Public transport around Manchester is set to be disrupted on New Year’s Eve, with several tram and train routes not running.
Metrolink is closing three of its lines from 5pm today due to Covid-related staff shortages.
Meanwhile, strike action at CrossCountry is set to severely disrupt its service today.
It could lead to a night of chaos on what is historically one of the busiest nights of the year.
Manchester Piccadilly. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The majority of Metrolink tram services will run until 1am today to help people get home from New Year’s Eve celebrations.
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But the Eccles, Ashton and Manchester Airport lines will cease altogether after 5pm.
Metrolink has said it’s ‘due to the impact of Covid-19 on drive staffing levels’.
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Alex Cropper, interim head of operations at Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “I would like to reassure passengers that we are doing all that we can to maintain as many scheduled Metrolink services as possible – while at the same time dealing with the impact of Covid-19 on tram drivers and staff.
“We do absolutely recognise the impact these changes may have on some people’s journeys and I would like to apologise for any inconvenience they may cause.
Metrolink trams at Manchester Victoria. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
“I would urge people to plan their journeys in advance before they head out for the evening, allow extra time to travel and check the TfGM website for the latest information.”
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Trams also won’t be running through Victoria between January 1 and 3, with services on the Bury, Rochdale, East Didsbury and Airport lines all terminating early and being replaced by rail replacement buses.
CrossCountry services from Manchester will be disrupted by planned strike action, running a ‘very limited’ service.
The RMT (The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) has instructed its members not to work on New Year’s Eve, following similar strike action on Christmas Eve.
The industrial action has been planned over what RMT says is an attempt to ‘undermine the role of the Senior Conductors and Train Managers by drafting in other staff to do their jobs’.
CrossCountry trains will be disrupted on New Year’s Eve. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “The disruption to services from the New Years Eve strike action is wholly down to these greedy private companies on our railways seeking to squeeze out every penny they can by hammering down on safety, jobs and workplace dignity.
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“Our members at CrossCountry and Gate Gourmet are standing up for all rail workers in their New Years Eve action as we expect a torrent of attacks on jobs, pay, safety, pensions and working conditions in 2022.
Other trainlines are also warning of last-minute cancellations, delays and changes to services due to Covid-related staff shortages.
Featured image: Unsplash
News
Government sets out multi-million-pound plan to move UK away from animal testing in science
Emily Sergeant
A £22m push to ramp up the UK’s move away from animal testing in science is set to bring together cutting-edge tech and research.
The latest figures show there were 2.54 million animal testing procedures in Great Britain in 2025, which is down 3.8% on 2024, but with a further update due to be released later this year, the Government is now moving to ‘capitalise’ on that momentum with funding to shift the nation onto alternative testing options.
A dedicated national research hub and nine new high-tech projects are planned to develop ‘better ways’ to test medicines on human biology rather than animals.
According to the Government, this means treatments for conditions like cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) could be developed ‘faster’ and ‘more precisely’ to not only help patients but crucially also move science away from traditional animal testing.
At the heart of the plans is a new Pre-clinical Translational Models Hub – based in Cambridge and backed by £20 million in Government funding, which will work to build and share models of human tissue, grown from NHS patients, to test new treatments.
The new hub will accelerate the development of testing on ‘organoids’ – tiny, simplified versions of a human gut, tumour or brain, using cells donated by patients.
From beating heart cells in a dish to AI that can predict how drugs move through the body, exciting alternatives to animal testing are transforming medical research.
We're investing £22m to help scientists develop the next generation of life-saving treatments. pic.twitter.com/1EWRQvwySa
— Dept. for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (@biztradegovuk) August 12, 2026
Because these ‘organoids’ retain crucial features of a patient’s own biology, they will help researchers learn how a real person may respond to a drug and provide additional insights that can complement information that is currently obtained from animals.
Scientists will then be able to use these cutting-edge techniques in their own labs to work out which medicines are worth pursuing.
Overall, it’s hoped that the move will slash the time it takes to get ‘potentially life-changing’ treatments to market.
Alongside the funding for the new Hub, nine cutting-edge projects aimed at identifying new methods of animal-free scientific testing – from beating heart cells in a dish, to lab-grown human ear models, and AI that predicts how medicines move through the body – are being funded.
Sadly, many of these still rely on testing on dogs and monkeys, as it stands.
“This marks another significant step forward in the UK’s move away from animal testing in science and research,” commented Science Minister Chris McDonald.
“This is all about backing our world-leading researchers and innovators to improve lives, giving them the tools they need to deliver more effective treatments for horrendous diseases like cancer, while also preventing the need for animal testing wherever possible.
“It’s also a boost for our life sciences sector, fuelling opportunities for new investment and new jobs, and ensuring Britain is better off.”
Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
31st December 2021 
