There could be major disruption to festive travel in Greater Manchester next month, as hundreds of tram drivers are currently voting on whether to strike.
Almost 320 tram drivers are being balloted over working conditions and fears around fatigue.
The drivers – who are members of the union, Unite – all work for KeolisAmey Metrolink Limited at the Warwick Road South and Queens Road depots in Manchester – and they operate trams on all routes in Greater Manchester.
As it stands, the drivers’ shift patterns currently mean they have to work 450 hours over a 12-week period, which results in some having to work 50 hours on, followed by just two days off, then back into another 50-hour work pattern.
Drivers also have fewer rest days compared to all other operational departments, and this is said to be causing safety concerns around fatigue.
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‘Christmas chaos’ is on the cards as Manchester tram drivers are currently voting on staging strike action next month / Credit: TfGM
Drivers say they concerned about operating heavy vehicles while exhausted and unable to have proper breaks, but after raising the issue with management, Unite has been told there is ‘no funding available’ to support any ‘meaningful’ improvements to working patterns.
Instead, management has asked drivers to start work earlier – which Unite says is only ‘adding insult to injury’.
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The ballot is set to close on 11 November, and if drivers vote in favour of industrial action, strikes could then begin in late November, causing widespread cancellations and delays throughout the region during the busy festive shopping period – particularly coinciding with Manchester’s world-famous Christmas Markets, known for attracting millions of visitors to the city each year.
“Any strike action will cause a great deal of disruption but it is entirely the fault of Metrolink, which is not taking the issue of driver fatigue seriously,” commented Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden.
“It is dangerous for fatigued workers to be driving trams and they should not be put in this situation.
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“We are demanding that Metrolink and Transport for Greater Manchester work with Unite to find a solution to this problem to avoid industrial action.”
Featured Image – Janus Boye
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The Mary Earps drama and why she’s catching flak – explained
Danny Jones
You might have noticed female footballer Mary Earps’ name in the headlines a lot lately – arguably more than any time since her heroics at Euro 2022 – but many of you might be wondering why exactly she is facing so much criticism at the moment.
It’s not too complicated or long of a story, but it isn’t an entirely straightforward one either.
Put simply, the ex-Manchester United goalkeeper and now former England number one has just released her own autobiography entitled All In, which certainly seems to stay true to its title, as the 32-year-old has laid bare quite a lot of behind-the-scenes information.
With that in mind, the majority of the drama has come from the England camps and her relationship not only with the national team but with women’s manager Sarina Wiegman and, most notably, the shotstopper who unseated her as first-choice between the sticks for the Lionesses: Hannah Hampton.
Dropping on 6 November, she prefaced the release on social by writing: “Every chapter comes from the same place I play from: heart first, full commitment, no half measures.
“For me, there’s never been a halfway. I’ve always been all in. This book is a reflection of that mindset: relentless, honest, unapologetically me.”
While it sounds like an interesting invitation to hear the keeper’s most candid comments on the surface, that’s also ended up being a big part of the problem, with some of her supposed honesty surrounding England and her shock retirement from international football being seen as airing ‘dirty laundry’.
At the very least, many within the sport have questioned whether the tell-all approach has crossed a line of sorts, with several high-profile professionals arguing that what goes on in the dressing room should very much stay in there.
One such individual is the now-retired England and Man City legend, Ellen White; the Lionesses’ leading all-time goalscorer suggested that Earps virtually broke an almost unspoken rule between players by making such public remarks.
One of the main threads running throughout this ongoing drama is the perceived ‘beef’ between Mary Earps and Hannah Hampton, with the latter having previously been dropped from the Lionesses squad over reported issues surrounding her “attitude.”
Nevertheless, the 24-year-old has returned to the lineup and helped Wiegman’s record-breaking side win a second consecutive European championship, but as you can see in excerpts below, Earps didn’t exactly agree with the decision and her own treatment as a result.
Her more senior Nottingham-born counterpart has slightly doubled back in terms of tone since the release of the book – well, rather clarified that she has maintained nothing but “respect” for both individuals throughout, regardless of their various differences.
The two shared the stage alongside head coach Sarina Weigman at the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony as Hampton picked up the Yashin Trophy, with Earps passing her the award as she gave a powerful speech on behalf of women’s football in a moment in which she said it meant a lot to have her there.
Nevertheless, the undercurrent of rivalry still played as a backdrop and has now been largely overshadowed by what could have otherwise felt like a baton-passing moment.
— HamptonFC MBE 💙 #justicefornüsken (@hamptonfc24) October 31, 2025
It’s more than evident that not everyone has agreed with the tone or, at the very least, the timing around these apparent revelations.
Another retired England women’s legend, Eni Aluko, said exactly that in a recent interview with Sky Sports, though she did express hints of empathy for her situation and how the quotes have been taken, with Earps claiming that the so-called rift has been somewhat blown out of proportion/exaggerated.
On the other hand, not unlike the reaction to how she handled her United contract negotiations before ultimately leaving to join PSG, others have also criticised how she responded to competition for her starting spot from the head coach, especially as plenty would consider this part and parcel of the job.
Not all of her previous teammates have responded negatively, though; fellow Lionesses star and Man City defender Alex Greenwood has come to her defence, recognising the importance of her “massive personality”, which has done wonders for female goalkeeping and the game as a whole.
Applauding her willingness to challenge both things and people, even in difficult situations, Greenwood admitted that, besides the bond she developed with Earps as they came up through the youth ranks together, adding that she wouldn’t often “say what you’re thinking” even if others wouldn’t.
It’s also worth mentioning that there is a whiff of irony around her seemingly taking issue with a then-even younger Hampton being given a ‘second chance’ following behavioural issues, despite Earps herself being brought back into the fold in 2021, having not played since November 2019.
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Safe to say there are a fair few moving parts to this, but based on what we do know (there’s certainly more we don’t and probably never will), what do you make of the ongoing Mary Earps drama?
You can see her watershed interview with BBC Sport here.
Greater Manchester among first to get ‘confusing’ rail fares replaced by two simpler options
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester is among the first UK regions to have the current ‘confusing’ range of rail fares replaced by two simpler options.
As it stands, more than a dozen different fares are currently available for journeys on certain train routes, including many which restrict customers to travelling on a particular service or with one train operating company.
But from early next month, all that is set to change.
As of Sunday 7 December, anyone who buys a ticket from any operator on the day they’re travelling between two of the 96 railway stations in Greater Manchester will be offered the following options – ‘anytime’ or ‘off-peak’.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) says the new system aims to make ticketing ‘simpler’ and prices more ‘transparent’, so passengers can trust they’ve got the best value for money.
Greater Manchester is among the first to get ‘confusing’ rail fares replaced by two simpler options / Credit: TPE
All single journeys will be half the price of return trips, which means the average train fare in Greater Manchester will fall by 5.6% overall.
Other types of tickets will still be offered to those who book in advance.
The introduction of the two options are part of the Government’s UK-wide transformation of fares in a bid to make them easier to understand and make journeys more ‘seamless’.
As mentioned, Greater Manchester will be one of the first areas in the country to introduce this type of rail fare reform, and TfGM says it will star to ‘pave the way’ for contactless payments and the already-announced integration with the Bee Network from December 2026 onwards.
BIG NEWS
On 7/12/25, GM sees the biggest change to rail services for 30+ years.
A new fairer, simpler fare system will come in across our 96 stations.
🐝 Singles will be half the price of returns 🐝 Tickets will be valid on any operator 🐝 Average fare will fall by 5.6%
It’s said that more than half of train journeys (52%) will be cheaper, with savings of up to £1.50 on some trips, and as many as 4,000 customers saving money, while on the remaining 48% of journeys, customers will see a slight price increase, but for most of these (85%), it will be a rise of 20p or less.
“For too long, confusion around the complicated web of tickets has been a barrier to people choosing the train,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham.
“We’ve seen that making public transport more affordable and simpler boosts passenger numbers, with more people than ever boarding our yellow buses and integrated tap and go payments with our tram network.
“These simpler fares are a stepping stone to bringing rail into the Bee Network in December 2026, joining up trains with buses, trams, and active travel for an integrated public transport system like those enjoyed by other global cities.”
Emily Sergeant -
29th October 2025 
