Metrolink to / from Etihad

[Deleted member 77198]

The issue with tram capacity on match days is partly caused by able bodied people making unecessary journeys to and from the city centre that they could walk. The trams always get heaving between Piccadilly Gardens & Piccadilly & Etihad Campus, whereas it's easy to walk these journeys in 25-30 minutes. The key should be better signage & more information on these walking routes, freeing up capacity on the trams for those making longer journeys.
Once the Co-op arena opens, there needs to be a better alternative, maybe by opening a heavy rail station on the Ashburys to Victoria line, or a tram or bus link over to Central Park.

That walking route thing you mention is a good point.

Just as you leave the grounds of the Etihad, there’s a sign saying ‘CITY LINK: City Centre Walking Route’. You walk the way the sign tells you down a bit of an off-road passageway and then you get to a road and there are no more signs to tell you the quickest way to walk. You realise there is no ‘City Centre Walking Route’ and the sign was a load of bollocks.

If you were following that as a first time visitor, you’d be very confused and wouldn’t know which way to walk after the first quarter of a mile.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

You often see young/fit-looking people queuing up for the tram back to Piccadilly. If more of these people were encouraged to walk back to the station it would make life easier for the FOC who can't walk as quickly.

It does have to be said though, the infrastructure around the stadium can't handle the current capacity, never mind an extended North Stand!

Personally, I do think that many supporters need to chill out a bit and stop rushing off after full-time. It's quite nice clapping the last player off, heading to City Square (or the new bar on SSL1), and having a pint. By the time you've finished, the queue at the met is usually manageable and the journey is more comfortable. I appreciate there are times when people need to rush home, but on most occasions, I'd rather chill and have a beer than get angry in a queue!

The thing is, there is pretty much sod all to do anywhere around the stadium post-game. At one time we had a choice of pubs to visit after the game, if one was too busy, you’d pick another. Now, we must have one of the lowest numbers of boozers around a football stadium in the country. So even if you’ve stayed to clap the players off (which I always do) your choices are slim after that. So it’s pretty much off to the Met stop where the queues are huge and the Mets are only every 25 minutes.

Also, just because someone looks young/fit, doesn’t mean they are.

To look at me you’d think I looked youngish and fit (I’m 40, but some people think I look ten years younger than I am) and I’m in decent shape… yet I’ve got blood clots on my lungs and recently had an attack where part of my lung has died so walking back to Town is hard work.

Even so, after such a stupidly long wait on the platform after the Spurs game (was waiting 25 minutes on the platform for a Met to show up even after the ten minute crawl down to the platforms), I did walk back to Town after the Wolves game and wished I hadn’t. My lungs were killing me on Monday and I didn’t go last night because I couldn’t handle feeling like shit again today.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

I'm a 30 minute+ OC.

Google Maps, which always seem to calculate on Olympic Speedwalking Pace, claims 30-31mins edge to edge. Add a few minutes to get down the spiral on Level 3, walk around the stadium and get to the platform, I wouldn't allow any less than 45 min before the train is meant to turn up.

Congratulations to all the City Powerwalkers who can do it in less time.

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Indeed. Even when I’m fit and firing I don’t get back to town in less than 30 minutes.

And ‘Town’ doesn’t mean ‘Piccadilly Station’ either, that’s just the start of Town.

Cutting Room Square in Ancoats is probably closest at a 26 minute walk, with bars around Piccadilly Basin a 35 minute walk, Swan Street in New Cross or Tib Street in the Northern Quarter are a 37 minute walk and Thomas Street in the NQ is a 40 minute walk.

It always makes me laugh when people say Town is a 15-20 minute walk away.

 

[East Level 2]

Piccadilly line tube trains carry twice as many people as double tram units and run every three minutes through Arsenal station. And there are other tube stops in the area. - The Met cannot hope to match that, but at least they could try.
Admittedly it can still involve a 15 minute wait in the queue at Arsenal but you're soon back to the car at Arnos Grove and on the way home.

 

[Gray]

Piccadilly line tube trains carry twice as many people as double tram units and run every three minutes through Arsenal station. And there are other tube stops in the area. - The Met cannot hope to match that, but at least they could try.
Admittedly it can still involve a 15 minute wait in the queue at Arsenal but you're soon back to the car at Arnos Grove and on the way home.

It is 15+ minutes at the Etihad just to get a tram to Piccadilly station, then another wait of up to 20 minutes for an Altrincham tram which usually are single units. There is no doubt that the people running the trams are deliberately fucking over City fans.

How were the trams last night by the way?

 

[staffsblue]

It is 15+ minutes at the Etihad just to get a tram to Piccadilly station, then another wait of up to 20 minutes for an Altrincham tram which usually are single units. There is no doubt that the people running the trams are deliberately fucking over City fans.

How were the trams last night by the way?

The capacity was fine last night with extras running to Deansgate & Trafford Bar. There was delays, however, as someone pulled the emergency alarm on one of the Deansgate specials at New Islington & I was on the Eccles tram stuck behind for about 15 minutes or so.

 

[Brendan110_0]

Piccadilly line tube trains carry twice as many people as double tram units and run every three minutes through Arsenal station. And there are other tube stops in the area. - The Met cannot hope to match that, but at least they could try.
Admittedly it can still involve a 15 minute wait in the queue at Arsenal but you're soon back to the car at Arnos Grove and on the way home.

TBH that's the age old problem of under investment in Northwest transport links, wholly the fault of government concentrating wealth in London. Pisses me off and a reason I'll always have a car.

 

[bennyboy]

It is 15+ minutes at the Etihad just to get a tram to Piccadilly station, then another wait of up to 20 minutes for an Altrincham tram which usually are single units. There is no doubt that the people running the trams are deliberately fucking over City fans.

How were the trams last night by the way?

Shambles on the one I was on.
Vastly overcrowded and it let even more on at a stop and broke down.
Doors could not close so everybody had to get off.
Walked to Piccadilly to get another rather than wait.

 

[deafmanstevo]

I walked back to town last night as my son lives there and walked with him, then got a tram back to ashton .
Took me about 30-35 mins , i dont mind walking , its good for you. Im 54 reasonably fit, i think some people have just got lazy.
quite a lot of people walk back to town ,saw trams passing packed with people , shows what big crowds we have.
Last night tho loads of Arse fans singing on way back, didnt bother me , might have intimidated a few people tho.

 

[Gingers Dad]

Is the new bar in ss1 for ss1 ticket holders only.

No riff raff and a very strict dress code