A NEW Metrolink route to the Trafford Centre is to be discussed by transport bosses today.


The proposed 5.5 kilometre route would leave the existing Metrolink network at the Pomona stop, running alongside the Manchester Ship Canal, before following Trafford Wharf Road and Warren Bruce Road, through the Village area of Trafford Park, crossing Parkway Circle and the Bridgewater Canal before terminating at the Trafford Centre.


While stop names are to be determined, they are planned to be close to key facilities, including Wharfside for Old Trafford, the Imperial War Museum North, Trafford Park Village, Parkway, EventCity and the Trafford Centre.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has already approved the initial funding required to get the scheme ‘shovel ready’, including ordering 10 new trams to serve the line, costing approximately £2 million per vehicle.

Leader of Trafford Council, Cllr Matt Colledge, said: "The Trafford Park Metrolink line is the next vital step linking one of the biggest employment and retail areas in the north with the rest of Greater Manchesters tram network.

"By ordering the ten trams now will save £1.5 million over delaying it for a year so I welcome this step forwards for the Trafford Park line."


Councillor Andrew Fender, chairman of the Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) Committee, said: “This is an important step on the road to delivering this new line, which would be a fantastic addition to what is already a flagship centre for business and tourism.


He added: “There is a great deal of work ahead of us before we can start to think of shovels hitting the ground, but I’m really pleased that it is building momentum and I look forward to more progress being made in the coming months and years.”
 

The scheme will be put to a public consultation next year, ahead of a formal application being made to Government for a Transport and Works Act Order, which would give TfGM the statutory powers needed to construct and operate the line.