St_Werburgh's_Road_Metrolink_station

St Werburgh's Road tram stop

St Werburgh's Road tram stop

Manchester Metrolink tram stop

St Werburgh's Road is a tram stop on the South Manchester Line (SML) and Airport Line of Greater Manchester's light-rail Metrolink system in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. It was built as part of Phase 3a of the network's expansion and opened on 7 July 2011.[1]

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Consisting of an island platform to the east of St Werburgh's Road, the stop is built largely on the site of the former Chorlton Junction Signal Box and its surroundings. It serves as an interchange for passengers travelling towards either Manchester Airport or East Didsbury.

History

St Werburgh's Road stop is on a re-opened railway line, the Cheshire Lines Committee line, which closed to passenger service in 1967. It is not a converted railway station itself. It was planned to reopen the line as part of the expansion of the Manchester Metrolink tram network.[2] Proposals to re-open the line were put forward in 1980s,[3] but remained unfunded until the 2000s. The line extension which was originally proposed would take over the disused trackbed of the Cheshire Lines Committee as far as East Didsbury.

In 2006, it was announced that the first phase of the "Big Bang" Metrolink expansion project (Phase 3A) would go ahead, including extending the network as far as St Werburgh's Road.[4] Following the rejection of the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund in a public referendum in 2008, extension of the line to East Didsbury (Phase 3B) went ahead with funding from national and local government.[2][5][6]

Construction of the line began in April 2009 and the line became operational as far as St Werburgh's Road on 7 July 2011.[1] Extended services to East Didsbury became operational on 23 May 2013.[7]

On 3 November 2014, another extension was opened from St Werburgh's Road to Manchester Airport.

In July 2015, a tram derailed at the stop after vandals attacked the tram and the tracks.[8] In July 2016, a man was badly injured at the stop when his leg became trapped between a tram and the platform.[9]

Connecting bus routes

St Werburgh's Road is served by the 84A bus route, running from Davyhulme to Merseybank via Urmston, Stretford and Chorlton. There are several services that stop in the central Chorlton area.[10]

Fallowfield Loop path

The Fallowfield Loop shared use path begins near St Werburgh's Road station. It cuts away from the tram line in an easterly direction and follows the trackbed of the former Fallowfield Loop railway line through Fallowfield and Levenshulme to Fairfield and Gorton.[11] The tram stop can be accessed from this path.

  • 1914 map of South Manchester railways
  • Construction work on the line near Chorlton
  • Map of the then planned tram line extensions from St Werburgh's Road
  • The cycle track (left) continues along the former Fallowfield Loop railway line

References

  1. [1]
    "Metrolink's new Chorlton line opens for business". Transport for Greater Manchester. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  2. [2]
    Linton, Deborah (13 May 2009). "£1.4bn transport deal unveiled". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  3. [3]
    Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (1984), Light Rapid Transit in Greater Manchester, GMPTE - publicity brochure
  4. [4]
    "Metrolink extension is announced". BBC News. 6 July 2006. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  5. [5]
    "Tram line extension is approved". BBC News. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  6. [6]
    "Metrolink: back on track?". BBC Manchester. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  7. [7]
    Kirby, Dean (13 May 2013). "Metrolink extension to East Didsbury to open next week- three months early". Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  8. [8]
    Abbit, Beth (4 July 2015). "Metrolink tram derails in Chorlton due to vandalism on the line - live updates". Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  9. [9]
    Rucki, Alexandra (21 July 2016). "Man suffers serious injuries after leg is trapped between tram and platform". Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  10. [10]
    "Public Transport Network Map - South Manchester" (PDF). TfGM. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  11. [11]
    "Friends of the Fallowfield Loop". Retrieved 14 March 2013.
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