Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has confirmed a series of replacement and alternative travel options for football fans this weekend.
It’s the highly-anticipated Manchester Derby this weekend, with both the red and blue side of the city set to make their way to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday 6 March for a 4:30pm kick-off, but unfortunately, significant disruption is expected on Metrolink services that football fans need to be aware of and plan around accordingly.
Due to what is branded as “essential engineering” taking place at Deansgate-Castlefield, TfGM has said that no trams will run between Chorlton, Stretford and Manchester city centre on Saturday and Sunday (March 5 and 6).
Services to Manchester Airport, Ashton, Eccles, and Rochdale will also be amended, with some set to terminate early.
As a result of these planned works, TfGM has confirmed that bus replacement services will instead be operating every 10 minutes on Saturday and 12 minutes on Sunday on the following routes:
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Chorlton – Victoria
Stretford – Piccadilly via Cornbrook
Wharfside – Piccadilly via Cornbrook
East Didsbury Park and Ride – Etihad Stadium (Sunday only)
After the game, trams will not serve Holt Town and Velopark until crowds have cleared from the Etihad Campus stop.
Big Manchester Derby this Sun (6 March) with #ManCity looking to extend their lead at the top of the table and #ManUnited aiming to stay in the top 4!
With improvement works taking place, make sure you miss none of the action by planning ahead.
— Manchester Metrolink 🚊 (@MCRMetrolink) March 3, 2022
Alongside the tram replacement buses, a bespoke shuttle bus service is also being laid on between the East Didsbury tram stop and the Etihad Stadium, especially for match-goers, with the double-decker buses set to depart from East Didsbury every 10 minutes from 2:50pm and 3:10pm, returning every 10 minutes from 6:30pm to 7pm from the bus stop on Ashton New Road outside the stadium after the game.
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These shuttle buses will not stop anywhere en route, however.
For those who are planning on making their own way to the match via car, TfGM has also advised fans based off previous weekend matches at the Etihad, that Alan Turing Way, Pottery Lane, Ashton Old Road, and Mancunian Way all had an additional 12 minutes journey time 90 minutes prior to kick off.
Significant disruption is expected on Metrolink services that football fans need to be aware of this weekend / Credit: Manchester City
Giving football fans more of an insight into the travel circumstances and what to expect ahead of Derby day, Danny Vaughan – TfGM’s Head of Metrolink – said: “Our contractor is replacing a critical set of points at Deansgate Castlefield over the weekend to improve the reliability of the network [but] unfortunately, it requires some disruption on Saturday and Sunday as trams from the south of the network will have to stop short of Deansgate Castlefield.
“A strengthened tram service will be in place for the Manchester Derby, with trams running between Bury and Ashton [and] there will be a six-minute double tram service from Piccadilly to Etihad.
“A bus replacement service will be in place throughout the works, with services running from Stretford and Wharfside stops to Piccadilly, and from Chorlton to Victoria, and an additional bespoke shuttle service from the Park and Ride at East Didsbury to the Etihad Stadium will be in place before and after the match on Sunday.”
He also added that he’d encourage people to check the TfGM website for the latest travel information “before travelling” over the weekend.
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The Manchester Derby will kick-off at 4:30pm on Sunday 6 March / Credit: Flickr
Despite these Metrolink engineering works being in the pipeline for a few months now, some fans have still been angered by the disruption it will cause to what is always one of the most important days in the city’s football calendar, with many taking to Twitter to share their viewpoints.
One Twitter user wrote: “We’re all aware that essential work needs to be carried out on the system, but which shortsighted clown decided to do it on a Derby weekend?”
“How can you possibly justify engineering works on the Metrolink this weekend when it’s the Derby and tens of thousands need ti move around Manchester? Appalling mismanagement,” another Twitter user questioned TfGM.
You can find more information on travelling to the Manchester Derby this weekend via the TfGM website here.
The Premier League is keeping its crucial cap on away game ticket prices – for now
Danny Jones
The Premier League has announced it is extending its crucial price cap for away games, as the general cost of match tickets continues to creep up all over the country.
Most season card holders, be they here in Greater Manchester or elsewhere, are likely looking at their annual spending going up simply, so steps like these are key in keeping first division football as affordable as possible.
And that’s just the ongoing cost of living, let alone the clubs that are continuing the trend of charging more each year and, unfortunately, even pricing some supporters out entirely.
With that in mind, the news of England’s top-flight sides voting unanimously to keep the £30 cap intact for at least another two years comes as relief to those who spend most of the year putting their hard-earned cash towards following their team home and away.
BREAKING: The Premier League extend £30 cap on away tickets for another two seasons 🚨 pic.twitter.com/L336aZwmn3
Now confirmed to remain in place until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, travelling fans obviously still spend plenty of money on transport and so on every year, but at least they don’t have to worry about rising general admissions.
At least not for the time being…
Writing in a statement, the Premier League said: “Away fans help create the incredible atmosphere Premier League matches are renowned for. Since the cap’s implementation in 2016, it has contributed to attendance at away games increasing from 82% to 91%.”
They also acknowledged the significant and regular funds that supporters still spend on these trips, with plenty of people online also praising the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), which helped spearhead the campaign over a decade ago.
With so many other obstacles still getting in the way of fans making it to games either at their usual stadium or on an away day – not least of all the constant and increasingly frustrating rescheduling of fixtures – it’s good to see this isn’t an area the Prem are trying to target.
As always, the multi-billion-pound business can always seek out other, newer money spinners, and we’re absolutley certain they will. For instance, there’s at least one happening over in Spain that we’d happily see carried over here.
Following the news, this now means that fans will ultimately have enjoyed 12 back-to-back seasons of the benefit, and long may it continue.
Nevertheless, the biggest barrier for people to watch the beautiful game at its highest level in the UK remains the cost of standard tickets.
The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds and more have already let matchgoers know that their season ticket prices will be going up, and the likes of Man City have already seen backlash for increasing rates amid the expansion of the Etihad Campus.
Greater Manchester’s fire service officially rated ‘outstanding’ following inspection
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester’s fire service has officially been rated ‘outstanding’.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has awarded published its latest inspection report, and has awarded Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) two ‘Outstanding’ ratings for the first time in the service’s history.
One ‘outstanding’ rating was given for the preventing of fire and emergencies, and one for values and culture.
Some of the areas of strength noted in the report include outstanding prevention work, acknowledging the service’s innovative partnership activity and targeted risk reduction programmes, and a ‘strong, positive, and inclusive’ culture, with strong communication and a clear focus on values, staff voice, and transparent decision making.
The service was also commended for having high levels of operational preparedness, and ‘effective’ governance and scrutiny, with ‘clear’ performance reporting and strategic direction.
In addition to the two ‘Outstanding’ ratings, inspectors also rated GMFRS as ‘Good’ in seven of the eight other inspection categories – including responding to fires and other emergencies, training and developing the right people with the right skills, and ensuring fairness and diversity across the workplace.
Inspectors also acknowledged the ‘significant capacity pressures’ on fire safety regulation across the UK, and the unique challenges posed by Greater Manchester’s complex and fast-changing urban environment.
“Greater Manchester has a fire and rescue service we can be proud of,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham, as the inspection report was published this week.
Greater Manchester’s fire service has officially been rated ‘outstanding’ following its latest inspection / Credit: GMFRS
“I’ve often said that GMFRS is one of the best services not just in this country, but anywhere. The inspectors’ findings reinforce this belief. I’m pleased that this strong inspection report recognises its outstanding prevention work as part of Greater Manchester’s Live Well approach, its outstanding culture and values, and consistently good performance across almost every other area.”
Chief Fire Officer, Dave Russell, added: “I am really pleased that the inspectors have recognised our progress towards this goal, by awarding us ‘Outstanding’ ratings for the first time in our service’s history.
“I am particularly pleased to have been awarded these for our nation-leading work on prevention, helping us to use our resources in the most effective way, and in our service’s culture, which I made my number one priority when joining the service.”
Emily Sergeant -
4th March 2022 
