The overhead lines that will power Metrolink trams running to the city centre’s new Exchange Square tram stop will go live on Monday (26 October).
City centre residents and businesses are being given safety messages about work to energise and commission the overhead line equipment from Manchester Victoria Station along Corporation Street to the new stop in Exchange Square and through to Market Street/St Mary’s Gate.
The overhead lines – which carry a direct current of 750 volts and are over five metres above the ground – will power trams along the first phase of the Metrolink Second City Crossing to Exchange Square and should now be treated as “live” at all times, even though trams are not yet running.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) announced earlier this week that the new Exchange Square stop is due to open in the run up to Christmas.
Peter Cushing, TfGM’s Metrolink Director, said: “This is the first stage of an extensive testing and commissioning process to make sure the physical infrastructure is ready for passenger services in the run up to Christmas.
“We’re writing to local residents and businesses to make sure they understand how to live and work safely alongside the new tram route, as they do in other parts of the city centre already.
“Once this work has been carried out and we’ve completed finishing works at the stop, we’ll be able to run test trams in advance of passenger services opening before Christmas.”
Two safety leaflets: ‘Living near a Metrolink line’ and ‘Working safely near Metrolink’, explain more about the electrification, and the process for property owners carrying out external maintenance to buildings next to the tramway.
The first phase of the Second City Crossing line, from Manchester Victoria through to the new Exchange Square tram stop, is being fast-tracked thanks to a major European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) grant.
The full Second City Crossing line is due to open 2017. It will start on Lower Mosley Street and run through St Peter’s Square, down Princess Street, along Cross Street and Corporation Street and into Manchester Victoria Station.
To find out more about the Second City Crossing and improvements to the Metrolink network, visit www.transformationinformation.co.uk or call the Metrolink team on 0161 244 1555 during office hours, Monday to Friday.
