Having replaced most of the remaining track inherited from British Rail on the former suburban lines to Altrincham and Bury, Greater Manchester PTE has decided to renew the on-street track through the city centre that has now been used by Metrolink LRVs for 16 years. The first phase will see new rail installed on the branch from Piccadilly Gardens to Piccadilly station during a six-week closure from September 27 to November 9. There will then be a pause during the Christmas shopping season before the sections from Piccadilly Gardens to Victoria station and to G-Mex are dealt with, probably in two stages. Each of these on-street segments is about 1 km long. During the closure this autumn trams will operate every 6 min between Bury and Altrincham, and every 12 min from Eccles to Victoria. 'The new track on the Bury and Altrincham lines has made tram journeys smoother, quieter and more reliable, but now we need to turn our attention to the city centre', said Phil Purdy, Director, Metrolink, at GMPTE. Another reason for getting the job done now is that the next stage of Metrolink expansion will increase the number of trams using the on-street track in the city centre from about 250 to 400 a day.
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