Andy Burnham says there’s a “good chance” that late night trams will return to Greater Manchester before this year is out.
We all know that Manchester is a major city with a reputation for being home to the 24-hour party people and a nightlife scene that’s globally renowned – but our public transport offering has never quite matched that same energy.
Metrolink trams currently run until about midnight, but if you cast your minds back to the autumn of 2019, you might remember they ran all the way through to almost 2am as part of a ‘festive enhancement’ that was championed by both Mayor Andy Burnham and Greater Manchester’s Night Time Economy Adviser Sacha Lord, and benefitted both the public and an estimated 414,000 night-time workers across the city centre.
But when the COVID pandemic hit and lockdowns shuttered our world, late night trams were suspended and have not returned since.
Andy Burnham says there’s a ‘good chance’ late night trams will return later this year / Credit: David Dixon (via Geograph)
Andy Burnham and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has been met with countless calls for the transport offering to make a return in recent years, and while the possibility has been discussed and teased, nothing has ever materialised or been confirmed.
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The Mayor has, however, now renewed fresh hope of a comeback last week and hinted that there’s a “good chance” late night trams could return this autumn, the MEN reports.
Mr Burnham hinted at their possible return during an interview on BBC Radio Manchester.
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☎️Walter asks: “There are no parking spots in the city centre, and why does the tram end at midnight?”
🗣️“There’s not as much as there used to be,” says Andy. “I will bring back later running Friday and Saturday as soon as I can. We will make public transport much cheaper than…
— Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham (@MayorofGM) July 6, 2023
During his weekly radio question and answer phone-in session last Thursday (6 July), while responding to a message from his transport commissioner Vernon Everitt, the Mayor admitted that he would like to see trams running later on the weekends, and confirmed that he had asked Mr Everitt to look into it.
“I asked [Mr Everitt] to take a look at this issue about late running and he’s just text me to say there’s a good chance we can bring it back in the autumn,” Mr Burnham explained, before adding that he’ll “try and confirm that soon.”
He continued: “We’d all love to do it if we can do it prudently by not creating a bigger black hole in the budget”.
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The Mayor of Greater Manchester has faced calls to bring the transport option back the past few years / Credit: Flickr
When further pressed by BBC Radio Manchester presenter Mike Sweeney to talk a little more about late night trams making a return, Mr Burnham went on to say: “I think we do need to reinstate later running on Metrolink at the weekend [but] the only reason why I hesitate is because we’ve got a shortfall in passengers still and we haven’t got the funding.
Met Office gives verdict on how Storm Boelo aftermath will affect Greater Manchester this week
Emily Sergeant
Storm Boelo is finally on his way out, and now the Met Office has given its verdict on what we can expect from the rest of the week.
In the aftermath of two successive storms, Storm Austen followed by Storm Boelo – the latter of which affected Greater Manchester – the UK is now able to begin recovering from the effects of the adverse weather.
But the Met Office has warned that, although there is no named storm, strong winds and heavy rain will continue to affect parts of the UK early this week, before high pressure brings calmer conditions.
Yellow national severe weather warnings are in place for parts of Scotland and western areas of the UK today (Tuesday 27 October), including areas of the North West, as gales and spells of rain bring the potential for ongoing disruption around the region, particularly on exposed coasts and higher ground.
“The continued winds could hamper recovery efforts in some places,” forecasters also unfortunately confirmed.
⚠️ Strong winds and heavy rain continue across parts of the UK early this week with a yellow weather warning in place, before high pressure brings calmer conditions for many from Wednesday ⛅
Read our news release to find out more 👇
https://t.co/EQU4vvaA3B https://t.co/hpvTd8v7EZ
As rest of the week pans out though, conditions will begin to settle down and showers are expected to become ‘less frequent’, while winds also ease for most, although gales could continue for a time in the far north.
Thursday is expected be ‘largely dry’ with lighter winds and variable cloud, with a touch of mist and fog likely across parts of England and Wales during the morning.
From Friday and into the weekend, light rain will team up to potentially affect northwestern areas of England, but for the most part, temperatures are expected to remain close to, or slightly above, average for the time of year.
“From Wednesday, high pressure will start to build which will ease the winds and bring a quieter and largely drier end to the week for many, although some rain is still possible in the North and West,” explained Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster, Steven Keates.
“However, with wind warnings in place, those in warnings areas, particularly in northern Scotland and western high ground, continue to be exposed to strong winds and heavy rain before the more settled weather arrives.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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Popular pumpkin patch attraction describes ‘catastrophic’ impact of Storm Boelo
Daisy Jackson
Bates Farm, one of the most popular pumpkin patch attractions in the North West, has shared its heartbreak after Storm Boelo forced its closure on the busiest day of the season.
The Warrington-based family farm said the financial impact has been ‘honestly catastrophic’, after they had to cancel all tickets for Sunday.
Sisters Ali and Fiona Wilshaw, who run the farm, said it was simply not safe to allow members of the public onto the farm in the storm, with ‘crazy’ gusts of wind.
They later shared a video that showed their marquee was badly damaged and many footpaths turned to deep mud.
The sisters said they were ‘heartbroken’ to have to close at such a busy time, but stressed to followers that ‘your safety and our integrity will always come first’.
On Saturday, as Storm Austen and Storm Boelo chased each other across the UK, several people shared videos of themselves getting battered by the weather at Bates Farm.
And it’s pretty clear from that why Ali and Fi decided to cancel all tickets and close for the day on Sunday.
They wrote: “We have put in so much love, energy and investment putting on this event at this scale. The cost to cancel and refund everyone today on our busiest day of the season is honestly catastrophic, but business aside, your safety and our integrity will always come first.
“To think last night we were running round Tesco trying to stock up on milk and now we are in the depths of recovering the site to go again tomorrow. All emails and enquiries are being responded to as quickly as possible and we are doing our best to open up more available slots next week.
“We are being tested like never before, but pulling together in true force. Huge shout out to the whole team and Farmer Fi the absolute queen in any crisis.
“Thank you all for your patience and especially thank you to those who have sent such kind words and support, we are so grateful to have customers like you.
“We will be back tomorrow to enjoy the remaining of this tough season, we are putting in so many provisions with wood chip paths, undercover seating and an indoor barn to make your visit as enjoyable as possible. Ali & Fi.”
Anyone who had tickets to visit Bates Farm on Sunday will be refunded, and can book in for another date.
Bates Farm has safely reopened its autumnal experience and pumpkin patch today.
Emily Sergeant -
10th July 2023 
