St Werburgh's Road tram stop

{{Infobox station

| style = Manchester Metrolink

| name = St Werburgh's Road

| type = Metrolink station

| image = St Werburgh's Road Metrolink station - 2011-07-16.jpg

| borough = {{Comma separated entries|Chorlton-cum-Hardy|Manchester}}

| country = England

| coordinates = {{coord|53.43884|-2.26570|type:railwaystation_region:GB-MAN|display=inline,title}}

| grid_name = Grid reference

| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|SJ824936|25|SJ824936}}

| line = South Manchester Line

| status = In operation

| zone = 2/3

| original = Manchester Metrolink

| years = 7 July 2011

| events = Opened

| platforms = 2 (island)

| mapframe = yes

| mapframe-custom = {{maplink|from=Manchester Metrolink.map|zoom=13|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-width=300|frame-height=300|type2=point|marker2=rail-light|marker-color2={{rcr|Manchester Metrolink}}}}

| map_state = collapsed

| map_type =

| map_caption =

| services = {{Adjacent stations|system1=Manchester Metrolink

|line1=pink|left1=Withington|right1=Chorlton

|line2=grey|left2=Withington|right2=Chorlton

|line3=Manchester Airport – Victoria|left3=Barlow Moor Road|right3=Chorlton

}}

| route_map = {{Manchester Didsbury Metrolink line}}

}}

St Werburgh's Road is a tram stop on the South Manchester Line (SML) and Airport Line of Greater Manchester's light-rail Metrolink system in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. It was built as part of Phase 3a of the network's expansion and opened on 7 July 2011.{{cite web|title=Metrolink's new Chorlton line opens for business|url=http://www.tfgm.com/2009_news.cfm?news_id=9007167?submenuheader=3|publisher=Transport for Greater Manchester|access-date=6 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717110633/http://www.tfgm.com/2009_news.cfm?news_id=9007167%3Fsubmenuheader%3D3|archive-date=17 July 2011|df=dmy-all}}

Consisting of an island platform to the east of St Werburgh's Road, the stop is built largely on the site of the former Chorlton Junction Signal Box and its surroundings. It serves as an interchange for passengers travelling towards either Manchester Airport or {{tram|East Didsbury}}.

History

St Werburgh's Road stop is on a re-opened railway line, the Cheshire Lines Committee line, which closed to passenger service in 1967. It is not a converted railway station itself. It was planned to reopen the line as part of the expansion of the Manchester Metrolink tram network.{{cite news|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1115242_14bn_transport_deal_unveiled|title=£1.4bn transport deal unveiled|last=Linton |first=Deborah |date=2009-05-13|publisher=Manchester Evening News|access-date=2009-05-17}} Proposals to re-open the line were put forward in 1980s,{{citation |author=Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive |title=Light Rapid Transit in Greater Manchester |publisher=GMPTE |year=1984}} - publicity brochure but remained unfunded until the 2000s. The line extension which was originally proposed would take over the disused trackbed of the Cheshire Lines Committee as far as East Didsbury.

In 2006, it was announced that the first phase of the "Big Bang" Metrolink expansion project (Phase 3A) would go ahead, including extending the network as far as St Werburgh's Road.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/5152948.stm|title=Metrolink extension is announced|date=2006-07-06|publisher=BBC News|access-date=2008-12-28}} Following the rejection of the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund in a public referendum in 2008, extension of the line to East Didsbury (Phase 3B) went ahead with funding from national and local government.

{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8047020.stm|title=Tram line extension is approved|date=2009-05-13|publisher=BBC News|access-date=2009-05-17}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2009/05/13/130509_metrolink_map_plan_b_feature.shtml |title=Metrolink: back on track?|date=2009-05-13|publisher=BBC Manchester|access-date=2009-05-17}}

Construction of the line began in April 2009 and the line became operational as far as St Werburgh's Road on 7 July 2011. Extended services to East Didsbury became operational on 23 May 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/metrolink-passengers-told-can-tram-3710695|title=Metrolink extension to East Didsbury to open next week- three months early|first=Dean|last=Kirby|date=13 May 2013|access-date=21 July 2016}}

On 3 November 2014, another extension was opened from St Werburgh's Road to Manchester Airport.

In July 2015, a tram derailed at the stop after vandals attacked the tram and the tracks.{{cite web|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/live-tram-derailment-chorlton-vandalism-9586252|title=Metrolink tram derails in Chorlton due to vandalism on the line - live updates|first=Beth|last=Abbit|date=4 July 2015|access-date=21 July 2016}} In July 2016, a man was badly injured at the stop when his leg became trapped between a tram and the platform.{{cite web|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/metrolink-man-leg-trapped-door-11644939|title=Man suffers serious injuries after leg is trapped between tram and platform|first=Alexandra|last=Rucki|date=21 July 2016|access-date=21 July 2016}}

Connecting bus routes

St Werburgh's Road is served by the 84A bus route, running from Davyhulme to Merseybank via Urmston, Stretford and Chorlton. There are several services that stop in the central Chorlton area.{{cite web |title=Public Transport Network Map - South Manchester |url=https://assets.ctfassets.net/nv7y93idf4jq/6HIhSwvZ6dby9QfLhQUYGK/02f0dad543eaa161b272bf02fff69efb/Manchester_South_map.pdf |publisher=TfGM |access-date=8 April 2020}}

Fallowfield Loop path

The Fallowfield Loop shared use path begins near St Werburgh's Road station. It cuts away from the tram line in an easterly direction and follows the trackbed of the former Fallowfield Loop railway line through Fallowfield and Levenshulme to Fairfield and Gorton.{{cite web|title=Friends of the Fallowfield Loop|url=http://fallowfieldloop.org/|access-date=14 March 2013}} The tram stop can be accessed from this path.

Gallery

File:Cheadle, CHorlton, Heaton Mersey & Northenden RJD 149.jpg|1914 map of South Manchester railways

File:Metrolink extension to Chorlton.jpg|Construction work on the line near Chorlton

File:Metrolink phase south manchester line.png|Map of the then planned tram line extensions from St Werburgh's Road

File:St Werburgh's Road Metrolink station, Chorlton - geograph.org.uk - 2553190.jpg|The cycle track (left) continues along the former Fallowfield Loop railway line

References

External links

[https://tfgm.com/public-transport/tram/stops/st-werburghs-road-tram Metrolink stop information]
[https://tfgm.com/public-transport/tram/stops/st-werburghs-road-tram/local-map St Werburgh's Road area map]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20090311045258/http://www.urbantransport-technology.com/projects/manchester/manchester3.html Manchester Metrolink Extension Project] - map of the plans (Urban Transport Technology)
https://web.archive.org/web/20130226053951/http://www.lrta.org/Manchester/city_south.html

Category:Tram stops in Manchester

Category:Manchester South District Line

Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 2011

Category:2011 establishments in England

Category:Tram stops on the East Didsbury – Rochdale route

Category:Tram stops on the East Didsbury – Shaw route

Category:Tram stops on the Manchester Airport – Victoria route