Transport for Greater Manchester has confirmed that some of the busiest Metrolink lines have returned to a tram-every-six-minute timetable.

The re-instated services are part of a gradual return, with the trams running every six minutes on the Bury and Altrincham lines throughout peak periods, 7 am to 8 pm from Monday to Saturday.

The next stage of the reintroduction will be the return of a six-minute service running between East Didsbury and Shaw and Crompton, which will commence on Monday the 6th of September. 

Services running at peak times between MediaCityUK and Etihad Campus will also be reinstated over the next few weeks and will be based on staff availability. 

On the 6th of August, a temporary 12-minute network-wide service was brought into action which enabled the Metrolinks operator to offer a more reliable and consistent service following the disruption that has been caused due to the covid-19 pandemic which led to staff being unable to attend work. 

Last month, Transport for Greater Manchester launched the ‘It’s Time’ campaign which celebrates the safe re-opening of the network in time for schools, colleges, universities starting the new term, office workers getting back to the workplace and also the return of people using the service as they begin to get back to the activities they love doing as life returns to normal. 

TfGM’s Head of Metrolink, Danny Vaughan, said: “The temporary service change was needed because of very high levels of covid-related staff absences – and I’d like to thank everyone for their understanding and for bearing with us during this extremely challenging period.

“While staff absences remain high, it is an improving picture, and we are now gearing up to reintroduce more frequent services across the network.

“This will be done in a phased approach ahead of the new school year, as more workplaces welcome staff back and we all start to get back to doing the things we love with family and friends.

“We will continue to use all available trams to target the areas where demand is highest, and I’d encourage people to still check before they travel and plan their journeys in advance.”

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