your travel choices.

“We strongly advise that people check the National Rail and Network Rail website for regular service updates and information.”

May's European Cycle Challenge - do you want to take part?

Please help us get Greater Manchester on the European Cycling Map this May!

The European Cycling Challenge (ECC) is a European-wide, ‘urban cycling’ competition taking place annually every May. The challenge was initially a small pilot in Bologna, with around 70 people, but is now one of the biggest European cycling events. In 2016, 52 cities from 17 Countries joined the Challenge, and 46,000 people cycled 4,000,000 km during May. Greater Manchester is taking part for the first time, led and promoted by Transport for Great Manchester in conjunction with cycling, physical activity and health partners and other stakeholders across the region.  We’d like to get existing cyclists getting out more in May, and lapsed cyclists dusting their bikes down and joining in – all of which will help increase physical activity throughout May and raise the profile of cycling as a beneficial exercise. 

Participants track km cycled (leisure and commuter cycling is fine but not sports-related), with a free tracking App which measures distance cycled within Greater Manchester boundaries (in our case) and through online leader boards they can check in real-time.

Raffle and spot prizes will be awarded throughout the month, including a star prize of £300 in shopping vouchers (thanks to WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff)

In order to get Greater Manchester firmly on the European cycling map, and as high up the leader boards as possible, we need your help!

 1.       Promote the challenge throughout your organisation and encourage your employees to register (details below)

2.       Let us know if you’d like us to set you up as a ‘sub team’ so you can compete with other businesses – this will just mean your employees choose your team when they register and you will be able to see how you are faring against other organisations. Let’s get some competition going!

Either way, all km tracked will still all go towards the Greater Manchester total.

Registration is possible via the Naviki App (available now)  and the competition officially begins on the 1st May. The ECC will also provide valuable GPS data on movements and routes travelled, which can be used to influence cycling network and infrastructure planning.

We have a number of A5 flyers and A4/A3 posters that we can send these out on a 1st come, 1st served basis within the next few days. Please click here for a printable version of the poster for you to use in the meantime.

For more information on the challenge: www.cyclingchallenge.eu/

 APP: Naviki :

·         Register & log in

·         Go to ‘settings’

·         Go to ‘contests’

·         Select ‘ECC2017’

·         Select ‘Greater Manchester’

Twitter hashtags:             #gmcycling          #ecc2017eu

A digital/Social Media ‘Toolkit’ will also be available within the next week for those of you who have Facebook and/or Twitter accounts.

Please let us know if you would like a copy of this along with any printed materials, and/or have any questions. 

Thank you and happy pedalling!

Angela Schorah. Communications – Walking and Active Travel

Angela.Schorah@tfgm.com

0161 244 0804

www.tfgm.com/cycling

Tram Tracks: Two high profile Manchester birthdays, one epic creative music project

A major musical collaboration will see 93 new pieces of music, song and spoken word tracks created – one for every stop on the Metrolink tram network.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and The Bridgewater Hall are collaborating on the exciting project, ‘Tram Tracks’, to celebrate Metrolink’s 25th anniversary and The Bridgewater Hall’s 21st birthday.

Over 900 adults and children will take part and work alongside professional musicians and facilitators from The Bridgewater Hall.

The large-scale creative music project aims to reflect the diverse communities across Greater Manchester and how those communities’ lives have been changed by the tram.

Created by the members of the community, each track will reflect the area and activities around each individual stop.

The majority of the groups will be selected by The Bridgewater Hall and TfGM and will include schools, community groups, arts organisations and cross a wide range of diverse cultural groups. There will also be an opportunity for others from the general public to take part through a public ballot.

The project hopes to involve a number of recording artists, composers and other ‘talent’ with links to Greater Manchester and will culminate in a gala concert at The Bridgewater Hall, pop-up performances on the Metrolink network and a digital archive of recordings of the 93 new tracks.   

TfGM’s Head of Metrolink, Danny Vaughan, said: “This project, like Metrolink and like the Bridgewater Hall, is ambitious, innovative and exciting. To see a project so inclusive and uniquely focused on reflecting and celebrating our diverse and dynamic communities is really quite special. 

“I’m delighted to be partnering with the Bridgewater Hall in our silver jubilee year and look forward to seeing the fruits of everyone’s labour. I’m especially excited that this will not only culminate in a gala concert at the Bridgewater Hall in July, but that some of the music created will feature across the network throughout the summer, for customers and the public to enjoy – which is fundamentally what this project is all about.”

Paula Wilson, The Bridgewater Hall’s Learning and Participation Manager, said: “We are thrilled to be with working with Metrolink and Transport for Greater Manchester on this exciting project, as part of The Bridgewater Hall’s 21st Birthday celebrations.

“Tram Tracks is one of the largest and far reaching creative engagement projects we have undertaken in recent years and we hope to develop lasting relationships with the participating groups, and to inspire communities across Greater Manchester to creatively engage with their local area.

“None of this would be possible without the support of The Bridgewater Hall Community Education Trust and the generosity of its donors and supporters. The Trusts’ guiding principles are creativity, collaboration, adventure, responsiveness and development, and we hope that these shine through in this one of a kind creative music project.”

Find out more at: https://www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk/engage/tram-tracks/

Organisations involved in the project include:

• British Cycling
• African Caribbean Care Group (Health and social care support for older people in the African Caribbean Community)
• Manchester Jewish Museum
• Salford Foyer (young parenting group)
• LGBT Asylum Seekers
• The Bridgewater Hall Singers (non-auditioned choir, singing for wellbeing)
• Streetwise Opera
• Brighter Sound’s Sing City (Young Manchester songwriters who regularly alight at Shudehill for the Sing City project)
• Manchester Camerata (Youth Forum, Older People living in Tameside and a group of young people living with Autism)
• Cantare Ladies Choir
• Oldham Theatre Workshop
• Friends of Clayton Park (local adult volunteers)
• Grand Day Out (adults over 55)
• Twitter Disco (carers who are unable  to leave the house very often will be composing a song over Twitter

Keep an eye out for the following key dates:

• 9 June – musical ‘happenings’ across the network
• 9 July – The Bridgewater Hall Gala Concerts
• 17 July – Anniversary of Metrolink’s official opening – performances on the trams and at selected tram stops across the network
• 9 and 10 September – The Bridgewater Hall’s 21st Birthday Weekend (official birthday is Monday 21st September)