Even before last weekend’s insane scenes, which left people ‘trapped’ inside a multi-storey, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) had issued some travel advice.
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@MENnewsdesk I think have officially broken the record for the longest time trying to exit the Arndale Car Park on Saturday 26th November. It took us 5 hours 3 minutes to get from Level 12 to the exit. It is not fit for purpose Manchester Council!! FUMING! pic.twitter.com/VK6sTBX9N2
They said that the same weekend last year saw an 11% increase in peak journey times, with between 3pm and 7pm the busiest part of the day.
The first weekend of the Christmas Markets this year reportedly led to a 7% increase in vehicles around the city centre.
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TfGM encouraged people to use public transport or active travel wherever possible, predicting a massive upswing in visitor numbers coming to the city to shop, eat, drink, attend concerts and see the Christmas Markets.
TfGM outlined a few options available to cope with the increase in trips in the festive season.
Travel advice has been issued for the festive season. Credit: TfGM
There are thousands of free park and ride sites around Greater Manchester’s Metrolink network, with family tickets offering travel for one to three children and one or two adults from as little as £3.60.
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The new bus fare cap is in place now too, so a single trip will never cost more than £2 (or £1 for a child).
Congestion has increased in the city centre and inner ring road, with car trips returning back to pre-pandemic levels and some big road layouts that leave less space for cars (like the pedestrianisation of the Northern Quarter).
Travel advice for drivers is as follows:
Drive at a quieter time – this means avoiding driving to and around the city after 12pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and between 3pm and 7pm during the week.
Know where road congestion may be – our data shows that journeys along the Mancunian Way typically have higher journey times during the week, and journeys along the northern section of the Inner Ring Road (Great Ancoats Street) have higher journey times at the weekend.
Take a different route – if you need to drive across the city at the weekend, it may be quicker to use Alan Turing Way/Mancunian Way.
Park on the same side of the city as your route if you can – driving across the city can add additional time to your journey, so if it’s an option for you, park in a car park closest to your route out of the city centre.
Check for quicker routes before every car journey on Google, Waze and other Apps. You can also use TfGM’s journey planner.
TfGM’s Get on Board Christmas campaign has helpfully mapped out festive offerings around the region – from food to free things to family activities – and includes travel advice on how to get there.
TfGM’s Head of Highways, Peter Boulton, said: “We want everyone coming to enjoy the many great attractions that the city centre and Trafford Centre have to offer to enjoy the festivities and have a great time.
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“The number of trips on our roads is back to where they were before the pandemic and that is leading to added congestion at key times – which means more people stuck in traffic.
“To avoid this, we’d encourage people to plan their journey by thinking about how they plan to get in, around and out of the city centre.
“Public transport is a great option, with frequent services and great value products as well as plenty of staff and information on hand to help you plan the perfect journey.”
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment and Transport at Manchester City Council, said: “It has been great to see people returning to Manchester to enjoy what the festive season has to offer.
“We are expecting it to be increasingly busy the closer we get to Christmas which is why we’d urge people to plan ahead before they travel and stay up to date with the region’s transport network through the TfGM website.
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“We’d encourage people to use public transport as much as possible when travelling into Manchester as it is the most environmentally friendly method, as well as the best way of beating the traffic.”
Featured image:TfGM
Travel & Tourism
Plans approved for huge new purpose-built ice arena and events space in Trafford
Emily Sergeant
Plans for a new purpose-built ice arena and event space at TraffordCity have officially been approved this week.
Marking what is said to be a ‘major milestone’ for Greater Manchester‘s leisure and sports offering, the new 3,000-capacity TraffordCity Arena approved by Trafford Council will feature state‑of‑the‑art ice skating and ice hockey facilities, and a flexible event space designed to host a wide range of entertainment and community activities.
According to plans, Planet Ice is set to be the new venue’s ‘anchor tenant’ and it will become one of the brand’s largest venues in the UK.
Located on the former Soccer Dome site, adjacent to The Snow Centre, Trafford Golf Centre, David Lloyd, Fives Soccer, iFLY, and The Padel Club, this new arena is predicted to further strengthen Trafford‘s position as the UK’s leading leisure destination.
The new arena will offer year-round ice activities, lessons, and staking sessions, alongside premium hospitality experiences like family dining, bars, leisure, and VIP areas.
But on top of the that, the new venue has been ‘designed with versatility in mind’, so it will also host concerts, screenings, and a range of immersive experiences, all with the hope of creating a ‘dynamic’ destination for visitors.
The project is being developed by ICITIES in partnership with Peel Waters – the latter of which has cleared the site to enable future leisure developments.
The new arena is expected to deliver ‘significant’ economic benefits to the region, developers are saying, by contributing both construction roles during the build phase and the more than 50 permanent operational jobs once it opens – including in hospitality, event management, and leisure services.
Plans have been approved for a huge new purpose-built ice arena and events space in Trafford / Credit: April Walker | Joao Viegas (via Unsplash)
Due to the increasing popularity of ice sports, Trafford Council believes the new arena will bring a significant number of new visitors annually to the region, boosting the local visitor economy, driving further investment into the area, and also benefit surrounding businesses and leisure attractions too.
“As Planet Ice enters its 30th year, we’re delighted to see planning permission granted for this landmark project,” explained Heath Rhodes, who is the Chief Operations Manager at Planet Ice.
“Demand for ice facilities in the North West continues to grow, and this arena will help meet that need while delivering first class amenities for visitors.
Peel Waters has confirmed that contractors for the project will be announced very soon, with construction even expected to begin as early as spring 2026 and an estimated build time of around 12-15 months.
Featured Image – ICITIES & AEW Architects
Travel & Tourism
Passengers urged to ‘plan ahead’ as Manchester Piccadilly prepares to close for nine days next week
Emily Sergeant
Passengers are being urged to ‘plan ahead’ as Manchester Piccadilly prepares to close for nine full days from next weekend.
In case you hadn’t heard, it was announced last November that Manchester Piccadilly train was going to have to shut in February 2026 for what is described as being a ‘once-in-a-generation upgrade’… and now, we are less than two weeks away before that officially becomes a reality and very few train services run in or out of the station.
Network Rail is investing £7.9m into the major upgrade at Manchester Piccadilly station – with the main points of action being to improve tracks, points, and signalling systems on the southern approach to Manchester Piccadilly station.
Teams are due to replace 11 sets of points, renew timber sleepers with modern, concrete equivalents, and alsobring lineside equipment ‘bang up to date’ across six lines to improve future journeys for passengers and freight.
Investment in this apparent ‘critical stretch’ of track has been long awaited, as any issues with the ageing infrastructure can disrupt all trains running in and out of Manchester.
Passengers are being urged to ‘plan ahead’ as Manchester Piccadilly prepares to close for nine days next week / Credit: Network Rail
The nine-day closure, although expected to cause commuting chaos, is tipped to ultimately deliver ‘better and more reliable journeys’ for passengers in the long run.
The main work takes place over nine days during February half term, from Saturday 14 through to Sunday 22 February 2026.
And what does this mean for anyone travelling exactly? Well, the scale of the work spanning all main lines means no trains from the south and east of the city will run into Manchester Piccadilly for the full nine days, while trains from the north will also be heavily impacted, as will direct connections to Manchester Airport station.
There will be a limited service westbound from Platforms 13 and 14.
⚠️ Major changes to services this February half term ⚠️
🛠️ We're upgrading the Piccadilly corridor.
📆 From 14-22 February there will be no trains from platforms 1-12. A limited service will terminate at platforms 13&14.
The train shed (Platforms 1-12) will also close for the full nine days, but Manchester Piccadilly station’s concourse will remain open to the public.
“During this time, we are advising passengers to travel light, allow extra time for their journey, and be prepared to queue, as stations and rail replacement services are expected to be very busy,” National Rail said in its statement issued ahead of the closure next week.
“We have worked with train operators, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Manchester City Council to develop an alternative travel plan during the closure, to keep passengers moving smoothly to their destination.”
You can plan your journey on the Northern Rail website here.
Daisy Jackson -
2nd December 2022 
