MediaCityUK tram stop

MediaCityUK is a Manchester Metrolink tram stop in Salford Quays, Salford. It is at the end of a short spur from the Eccles Line and is in fare zone 2.^[1] This station was opened on 20 September 2010,^[2] and it has step-free access.^[3]

The stop is located at street level. Serving MediaCityUK, it is also near to The Lowry, Imperial War Museum North (though there is a different tram stop serving it closer) and other parts of Salford Quays.

MediaCityUK is a development within Salford Quays, on the site of the former Manchester Docks. When an active port, the quays were served by numerous railway goods lines.

The Metrolink's extension into Salford Quays was part of a programme of urban renewal for the area around the Manchester Ship Canal. Plans for a light rail system into Salford Quays have existed since around 1987, initially as far as Broadway;^[4] the proposals evolved, with plans for a branch line to serve the Lowry arts centre.^[5] The MediaCityUK extension replaced that proposal.^[6] It opened on 20 September 2010,^[2] as the terminus of a specially-constructed 360-metre spur (0.22 mi) from the Eccles Line (which opened to Broadway in 1999 and Eccles in 2000).

Services to this tram stop were suspended following an incident at the Harbour City crossover on the second day of operation (21 September 2010). A driver reversed after only partially passing over spring-loaded points causing the tram to straddle two tracks, derail, and hit a central support column.^[7]

MediaCityUK tram stop was constructed with accessibility in mind. Disabled access ramps lead up to both platforms from the east, and from the west are steps, though there is another step-free route available. Two dot matrix passenger information displays stand one on each platform, and show estimated arrival times for trams in minutes up to 30 minutes prior (up to three at a time) and number of carriages.^[8]

The original Eccles Line ran between Harbour City and Broadway directly, taking a sharp turn to the right (north) to reach Broadway. The spur was opened in 2010, and it only runs single-track for most of its length, only separating into two tracks again at the tram stop itself to serve its two platforms. Trams from MediaCityUK can run to Broadway and Harbour City directly, forming a delta junction with the original Eccles Line route. Since the spur is single-track and the main Eccles Line double-track, crossovers are used at both Harbour City and Broadway to push trams running from the spur onto the correct side (and vice versa for trams wanting to merge onto the spur from the Eccles Line).^[9]

Every route across the Manchester Metrolink network operates to a 12-minute headway (5 tph) Monday–Saturday, and to a 15-minute headway (4 tph) on Sundays and bank holidays. Sections served by a second "peak only" route (like this stop) will have a combined headway of 6 minutes during peak times.

MediaCityUK is located in Zone 2, and the stop itself has two platforms which aren't named. The default platform for trams to enter MediaCityUK is usually Platform A (southernmost), however this may change during service disruptions. If one platform is occupied and another tram needs to use the stop, it will just use the other platform: there is no allocated platform for different destinations.^[10]

Even though two tram routes run to this stop, since they alternate during service hours, MediaCityUK actually only receives 5 trams an hour (every 12 minutes) instead of the combined frequency of 6 minutes mentioned before.

MediaCityUK is about a 8-minute walk away from Imperial War Museum tram stop on the Trafford Park Line, which makes for a convenient interchange for passengers, though it isn't stated as an official interchange by Transport for Greater Manchester. Trams usually depart MediaCityUK heading towards Manchester about 10 minutes before another tram to Manchester departs from Imperial War Museum. Since the Trafford Park Line is a little faster than the Eccles Line, it makes for a potentially faster way to get to the city centre than just waiting for the next tram at MediaCityUK.^[11]

MediaCityUK tram stop is served closest by Bee Network bus routes 29, 30, 50, 51, 53, and 79 on The Quays (road), the most frequent being route 50 (East Didsbury-MediaCityUK)

This tram stop is not connected to or near to any railway stations, but the nearest is Trafford Park, approximately 1.7 miles away walking.

• MediaCityUK
• Imperial War Museum North
• Salford Quays

• MediaCityUK tram stop - Live departures
• MediaCityUK tram stop - Area map