English: New Metrolink Stop at Exchange Square

The first Metrolink services pulled into the new Exchange Square tram stop in Manchester city centre on Sunday, 6 December 2015. Exchange Square stop is the 93rd and newest stop on the Metrolink network.

The new stop is on Corporation Street between Exchange Square and the Manchester Arndale. It in the heart of the busy shopping and leisure district, providing easy access to shops, bars, restaurants and entertainment venues, including Manchester Arndale, the Corn Exchange and The Printworks, the Medieval Quarter and the National Football Museum and (during December) the Christmas Markets.. This area is now pedestrianised with no access to traffic between Withy Grove and Market Street/St Mary’s Gate.

The new stop has a modern design making the most of limited space in Exchange Square while keeping plenty of room for pedestrians. The striking pavilion style stop has an ‘island’ platform, brightly coloured steel and glass shelter and unique ‘floating’ overlapping glazed roof panels. On-stop ‘furniture’ such as passenger information displays and seating, has been integrated into polished concrete columns to give the stop a clean, uncluttered design. The step-free ramped access to Exchange Square is located at the southern end of the stop near to the bottom of the Manchester Arndale steps.

The Exchange Square stop marks the first stage of the Metrolink Second City Crossing through the heart of the city. Construction work started on the 0.6km stretch of line between Victoria Station and Exchange Square in summer 2014 following utility diversions. The initial services will operate during peak operational hours only, with trams running to Shaw and Crompton on weekdays and Rochdale Town Centre on Sundays (LinkExternal link Metrolink Transformation Information). It is anticipated that it will change to a full service in spring 2016.