This follows the completion of track laying last week by contractors M-Pact Thales on the 5.5km branch which runs from Pomona through Trafford Park, Europe’s largest trading estate and home to more than 1300 businesses employing over 35,000 people, to the Traffic Centre shopping mall.
Testing is expected to last several months before driver training can start. The line will be operated by KeolisAmey Metrolink, which runs the exiting 93km network using a fleet of Bombardier Flexity Swift M5000 LRVs.
“When the line opens next year, it will provide a major boost to regional regeneration and economic growth by improving access to the large amount of retail, leisure, business and employment opportunities that exist in Trafford Park,” says Councillor Mark Aldred, chair of Greater Manchester Transport Committee. “It will also help towards reducing congestion and tackling air quality as we give people another, more environmentally-friendly alternative to the car.”
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