Since opening in 1992, the Manchester Metrolink light-rail/tram system has grown to a network of 99 tram stops.
The system opened on 6 April 1992 with 10 tram stops from Manchester Victoria station to Bury, beginning Phase 1 of the network's expansion. Phase 1 continued and lines through the city centre and to Altrincham were built and opened on 27 April and 15 June of that year respectively, along with a short spur to Manchester Piccadilly railway station via Piccadilly Gardens on 20 July.
Before Phase 2, in 1998, High Street tram stop was closed, and Market Street was redeveloped to a bi-directional tram stop.
Phase 2 gave the network 12 new tram stops: a new interchange at Cornbrook was opened, plus a new line through Salford Quays up to Broadway tram stop in 1999, and was extended to Eccles in 2000.
Before Phase 3 began, on 20 September 2010, MediaCityUK tram stop opened on a small spur of the Eccles Line, and G-Mex tram stop was renamed to Deansgate-Castlefield, its current name.
Phase 3a involved the construction of 36 new stops and new lines to Oldham and Rochdale, Droylsden and Chorlton. The first stops as part of Phase 3a opened on 7 July 2011 on the South Manchester Line up to St Werburgh's Road and the final stop opened on 31 March 2014 on the Oldham and Rochdale Line up to Rochdale Town Centre.
Woodlands Road tram stop closed in 2013 to make way for two new stops at Queens Road, serving the Metrolink depot and transport museum, and Abraham Moss, serving the library and leisure centre in the area.
During Phase 3b, a new line to Manchester Airport became operational in November 2014 - over a year ahead of schedule. The East Manchester Line was extended from Droylsden to Ashton-under-Lyne, and the South Manchester Line from St Werburgh's Road in Chorlton to East Didsbury.
After the Airport Line opened, the Manchester Metrolink was complete, but could still be extended to regions not reached, which led to the Trafford Park Line opening to the Trafford Centre in March 2020.
The network now consists of over of track, making it the largest tram system in the United Kingdom and second only to the London Underground in terms of an urban commuter network. The Metrolink system has 99 stops.
Primary future proposals include tram-trains to Bolton, Heywood, Hale, and Wigan, a spur off the Bury Line to Middleton, Ashton to Stalybridge, the Wythenshawe Loop, and most likely the first to happen, an extension from East Didsbury to Stockport's interchange.
List of Metrolink stops Current stops Borough Tram stops Manchester 42 Trafford 18 Oldham 10 Salford 10 Tameside 7 Bury 6 Rochdale 6 Bolton 0 Stockport 0 Wigan 0 Total 99 Correct as of 8 March 2024
+ Tram stop Photo Line Metropolitan borough District Opened Zone Footfall 2021/22 NotesBury ManchesterCheetham Hill 2 153,900 For Abraham Moss Library and College Campus.Altrincham( Altrincham)AltrinchamTraffordAltrincham 4 1,755,800 For Altrincham Interchange. Terminus of the Altrincham Line.EcclesSalfordSalford Quays 2 230,721 For Anchorage Quay.East ManchesterTameside Ashton Moss 3 128,400 For Ashton Leisure Complex and Snipe Retail Park. ( )East ManchesterTamesideAshton-under-Lyne 3 499,100 For Ashton-under-lyne Interchange and its railway station. Terminus of the East Manchester Line.East ManchesterTameside Ashton Moss 3 85,200 For Leisure and retail complex and Tameside stadiumEast ManchesterTamesideAudenshaw 3 129,800 Serves Audenshaw.AirportManchesterBaguley 3 82,800 Serves Baguley and Roundthorn Industrial Estate.AirportManchesterChorlton-cum-Hardy 2/3 290,700 For Chorlton Park.AirportManchesterWythenshawe Civic Centre 4 122,200 For Benchill Health Centre, and sixth form collegeBuryBuryBesses o' th' Barn 3 319,400 Serves small area of Whitefield, Manchester.BuryManchester Higher Blackley 2/3 310,500 Serves Higher Blackley and Bowker Vale areas of Manchester.EcclesSalfordSalford Quays 2 87,521 Serves MediaCityUK, along with Harbour City and MediaCityUK tram stops.AltrinchamTraffordBrooklands 3/4 768,900 Serves the Brooklands area of Sale.South ManchesterManchesterDidsbury 3 786,300 For Withington, Withington Community Hospital, and West Didsbury.BuryBuryBury 4 1,699,400 For Bury Interchange and the town centre. Terminus of the Bury Line.East ManchesterTamesideDroylsden 3 112,800 Serves parts of Droylsden and Fairfield.Oldham and RochdaleManchesterNewton Heath 2 147,500 For Central Park (business park), and Moston.South ManchesterManchesterChorlton-cum-Hardy 2 1,216,800 Serves Chorlton.East ManchesterManchesterClayton 2 100,900 For Clayton Hall and the rest of Clayton.AltrinchamManchester St George's 1/2 1,289,000 Major interchange on the Metrolink network.AirportManchesterWythenshawe Civic Centre 4 54,800 For Crossacres and Wythenshawe Fire Station.BuryManchesterCrumpsall 2 358,500 Serves Crumpsall.AltrinchamTraffordSale 3 275,100 For Priory Gardens and parts of Sale. ( Deansgate)First City CrossingManchesterCastlefield 1 2,506,400 For Great Northern Warehouse, Mamucium Roman Fort, Beetham Tower, and Deansgate Locks. Formerly named G-Mex (1992–2010). A third platform was added in 2015.Oldham and RochdaleOldhamDerker 3/4 265,900 Serves Derker in Oldham.South ManchesterManchesterDidsbury 3 542,400 For Didsbury Park.East ManchesterTamesideDroylsden 3 199,200 Serves parts of Droylsden and Audenshaw. Former terminus of the East Manchester Line. (Feb-Oct 2013)( )South ManchesterManchesterParrs Wood 3 598,300 For East Didsbury railway station, and Parrs Wood bus station. Terminus of the South Manchester Line.( )EcclesSalfordEccles 2 390,100 For Eccles Interchange. Terminus of the Eccles Line.East ManchesterTamesideDroylsden 2/3 198,000 Serves parts of East Manchester and Droylsden.East ManchesterManchesterBeswick 2 326,400 For the City of Manchester Stadium and Sportcity.EcclesSalfordSalford Quays 2 798,821 For Exchange Quay and Ordsall.Second City CrossingManchesterDeansgate 1 1,611,500 For the Manchester Arndale.Oldham and RochdaleOldhamFailsworth 3 242,100 Serves Failsworth and parts of New Moston.South ManchesterTraffordFirswood 2 318,800 Serves parts of Old Trafford as well as Firswood.Oldham and RochdaleOldhamWerneth 3 207,100 Serves Freehold, and parts of Chadderton and Werneth.EcclesSalfordSalford Quays 2 377,621 Serves Salford Quays, and MediaCityUK, along with Broadway and MediaCityUK tram stops.BuryBuryPrestwich 3 572,000 For Heaton Park and parts of Prestwich.Oldham and RochdaleOldhamHollinwood 3 241,900 Serves parts of Failsworth, New Moston, and Whitegate.East ManchesterManchester Bradford 2 66,300 Serves Bradford (Manchester), and parts of Beswick. Trafford ParkTraffordTrafford Park 2 269,600 For the Imperial War Museum and Salford Quays.Oldham and RochdaleRochdale Firgrove 4 181,700 For Kingsway Business Park and Firgrove.EcclesSalford Weaste 2 254,121 Named after Ladywell Roundabout. Serves Canterbury Gardens and parts of Trafford Park.EcclesSalfordSeedley 2 198,821 Serves Langworthy and parts of Seedley and Salford. ( Airport railway station Manchester Airport)AirportManchesterRingway 4 233,900 For Manchester Airport and its railway station. Terminus of the Airport Line.First City CrossingManchesterNorthern Quarter 1 1,668,500 For Manchester's main retail district, and the Manchester Arndale.AirportManchesterBaguley 4 96,700 Named after adjacent road. Serves parts of Baguley and Newall Green.MediaCityUK spurSalfordMediaCityUK 2 936,021 For Salford Quays and MediaCityUK.Oldham and RochdaleRochdaleMilnrow 4 235,800 Serves the village of Milnrow.Oldham and RochdaleManchester Monsall 2 76,900 Serves Monsall.AirportManchesterBaguley 3 136,600 For Wythenshawe Park, Brooklands Library, and Brookway Retail Park.AltrinchamTraffordAltrincham 4 520,300 Mainline trains run on adjacent platform.