Wharfside tram stop

53°27′59″N 2°17′16″W / 53.46631°N 2.28778°W / 53.46631; -2.28778Line(s)Trafford Park LinePlatforms2Other informationStatusIn operationFare zone2HistoryOpened22 March 2020Passengers2020/21  40,8002021/22 0.334 million

Route map
Legend to Pomona to Exchange Quay Pomona Docks Trafford Park boundary 0:13 Wharfside 0:11 Imperial War Museum footbridges to MediaCityUK Manchester Ship Canal 0:08 Village 0:06 Parkway Bridgewater Canal 0:02 Barton Dock Road 0:00 The Trafford Centre This diagram: view talk edit

Location

Wharfside is a tram stop on the Manchester Metrolink's Trafford Park Line. It is located on Trafford Wharf Road, close to Old Trafford football stadium.^[1] It was originally proposed that the station be named Manchester United.^[2] It opened on 22 March 2020.^[3][4]

History

Wharfside tram stop and the tram tracks around the area run very close to the alignment of a section of the now derelict Trafford Park Railway.

In 2013, the GMCA and the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership announced that it may fund the construction of the Trafford Park Line as far as The Trafford Centre, estimating that the line could be open to passengers by 2018/19 (subject to a satisfactory business case, Transport and Works Act Order and public consultation).^[5]

During planning stages, the tram tracks were set to merge onto Trafford Wharf Road just west of Wharfside, but the plans were altered before construction due to the Coronation Street set being located near where the tram tracks were set to run. There was a risk of interference with the production of Coronation Street as a result of noise caused by trams, so the tracks now run next to the Manchester Ship Canal further away from the set.^[6]

The first trams (3040 and 3014 coupled together) passed by Wharfside in the early hours of 10 November 2019 while on test. The stop opened to passengers on 22 March 2020, and the first passenger service tram (3073) stopped at Wharfside at exactly 06:37.^[7][8]

Layout

Wharfside is located next to the Manchester Ship Canal and is the closest tram stop to Old Trafford Stadium.

The stop has two side platforms. On each platform are two canopies, one longer than the other. The longer canopies have six seats and three perch seats under them, and the shorter ones only have a single ticket machine each. Passenger help points are located near the middle of each platform.

Dot matrix passenger information displays hang from each longer canopy, and show estimated arrival times for trams in minutes up to 30 minutes prior (up to three at a time) and number of carriages.

There are two ramps at the ends of each platform, providing step-free access for passengers.

Services

Services run every 12 minutes on all routes. Some routes (not shown here) only run during peak times.

From this stop, services run to Castlefield in Manchester city centre in one direction and to The Trafford Centre in the other.

Preceding station	Manchester Metrolink			Following station
Imperial War Museum towards The Trafford Centre		The Trafford Centre–Deansgate		Pomona towards Deansgate-Castlefield

Connecting transport

Bus

Wharfside tram stop is served closest by bus route X50 (Worsley–Piccadilly Gardens) and 250 on Wharfside Way (The Trafford Centre–Piccadilly Gardens).

Train

This tram stop is not connected to any railway stations, but the nearest one is Trafford Park, approximately 1.6 miles away walking.

References