A special themed tram celebrating the greatest TV soap of all time has officially hit the Metrolink tracks today.
And it’s “the most Manc tram ever” too, apparently.
It’s pretty well-known at this point that Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) constantly gets contacted by Coronation Street fans asking where the TV show’s dedicated tram stop is – which doesn’t actually exist, by the way – and is not helped by the fact there’s a CGI tram in the programme’s titles and a ‘tram stop’ on the soap’s set too.
In fact, after the infamous tram crash in 2010’s 50th Anniversary episode, TfGM had almost 300 queries asking if the trams were still running in Manchester… genuinely.
Over here in the ‘real world’, fans looking to head to the Coronation Street Experience for a special visit of the show’s set will need to hop off at the nearest stop, which is the IWM North, just a short wander away – but as of today (19 June), all that has now changed.
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A special Coronation Street-themed tram has officially hit the Metrolink tracks / Credit: ITV Studios
That’s because, in true Corrie style,ITV Studios has proudly revealed what it’s calling “the most Manc transport ever” with the launch of the first-ever ‘Coronation Street Experience’ tram.
The unique homage to the show will meander across the Metrolink network for the next 12 months.
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Created using special visuals from Manchester-based agency, Meanwhile, the so-called ‘Insta-trammable’ tram can be seen all dressed-up with gorgeous illustrations from the cobbles to give passengers the change to head to Rochdale through the legendary ‘Rovers doors’, arrive at Kingsway through the Kabin, make their way to the Velopark via Vera and Jack’s infamously-clad ‘No. 9 door’, or rock up at Radcliffe through the entrance to Roys Rolls.
As summer settles on our city, the ITV and TfGM teams also briefly snuck into the ‘real world’ earlier on today to turn the IWM Metrolink stop into ‘Weatherfield North’, especially for the themed tram’s official launch.
It’ll be travelling across Greater Manchester from today for the next 12 months / Credit: TfGM
“We’ve got our very own Weatherfield tram stop, where our characters catch a handy tram ‘into town’, and we’ve even very-occasionally got a virtual tram going past over our bridge, commented John Whiston, who is the MD for Continuing Drama at ITV Studios, as the tram officially hit the region’s tracks today.
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“However, we’ve never actually ventured onto Manchester’s Metrolink other than fictionally, so it’s exciting that an actual tram will sport some fine Coronation Street livery.”
Mr Whiston added that the point of the new themed tram is to show visitors just “how easy it is to journey to the Coronation Street Experience on a real tram.”
Urging Mancs and Greater Manchester visitors to “keep an eye out” for the new Corrie-themed tram across the Metrolink network over the next 12 months, Pete Sommers, who is TfGM’s Interim Metrolink Network Director, added: “Metrolink, like Corrie, is an iconic symbol of Greater Manchester that has gone from strength to strength over the years, so we are delighted to be supporting ITV Studios and the Coronation Street Experience.
“Passengers will also have the chance to board the Corrie-themed tram out on the network over the coming months, so I’d urge people to keep an eye out.”
Featured Image – ITV Studios
Boroughs
Greater Manchester’s popular Walking Festival returns next month with more than 400 events
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester’s popular Walking Festival is back next month and there’s more than 400 events happening.
The GM Walking Festival is back for 2025, and it’s bigger than ever.
Coordinated by Greater Manchester Moving, and organised in alignment with National Walking Month, the month-long celebratory festival invites people from all across the region to experience the joy of walking and wheeling throughout May.
The festival brings together more than 400 free organised group walks hosted by local organisations and community groups in every borough of Greater Manchester.
Whether you’re walking with a pram, wheeling with a mobility aid, exploring with friends, or simply just taking time to move mindfully, there’s something for everyone on this year’s lineup – from scenic canal strolls and city centre heritage walks, to family-friendly nature trails, and dementia-friendly rambles.
Organisers say the festival offers an opportunity to ‘move, connect, and feel good’, as each event is free to attend and designed to be inclusive.
Some of the highlights on this year’s festival lineup include the chance to get off the beaten track and discover the hidden corners of Burrs Country Park in Bury with a friendly local guide, the ‘Steps Against Stigma’ walk in Salford Quays, where you can join a community opening up about mental health, or a lovely wellbeing walk across parks in Sale Moor.
Greater Manchester’s popular Walking Festival returns next month / Credit: Greg Rosenke (via Unsplash)
There’s also dedicated events for over 50s, those going through the menopause to connect with others, and events for lovers of birdsong and woodland nature.
“I’m delighted to see so many local groups from all parts of Greater Manchester coming together to make this year’s GM Walking Festival,” commented Louise Robbins, who is GM Moving’s Strategic Lead for Walking and Active Environments.
“With over 400 walks happening across May, there are countless opportunities to get moving in a way that works for you.”
GM Walking Festival 2025 takes place throughout the month of May, and you can find out about all the events happening here.
Featured Image – Kitera Dent (via Unsplash)
Boroughs
More than 300 ‘suspected’ domestic abusers arrested across Greater Manchester in just a week
Emily Sergeant
More than 300 ‘suspected’ domestic abusers have been arrested across Greater Manchester in just a week alone.
Each week, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) deploys resources in every borough that are tasked specifically with targeting those perpetrating domestic abuse, and now, some new data released by the police service shows just how effective those resources are at protecting victims.
Between 31 March and 6 April alone, a total of 326 people who were wanted for domestic abuse offences or were reported during incidents were arrested.
Of those arrested, more than a third have already resulted in what GMP has called a ‘positive outcome’ for the victim.
#DomesticAbuse | Tonight on @granadareports showcased how we’re using Domestic Abuse Protection Orders to safeguard victims and survivors.
We encourage anyone struggling to reach out to us or a support agency – we are here to help you. pic.twitter.com/bppyq60NdO
Many of those cases remain under further investigation, so that police can build ‘strong evidential packages’ to present to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Again in the same week, police successfully secured 30 Domestic Violence and Domestic Abuse Protection notices and orders, which effectively prohibit the perpetrators from committing further offences, and a further 85 ‘welfare or compliance checks’ were carried out on orders already in place across the region to ensure victims are safe and perpetrators are sticking with the prohibitions.
Information under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme – otherwise known as Clare’s Law – was also disclosed by police to 59 people, with the intent of enabling them to make informed choices about the relationships they are currently in.
#NEWS | Our pilot of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders has seen us protect 119 vulnerable victims and survivors so far, and five men (below ⬇️) who have breached these orders, have been jailed.
“Over the last four years, we have made significant improvements to the way that we deal with this devastating issue and support those suffering, as we recognise that our past response was simply not good enough, and let people down,” commented Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker, who is GMP’s lead for Protecting Vulnerable People.
“These improvements have been across the board – from the first moment of contact we have with a victim or survivor, all the way through to taking cases to court.
“What was achieved last week is just a glimpse into the work which happens continuously behind the scenes to tackle domestic abuse and protect vulnerable victims across the region.
“Domestic abuse is one of the most complex crimes that we in policing deal with.
“Protecting those who are vulnerable will always be our top priority, whether victims are women, men, or children. It’s important that we recognise we still have more to do, but also that the GMP of today is much different, and much improved, than the GMP of the past.”
Emily Sergeant -
19th June 2024 
