WORK has finally started to install a new roof at run-down Altrincham Interchange.

Passengers at the interchange who have been exposed to the elements for years will soon be able wait for a tram in the dry.

Transport chiefs are investing £180,000 in the scheme, which is due to be finished before Christmas. Trams will stop at platform two until it is completed.

The platform has been uncovered since glazed panels were removed three years ago due to safety concerns. The new roof will be made of coated steel with clear panels to let in the light.

Councillor Roland Griffin, the Trafford spokesman for the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, said: "I'm delighted we've been able to provide £180,000 to replace the roof over the Metrolink platform.

"The platform is the busiest at the interchange and I'm sure Altrincham's residents and workers will appreciate having somewhere dry to stand while they wait for a tram.

"The new roof is expected to be in place by the end of the year and I hope passengers will bear with us while the work takes place."

The go-ahead for the roof work came after repeated calls for action from MP Graham Brady, ward councillors and the Friends of Altrincham Interchange, which collected a 1,000-name petition.

Transport bosses say they are committed to carrying out a multi-million pound redevelopment of the interchange in the future. They are pursuing a funding package which would include contributions from organisations committed to the improvements, such as Trafford council, Network Rail and private developers.