Metrolink to / from Etihad

[jockblue]

That schedule is the most fucked up I've ever seen created. So you have a major football stadium that will often have games that kick off at 8pm Monday to Friday, so you decide to start running a direct tram there AFTER that time. Similarly at weekend. "Hey a stadium holding 54,000 people often play every other Saturday between 12.30 and 5.30pm. Tell you what, we'll run a tram directly there starting at 6.30 pm " Genius. We may get lucky on a Sunday though on the odd game we play then.
Anybody who thought this scheduling up is either on drugs, a rag or hates the passengers that help pay their wages. Probably all three.

It's really not that complicated.
Before 8pm, trams run every 6 mins from Etihad to town - half then go to Media City, half go to Eccles.
After 8pm and on Sundays, trams run every 6 mins from Etihad to town - half then go to Altrincham, half go to Eccles (think frequency is lower on Sundays)

So you (like me) might think it annoying that I can't always get a direct tram to the stadium. They'll be other people who live/work near Media City who might wonder the same but the other way round...

 

[Stephen230]

Except they don't. You're often waiting for ages at Cornbook for a tram going to the stadium to turn up.

I’ve seen specials starting from Deansgate/ Castlefield, where they have room to park them up for a while. So you wouldn’t see them waiting back at Cornbrook. Might be worth considering staying on an extra stop and changing there.

 

[paulchapo]

It's really not that complicated.
Before 8pm, trams run every 6 mins from Etihad to town - half then go to Media City, half go to Eccles.
After 8pm and on Sundays, trams run every 6 mins from Etihad to town - half then go to Altrincham, half go to Eccles (think frequency is lower on Sundays)

So you (like me) might think it annoying that I can't always get a direct tram to the stadium. They'll be other people who live/work near Media City who might wonder the same but the other way round...

I didn't say it was complicated I said it was fucked up and it is. It's so bad you would think it's been done as a wind up. Who are all the passengers going direct to the Etihad using it all day on a Sunday, aside from when we have a game? Similarly leaving the stadium.

We must be the only country in the world where we have the wherewithal to run a transport system directly to a sports venue when it's needed and don't do it satisfactorily. Sure I'm beating the drum for my own service, why wouldn't I? The Piccadilly trams are running into Piccadilly station anyway, just do the extra few stops to the stadium then turn it around. Instead an often packed tram of people have to get off at Cornbook to join an already overcrowded platform to wait for a direct tram to arrive. When it does it can often be full.

It's not fit for purpose in its present format. God help us against Wolves when we have a concert at the arena too.

 

[paulchapo]

I’ve seen specials starting from Deansgate/ Castlefield, where they have room to park them up for a while. So you wouldn’t see them waiting back at Cornbrook. Might be worth considering staying on an extra stop and changing there.

The recommendation from metrolink is to change at Cornbook. So it's a gamble to do as you suggest. As it fills up very quickly at Cornbook if there isn't an extra service going from Deansgate/Castlefield you'd be fucked when a packed tram arrives from Cornbook.