Manchester has a reputation for being a 24-hour party city, with a nightlife scene that’s globally renowned.
Since Covid shuttered the world, our city has bounced back in a big way, from gigs, to clubbing juggernauts like the Warehouse Project, to festivals, to club nights.
But while our after-dark socialising is back with a vengeance, there’s a crucial piece of the jigsaw that’s still missing – our public transport.
If you cast your mind back to the autumn of 2019, you might remember Metrolink trams running all the way through to almost 2am.
There are calls for Manchester’s late-night tram network to return / Credit: Unsplash
It was part of a ‘festive enhancement’ championed by both Mayor Andy Burnham and night time economy adviser Sacha Lord, and benefitted not only members of the public but also an estimated 414,000 night-time workers across the city centre.
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Everyone loved it, but then Covid hit and any mention of a late-night public transport offering seemed to disappear again.
According to TfGM, the return of the late-night trams is ‘not being considered’, despite increasing calls for it.
A petition to bring them back has been launched by the Salford Lib Dems, who say: “If you are out working or enjoying yourself late at night, Greater Manchester Councils are giving us a curfew, expensive taxis or a risky walk home in the dark.
“Even at current, the trams are under capacity and do not fit the current population. The local population is set to double in the next 3 years. We want to change this declining service.”
Similarly, local brewery Beer Nouveau said: “We’re supposed to be a party city, but our public transport turns off the music and turns on the lights, closing the parties early.”
Someone else wrote on Twitter: “24 hour or at least late night Metrolink is the missing piece of the jigsaw. Would open everything right up.”
One person said that the idea of Manchester being an international city is ‘b*llocks’ without public transport that runs past midnight.
Manchester – an international city?
Bollocks !
International cities don't have public transport that shuts down before midnight.@AndyBurnhamGM talks about the great future but he can't even get @MCRMetrolink to run a service that supports our night time economy.
At the time of the festive enhancement, Andy Burnham said: “I am committed to improving Greater Manchester’s transport system and one of the things I want to see is later running public transport.
“I’ve been working closely with TfGM and night time advisor Sacha Lord to look at how we can improve night-time transport and help people get home quickly and safely after work or after a night out.
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“So, I’m really pleased we can introduce these enhancements, which will be a welcome boost for the many people that will be working, shopping or socialising over the Christmas period.
Andy Burnham (left) and Sacha Lord (right) / Credit: GMCA
“We will be closely monitoring the uptake to help inform our long-term plans, and ensure we have a transport system that works for everyone.”
Meanwhile Sacha Lord said back in 2019: “Accessible and safe public transport is vital to a thriving night-time economy, for people going out and for the hundreds of thousands of people in Greater Manchester who work at night.”
A spokesperson for TfGM said this week that returning to later-running trams would be looked into if there was the right demand.
Danny Vaughan, TfGM’s Head of Metrolink, said: “The return of late-night trams is not currently being considered, though we would like to explore this in the long-term if there is demand for it.”
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The Manc has approached Andy Burnham and Greater Manchester Combined Authority for comment.
Featured Image – Unsplash
News
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.
Featured Images — Emma Farrer (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
News
All Greater Manchester boroughs to have 24-7 night buses from next month as new services launch
Emily Sergeant
Extra night buses, new routes, and more frequent bus services are being rolled out across the Bee Network at the end of this month.
You may remember that back in March, it was announced that every borough of Greater Manchester was set to get a night bus service in what is hoped to be a ‘boost’ to the night-time economy, and now plans to introduce these from September onwards have been confirmed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), along with a series of other measures.
Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford will all get a 24-hour bus service by next month, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.
It’s expected that once the new services have launched, it will help around 625,400 people working in the night-time economy across Greater Manchester, as well as those out enjoying the region’s nightlife, TfGM has said.
Some of the other changes set to be introduced from next month include a selection of brand-new bus services, and more frequent buses during the day and at the weekends.
All Greater Manchester boroughs will have 24-7 night buses from next month / Credit: TfGM
There will also be better connections overall to key employment and leisure destinations like Manchester Airport, Trafford Centre, MediaCity, Middlebrook Retail Park in Bolton, Kingsway Business Park, and Logistics North.
“The Bee Network belongs to the people of Greater Manchester and it needs to work for every community,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“As we build it, we’re listening and responding to what residents want with the biggest set of improvements we’ve ever made in one go.
🚌 More improvements are on the way across the #BeeNetwork.
36 service changes will benefit around 740,000 people across Greater Manchester, helping more communities access reliable, convenient public transport.
“We’re bringing night buses to every borough, launching new routes and ensuring buses run more often in the mornings, evenings and weekends. In doing so, we’re making it easier than ever for people to get around the city region by bus, but we’re also supporting our businesses, whose staff and customers need a reliable and safe way to reach them.
“Almost three quarters of a million people live within walking distance of a bus route we’re improving over the next few months, and we’ll continue improving connections for even more communities based on the feedback we get.”
Daisy Jackson -
22nd July 2022 
