Metrolink

[blingy]

I suffer with anxiety and don't like being in confined spaces - it became just unbearable being on one in the end to be honest.

I suffer with anxiety and got stuck on the tram coming back from a evening game last year, some dick in a van had parked up on a pavement ashton bound and the tram couldn't get past, was crammed on for what seemed like a age and had no way of getting off, think I only had a couplee of minutes left in me befour I'd have forced my way off the tram had it not started moving again, it's a terrible service to ashton after the game as it is it's just not fit for purpose.
Iv not been able to attend a game as yet this year with work and I'm dreading doing the journey for the champions league game or palace which ever comes 1st
SaId at the end of last year I need to find alternative as I'm sick of having to leave early to get of the car park and now see there are tighter parking restrictions in place, God knows what the best option is from Hyde area to the game and back again with a 11 year old in toe,
Wonder if anybody on here saw or used the private bus service that was advertised, was running from marple through Stockport but had a Hyde Denton service as well as some services from the other side of the city. Can't for the life of me think what it was called ??

 

[nmc]

I'm a tram driver and most of you are chatting shit ;-)

Yeah we have the odd fuck up but most of the time it's a 6 minute service to anywhere in Greater Manchester..I know because I drive it

Sometimes at the weekend there are 'shutdowns' in and around the city centre for essential maintenance work on the tracks..but we will always run services around that..last Saturday was a little different as a tram derailed (driver error) on Aytoun Street in the morning which was the cause of the disruption

We've just been taken over by Keolis/Amey and they are certainly making the right noises regarding much needed infrastructure upgrades etc..so hopefully they will follow it through

Why do we need infrastructure upgrades - you seem to think everything is fine and dandy! From personal experience I think the Metrolink is rubbish - it's expensive, overcrowded and the service is unreliable. I'm a huge supporter of public transport but the Tram systems in Germany are light years ahead of Metrolink. Sorry.

 

[blingy]

Feeling very smug, used the Zeelo match bus service. Door to door in luxury.

What was it like getting off the car park after the game , was there a long wait or was you straight off 25 min after the game ? Could be a option for me from Hyde Cheers

 

[frothy]

I suffer with anxiety and got stuck on the tram coming back from a evening game last year, some dick in a van had parked up on a pavement ashton bound and the tram couldn't get past, was crammed on for what seemed like a age and had no way of getting off, think I only had a couplee of minutes left in me befour I'd have forced my way off the tram had it not started moving again, it's a terrible service to ashton after the game as it is it's just not fit for purpose.
Iv not been able to attend a game as yet this year with work and I'm dreading doing the journey for the champions league game or palace which ever comes 1st
SaId at the end of last year I need to find alternative as I'm sick of having to leave early to get of the car park and now see there are tighter parking restrictions in place, God knows what the best option is from Hyde area to the game and back again with a 11 year old in toe,
Wonder if anybody on here saw or used the private bus service that was advertised, was running from marple through Stockport but had a Hyde Denton service as well as some services from the other side of the city. Can't for the life of me think what it was called ??

Isn't there a supporters Club in Hyde? or get the bus into town and get off at Alan turning way, and walk it doesn't take long really.

 

[blingy]

Isn't there a supporters Club in Hyde? or get the bus into town and get off at Alan turning way, and walk it doesn't take long really.

Not lived here long so not sure about s/c
I can get a train to ashburys on the way to the game, really easy and takes minutes but had problems on a crowded platform the one time I used it to get back, was worse then a metro platform and ended up with a old guy falling on the tracks with a few seconds before a train came through (lucky escape for him a few blues jumped down and dragged him off the tracks ) and then got on the wrong train as I didn't realise the track split at gorton :-( woukdent fancy using a bus to get back in a school night tbh

 

[IanBishopsHaircut]

Why do we need infrastructure upgrades - you seem to think everything is fine and dandy! From personal experience I think the Metrolink is rubbish - it's expensive, overcrowded and the service is unreliable. I'm a huge supporter of public transport but the Tram systems in Germany are light years ahead of Metrolink. Sorry.

Don't use it then..take the bus..which is infinitely worse

Metrolink is the biggest network in the UK and one of the biggest in Europe..it's not perfect..but show me a public transport system that is in this country

As a driver I have my fair share of gripes..but in general it's a decent enough mode of transport

For those asking about anti social behaviour

Was a time up until a couple of months ago that the Rochdale line was a war zone in the evening..like lord of the flies..to a lesser extent Ashton and the airport line

Now we have a huge presence of an evening in the trouble spots..I feel a lot more safe (a driver was nearly killed when a boulder was thrown through his window near Shaw)

We have Travel Safe Officers..special police as well as Palladium security and our own inspectors travelling the lines until the early hours of the morning..but they can't be everywhere all of the time

It's not perfect..but as a frequent bus user before I joined metrolink..it could be a lot worse

 

[IanBishopsHaircut]

Agree about the Altrincham line it is always busy yet a crap service. Trams to Eccles and media city half empty, Altrincham packed like sardines. One thing that used to really wind me up was having to get off at Timperly and catch one behind because they wanted to turn the tram around. It is TWO stops away and it is going back anyway! I have missed my bus connection a few times because of that.

The trams they turn around at Timperley are generally the Bury/Altrincham service..this is a gripe with the drivers too..the above service is unworkable as it stands as the timings are off..even if you keep to line speed you cannot run the service on time..this results (over a number of runs) in it being very late..they turn it at Timperley to attempt to get it back on time

You're wrong saying it's only two stops though..those two stops can sometimes take an absolute age..as they are governed by the railway signalman and not metrolink..he can keep you a long time at the navigation road crossings..then you've got to get out of Altrincham

Many a time I've been on time at Timperley then been ten minutes late in an instant..one of the signalmen is an absolute bellend

 

[Saddleworth2]

I suffer with anxiety and got stuck on the tram coming back from a evening game last year, some dick in a van had parked up on a pavement ashton bound and the tram couldn't get past, was crammed on for what seemed like a age and had no way of getting off, think I only had a couplee of minutes left in me befour I'd have forced my way off the tram had it not started moving again, it's a terrible service to ashton after the game as it is it's just not fit for purpose.
Iv not been able to attend a game as yet this year with work and I'm dreading doing the journey for the champions league game or palace which ever comes 1st
SaId at the end of last year I need to find alternative as I'm sick of having to leave early to get of the car park and now see there are tighter parking restrictions in place, God knows what the best option is from Hyde area to the game and back again with a 11 year old in toe,
Wonder if anybody on here saw or used the private bus service that was advertised, was running from marple through Stockport but had a Hyde Denton service as well as some services from the other side of the city. Can't for the life of me think what it was called ??

We used to get the tram in from Ashton until we were crushed on a tram after the first home game last season. Since then we use justpark and drive to the estate opposite the Etihad and park on someone's drive. What a difference.

 

[Saddleworth2]

Don't use it then..take the bus..which is infinitely worse

Metrolink is the biggest network in the UK and one of the biggest in Europe..it's not perfect..but show me a public transport system that is in this country

As a driver I have my fair share of gripes..but in general it's a decent enough mode of transport

For those asking about anti social behaviour

Was a time up until a couple of months ago that the Rochdale line was a war zone in the evening..like lord of the flies..to a lesser extent Ashton and the airport line

Now we have a huge presence of an evening in the trouble spots..I feel a lot more safe (a driver was nearly killed when a boulder was thrown through his window near Shaw)

We have Travel Safe Officers..special police as well as Palladium security and our own inspectors travelling the lines until the early hours of the morning..but they can't be everywhere all of the time

It's not perfect..but as a frequent bus user before I joined metrolink..it could be a lot worse

Mate, I used to use the metro in from Ashton and back every home game. Last season my wife and I were crushed so badly on the tram, we had to get off at the velodrome stop. I have used the tube extensively and never experienced anything like it. I complained to metrolink as a result and they admitted that the monitoring of numbers on the platform was inadequate and that there is no way they can police the number of customers getting on to a tram, which was the problem in this case. Neither could they organise double trams after the game to get through the immediate after game surge. We now drive to matches. Shame because I would have preferred to use public transport.

 

[Blue Llama]

What was it like getting off the car park after the game , was there a long wait or was you straight off 25 min after the game ? Could be a option for me from Hyde Cheers

Zeelo appear to have negotiated 'Priority' parking in the Blue car park. Their coaches are the first off.