Firswood tram stop

Firswood is a tram stop on the South Manchester Line (SML) and Airport Line of Greater Manchester's light-rail Metrolink system. Located in the Firswood area of Trafford, it was built as part of Phase 3a of the network's expansion, and opened on 7 July 2011.[1]

Firswood
Metrolink
Firswood tram stop, in May 2017
Firswood
Location of Firswood in Greater Manchester
Location
PlaceFirswood
Local authorityTrafford
Coordinates53.4515°N 2.2778°W / 53.4515; -2.2778
Grid referenceSJ816949
Platforms2
Fare zone information
Metrolink Zone2
Present statusIn operation
Operations
Original operatorManchester Metrolink
History
Opened7 July 2011

Firswood Metrolink station is located on a section of the former Cheshire Lines Committee railway line, in a cutting adjacent to St John Vianney School on Rye Bank Road. The stop provides access to both Firswood and Whalley Range.

History
See also: History of Manchester Metrolink

The station opened on 7 July 2011.[1] and is the first newly constructed station on the new South Manchester Metrolink line out of Manchester. Firswood is a new station on a re-opened railway line, the Cheshire Lines Committee line, which closed to passenger service in 1967. It was planned to re-open the line as part of the expansion of the Manchester Metrolink tram network.[2] Proposals to re-open the line have been put forward since the 1980s,[3] but remained unfunded until the 2000s. The line extension which was originally proposed would take over the disused tracks of the Cheshire Lines Committee as far as East Didsbury.

In 2006, it was announced that Phase 3A would go ahead, including the extension of the network as far St Werburgh's Road.[4] Following the rejection of the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund in a public referendum in 2008, extension of the line as East Didsbury (Phase 3B) will now go ahead with funding from national and local government.[2][5][6]

Construction of the line began in April 2009 and the new line became operational in July 2011.[1]

Services

Firswood is located on the South Manchester Line with trams towards Shaw and Crompton via Victoria and Oldham and to East Didsbury running every 12 minutes Monday-Saturdays and Sunday daytime and every 15 minutes Sunday early mornings and evenings.[7] Services extended from St Werburgh's Road to East Didsbury on 23 May 2013 and, from 3 November 2014, services ran to Manchester Airport from Cornbrook.

Service pattern
  • 12 minute service to Shaw and Crompton with double trams in the peak
  • 12 minute service to Rochdale Town Centre with double trams in the peak
  • 12 minute service to Victoria with single trams (every 20 minutes before 6 am)
  • 6 minute service to East Didsbury with double trams in the peak
  • 12 minute service to Manchester Airport with single trams (every 20 minutes before 6 am)

Connecting bus routes

Firswood is not served by any direct bus service but some services stop nearby to the stop. Stagecoach Manchester service 15 stops on King's Road and runs westbound to Flixton via Stretford and Urmston and eastbound to Manchester.[8]

  • Construction work on the line near Chorlton
  • Map of the South Manchester line extensions
  • Under construction in June 2010
  • Firswood tram stop, in August 2012

References
  1. "Metrolink's new Chorlton line opens for business". Transport for Greater Manchester. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  2. Linton, Deborah (13 May 2009). "£1.4bn transport deal unveiled". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  3. Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (1984). "Light Rapid Transit in Greater Manchester". GMPTE. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) - publicity brochure
  4. "Metrolink extension is announced". BBC News. 6 July 2006. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  5. "Tram line extension is approved". BBC News. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  6. "Metrolink: back on track?". BBC Manchester. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  7. "Metrolink - Tram Times - Firswood". Metrolink. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  8. "Transport for Greater Manchester - Journey Planning - Network Maps". Transport for Greater Manchester. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
Preceding station   Manchester Metrolink   Following station
towards East Didsbury
East Didsbury – Shaw and Crompton Line
towards East Didsbury
East Didsbury – Rochdale Town Centre Line
towards Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport – Victoria Line
towards Victoria
Manchester Airport - Deansgate-Castlefield Line
Disused railways
Cornbrook
1856–65
Line and station closed		   Manchester, South Junction
and Altrincham Railway		   Warwick Road for Old Trafford
Line and station open
Deansgate
1849–56, 1865–1991
Line closed, station open		    
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