75-772: Bury South is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2019 by Christian Wakeford . Wakeford was elected as a Conservative but defected to the Labour Party in January 2022. He was re-elected at the 2024 general election. The constituency was created in 1983 from parts of the former seats of Middleton and Prestwich & Bury and Radcliffe , both of which were Labour-Conservative marginals, held by Labour on slim majorities at
150-462: A 12-minute frequency (24-minute after 00:00): Thus the combined frequency for some routes is every 6 minutes or less. Other part-day services The Altrincham – Piccadilly service operates an extended service to Etihad Campus from 20:00–00:00 on Monday–Thursdays, 20:00–01:00 Friday–Saturdays, and 07:00–00:00 (all day) Sundays and bank holidays . One service which replaces the normal service and runs to Etihad Campus via Piccadilly and runs to
225-461: A 12-minute frequency (24-minute after 00:00, and 15-minute on Sundays): Early morning service The early morning service used to operate from 03:00–06:00 Monday–Saturdays and 03:00–07:00 on Sundays and bank holidays. One service which ran to a 20-minute frequency: This was mostly to support airport shift workers and people with early flights, however, these services were removed in March 2020 due to
300-539: A 12-minute frequency (24-minute after 00:00, and 15-minute on Sundays): This is the minimum service that the Metrolink can provide whilst bringing trams to all available stops, hence why it is called the 'core' service. Daytime services (enhanced) The following services run alongside the core service during peak times: from 07:00–20:00 on Monday–Friday and 09:00–18:30 on Saturdays, and not operational on Sundays or bank holidays . Three extra services which each run to
375-479: A baseline Service Specification to grade bidders seeking to operate the concession from July 2017, once the Second City Crossing was in operation. In the baseline service pattern, there are no designated 'peak' periods of service operation; instead, there was an 'enhanced' service operating from start of service to 08:00 Monday to Friday, and to 18:00 Saturday; and a 'core' service running at all other times. In
450-420: A few cases one). From 1535 each Welsh county and borough was represented, by one knight or burgess. The franchise was restricted differently in different types of constituency; in county constituencies forty shilling freeholders (i.e. landowners) could vote, while in boroughs the franchise varied from potwallopers , giving many residents votes, to rotten boroughs with hardly any voters. A county borough
525-460: A fleet of 147 trams. Because low-floor tram technology was in its infancy when Metrolink was in its planning stages, and in order to be compatible with the former British Rail stations that Metrolink inherited, the network uses high-floor trams with a platform height of 900 mm (35 in), the same height as main line trains. Trams on Metrolink operate either single units, or coupled together to form double units, which regularly run on
600-666: A form or degree of mixed-member proportional representation . The existing constituencies were created, effectively, for the first general election of the Scottish Parliament, in 1999. When created, all but two had the names and boundaries of Westminster constituencies. The two exceptions were the Orkney Holyrood constituency , covering the Orkney Islands council area , and the Shetland Holyrood constituency , covering
675-448: A more suitable label cannot be found. Where used, "The compass point reference used will generally form a prefix in cases where the rest of the constituency name refers to the county area or a local council, but a suffix where the rest of the name refers to a population centre." This is the reason for the difference in naming between, for example, North Shropshire (a county constituency ) and Reading West (a borough constituency ). In
750-586: A number of single-member first-past-the Post constituencies, matching the way Westminster MPs are elected. Following the decision that all MEPs should be elected by some form of proportional representation , the Labour government passed the European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999 , creating eleven constituencies on Great Britain, which were first used in 1999 . The South West England constituency
825-414: A stop at Wharfside to serve Old Trafford Stadium closer and faster than Old Trafford tram stop , a stop at Imperial War Museum , also providing a closer and faster connection to IWM North from the city centre, the alternate tram option being walking from MediaCityUK , and a stop adjacent to Barton Dock Road , serving Trafford Palazzo . All six stops also opened with new dot matrix displays unique to
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#1732870137449900-567: Is a mix of safe Conservative and safe Labour, and Unsworth marginally Labour. Radcliffe was generally Labour with the exception of Radcliffe North, however a localist party, Radcliffe First, has taken from Labour all of the Radcliffe seats within this constituency. The Kersal and Broughton Park ward of Salford has returned mostly Conservative or Independent councillors. 53°34′48″N 2°17′56″W / 53.580°N 2.299°W / 53.580; -2.299 Borough constituency In
975-733: Is an economically diverse area, as there are pockets of social housing in each town, while houses in areas such as Ringley Road in Whitefield, and Sheepfoot Lane in Prestwich, facing Heaton Park , can sell for over £1 million, with mostly owner-occupied semi-detached housing in between. The proportion of graduates and those employed in managerial/professional occupations is slightly above the national average. At local elections, Prestwich mostly returns Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors, with some historic Conservative representation in Sedgley. Whitefield
1050-668: Is in the Holyrood area of Edinburgh , while the main meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is the Palace of Westminster , in the City of Westminster . There are 73 Holyrood constituencies covering Scotland , and each elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first-past-the-post system . Also, the constituencies are grouped into eight electoral regions, and each of these regions elects seven additional members , to produce
1125-513: The 2005 United Kingdom general election , the House of Commons had 646 constituencies covering the whole of the United Kingdom. This rose to 650 in the 2010 election following the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies . Each constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the " first-past-the-post " system of election. The House of Commons is one of the two chambers of
1200-459: The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election , the constituency comprises the following as they existed on 1 December 2020: The Radcliffe North ward was transferred to Bury North , offset by the gain of the City of Salford ward of Kersal & Broughton Park from the abolished Blackley and Broughton constituency. Between 1997 and 2019,
1275-601: The Acts of Union 1707 , Scottish burghs were grouped into districts of burghs in the Parliament of Great Britain , except that Edinburgh was a constituency in its own right . After the Acts of Union 1800 , smaller Irish boroughs were disenfranchised, while most others returned only one MP to the United Kingdom Parliament. The Reform Act 1832 reduced the number of parliamentary boroughs in England and Wales by eliminating
1350-575: The COVID-19 pandemic . There are currently no plans to reintroduce this service. Services during COVID-19 pandemic Due to changing travel patterns as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, advice was against all but essential travel, and thus, the Metrolink temporarily introduced a reduced timetable, and trams ran to a 20-minute frequency on the following routes only. Gradually, in the following months, with more people returning to work and social activities,
1425-668: The European Parliament , prior to the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union (see European Parliament constituency ). In local government elections (other than for the London Assembly) electoral areas are called wards or electoral divisions . House of Commons, Scottish Parliament, Senedd and Northern Ireland Assembly constituencies are designated as either county or borough constituencies, except that in Scotland
1500-714: The G-Mex , with a 0.4-mile (0.64 km) branch from Piccadilly Gardens to Manchester Piccadilly station . This route is now known as the First City Crossing (1CC), and it was built with network expansion in mind. A fleet of 26 AnsaldoBreda T-68 light rail vehicles was procured to operate the 19.2-mile (30.9 km) network. Construction was carried out by the GMA Group (a consortium of AMEC , GM Buses , John Mowlem & Company and GEC ), costing £145 million (equivalent to £379 million in 2023). Metrolink
1575-783: The Labour Party on 19 January 2022. He was re-elected as the Labour Party candidate at the 2024 general election. The seat covers Prestwich, Whitefield and Radcliffe, towns that were absorbed into the Metropolitan Borough of Bury in 1974, plus, since 2024, the ward of Kersal and Broughton Park from the City of Salford . The western border along the Irwell Valley contains much of Bury's green belt land including Philips Park in Whitefield, Prestwich Clough and Drinkwater Park , making up 500 acres of green space. Prestwich, Whitefield and Broughton Park are residential areas with one of
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#17328701374491650-561: The Oldham and Rochdale Line , East Manchester Line , South Manchester Line , and Airport Line . Phase 3 was put in doubt when central government funding was withdrawn due to increasing costs, but after negotiations with the Department for Transport, Phase 3 was split into two parts, 3a and 3b, to secure investment. The new 0.25-mile (0.40 km) spur off the Eccles Line to MediaCityUK
1725-518: The Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004 , which enabled the creation of a new set of Westminster constituencies without change to Holyrood constituencies. The new Westminster boundaries became effective for the 2005 United Kingdom general election . There are 40 Senedd constituencies covering Wales , and each elects one Member of the Senedd (MS) by the first-past-the-post system . Also,
1800-562: The Shetland Islands council area . For Westminster elections, these council areas were covered (and still are covered) by the Orkney and Shetland Westminster constituency . In 1999, under the Scotland Act 1998 , the expectation was that there would be a permanent link between the boundaries of Holyrood constituencies and those of Westminster constituencies. This link was broken, however, by
1875-651: The Trafford Centre . It runs on a mixture of on-street track shared with other traffic; reserved track sections segregated from other traffic, and converted former railway lines. Metrolink is operated by a fleet of 147 high-floor Bombardier M5000 light rail vehicles. Each of the nine Metrolink routes run five trams per hour in each direction; stops with more than one route running through it will have trams arriving more frequently. Services on busier lines operate as "doubles": two tram vehicles coupled together. A light rail system for Greater Manchester emerged from
1950-503: The Trafford Park Line from Pomona to The Trafford Centre , opened on 22 March 2020. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has proposed numerous further expansions of the network , including the addition of tram-train technology to extend Metrolink services onto local heavy-rail lines. Manchester's first tram age began in 1877 with the first horse-drawn trams of Manchester Suburban Tramways Company . Electric traction
2025-506: The United Kingdom (UK), each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one member to the House of Commons . Within the United Kingdom there are five bodies with members elected by electoral districts called " constituencies " as opposed to " wards ": Between 1921 and 1973 the following body also included members elected by constituencies: Electoral areas called constituencies were previously used in elections to
2100-539: The bicameral Parliament of the United Kingdom , the other being the House of Lords . There are fourteen London Assembly constituencies covering the Greater London area, and each constituency elects one member of the assembly by the first-past-the-post system . Eleven additional members are elected from Greater London as a whole to produce a form or degree of mixed-member proportional representation . Constituency names and boundaries remain now as they were for
2175-402: The enhanced service pattern operates the core service plus extra services up to Bury, Altrincham, Etihad Campus, Shaw and Crompton, East Didsbury, and MediaCityUK. All-day services (core) The following services run during all operating times, from 06:00–00:00 on Monday–Thursday, 06:00–01:00 on Friday–Saturday, and 07:00–00:00 on Sundays and bank holidays . Six services which each run to
2250-488: The first general election of the assembly, in 2000. The assembly is part of the Greater London Authority and general elections of the assembly are held at the same time as election of the mayor of London . There are 18 Northern Ireland Assembly Constituencies : four borough (for Belfast ) and 14 county constituencies elsewhere (see below). Each elects five MLAs to the 90 member NI Assembly by means of
2325-424: The single transferable vote system. Assembly Constituency boundaries are identical to their House of Commons equivalents. The constituencies below are not used for the election of members to the 11 district councils . Scottish Parliament constituencies are sometimes called Holyrood constituencies, to distinguish them from Westminster (House of Commons) constituencies. The Scottish Parliament Building
Bury South (UK Parliament constituency) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2400-524: The ' Picc-Vic tunnel ' project. The project was a proposal to link Piccadilly and Victoria stations via a tunnel under the city centre and enable train services to run across the Manchester conurbation. Greater Manchester County Council (GMC) inherited the project and presented it to the United Kingdom Government in 1974, but the council failed to secure the necessary funding, and the project
2475-452: The 'enhanced' service pattern, trams ran with a six-minute frequency to Shaw and Crompton, Bury, Ashton-under-Lyne, Altrincham, Manchester Airport and East Didsbury; and with a 12-minute frequency to Rochdale, Eccles and MediaCityUK. As of 2024, the core service pattern operates exactly one route to every terminus on the Metrolink network, during all operating times , at a 12-minute frequency on all routes (15 minute frequency on Sundays), and
2550-510: The 1960s, transport design studies were undertaken to address the problems of increasing traffic congestion . Many urban public transport schemes were evaluated for Manchester, including several types of monorail systems and metro-style systems. While the monorail schemes were all abandoned, a scheme to create a tunnel link gained momentum. The SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive — the body formed in 1969 to improve public transport for Manchester and its surrounding municipalities – promoted
2625-685: The 1979 election. It covers the suburban towns of Radcliffe , Whitefield and Prestwich . The constituency does not contain any area of the town of Bury itself (which is in Bury North ), but only towns in the south of the Metropolitan Borough of Bury . 1983–2010 : The Metropolitan Borough of Bury wards of Besses, Holyrood, Pilkington Park, Radcliffe Central, Radcliffe North, Radcliffe South, St Mary's, and Sedgley. 2010–2024 : The Metropolitan Borough of Bury wards of Besses, Holyrood, Pilkington Park, Radcliffe East, Radcliffe North, Radcliffe West, St Mary's, Sedgley, and Unsworth. 2024–present : Further to
2700-578: The Altrincham – Bury line and on other lines during peak hours. In December 2009, Metrolink took delivery of the first Bombardier M5000 tram. Built by Bombardier Transportation and Vossloh Kiepe , the initial eight M5000s were ordered to allow services to be increased. They are part of the Bombardier Flexity Swift range of light rail vehicles and have a design similar to the K5000 vehicle used on
2775-544: The Boundary Commissions for England , Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland the power to create names for constituencies, and does not provide a set of statutory guidelines for the Commissions to follow in doing so. Constituency names are geographic, and "should normally reflect the main population centre(s) contained in the constituency". Compass points are used to distinguish constituencies from each other when
2850-522: The United Kingdom . Over the 2023/24 financial year 42 million passenger journeys were made on the system. Metrolink is owned by the public body Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and is part of the region's Bee Network . It is operated and maintained under contract by a Keolis / Amey consortium. The network consists of eight lines which radiate from Manchester city centre to termini at Altrincham , Ashton-under-Lyne , Bury , East Didsbury , Eccles , Manchester Airport , Rochdale and
2925-466: The United Kingdom elected its Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) through twelve multimember European Parliament constituencies . One, Northern Ireland , used single transferable vote , while the eleven covering Great Britain used the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation . For its first European Parliamentary elections in 1979 Great Britain was divided into
3000-540: The United Kingdom's first modern street-running rail system; the 1885-built Blackpool tramway being the only first-generation tram system in the UK that had survived up to Metrolink's creation. Expansion of Metrolink has been a critical strategy of transport planners in Greater Manchester, who have overseen its development in successive projects, known as Phases 1, 2, 3a, 3b, 2CC, and Trafford Park. The latest extension,
3075-485: The constituencies are grouped into five electoral regions, and each of these regions elects four additional members , to produce a form or degree of mixed-member proportional representation . The current set of Senedd constituencies is the second to be created. The first was created for the first general election of the National Assembly for Wales, in 1999. Before its withdrawal from the European Union in 2020,
Bury South (UK Parliament constituency) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3150-573: The construction of a new 9-mile (14 km) Airport Line to Manchester Airport , and extending three of the Phase 3a lines: the East Manchester Line to Ashton-under-Lyne ; the South Manchester Line to East Didsbury ; and adding street-running routes through Oldham and Rochdale town centres to the Oldham and Rochdale Line . Construction work began in March 2011, and Phase 3b
3225-584: The conversion of two suburban heavy rail lines to light rail operation — the Bury Line in the north (conversion started in July 1991) and the MSJ&;AR line in the south (conversion started December 1991) — and the construction of a street-level tramway through the city centre to connect the two. Tracks were laid down along a 1.9-mile (3.1 km) route from Victoria station, via Market Street and St Peter's Square to
3300-456: The council. The spending limits for election campaigns are different in the two, the reasoning being that candidates in county constituencies tend to need to travel farther. For by-elections to any of these bodies, the limit in all constituencies is £100,000. In the House of Commons of England , each English county elected two " knights of the shire " while each enfranchised borough elected "burgesses" (usually two, sometimes four, and in
3375-558: The distinction; the Boundary Commission for England has stated that, "as a general principle, where constituencies contain more than a small rural element they should normally be designated as county constituencies. Otherwise they should be designated as borough constituencies." In Scotland, all House of Commons constituencies are county constituencies except those in the cities of Glasgow , Edinburgh , Aberdeen , Dundee and three urban areas of Lanarkshire . In England and Wales,
3450-467: The expansion of the Metrolink network, it became necessary to build a new route across Manchester City Centre to alleviate congestion and improve capacity. Known as the Second City Crossing (or 2CC), the project involved laying 0.8 miles (1.3 km) of tram tracks from St Peter's Square tram stop via Princess Street, Albert Square , Cross Street and Corporation Street to rejoin the original Metrolink line just before Victoria station. One new tram stop
3525-428: The failure of the 1970s Picc-Vic tunnel scheme to obtain central government funding. A light-rail scheme was proposed in 1982 as the least expensive rail-based transport solution for Manchester city centre and the surrounding Greater Manchester metropolitan area . Government approval was granted in 1988, and the network began operating services between Bury Interchange and Victoria on 6 April 1992. Metrolink became
3600-474: The following election until retiring in 2015. The 2017 General Election saw Robert Largan as the runner-up Conservative candidate, who would later be elected for High Peak at the following general election in 2019. At the 2019 General Election it was the 10th most marginal seat in the country, with a majority of 402 for the Conservative Party candidate Christian Wakeford . Wakeford defected to
3675-469: The inauguration, GMPTE's original concept was for Metrolink's operator to provide a service every ten minutes from Bury to Piccadilly and Altrincham to Piccadilly from 06:00 to midnight, Monday to Saturday. Greater Manchester Metro Limited, the system's original operator, argued for adjustments, citing the need to provide an efficient and commercially viable operation in line with vehicle running times and passenger demand. Due to power limitations, this pattern
3750-411: The largest Jewish communities outside London. Radcliffe is a former mill town which declined after the loss of industry, with its only secondary school shut down; it is attempting regeneration as a commuter suburb and features a large park-and-ride Metrolink station. Simister to the east of Prestwich opposite Heaton Park still has some farmland, which has been under threat from development. Overall this
3825-575: The need for costly tunnelling works . A Rail Study Group, composed of officials from British Rail, GMC and GMPTE formally endorsed the Project Light Rail scheme in 1984. Initial abstract proposals, based on light rail systems in North America and continental Europe , illustrated a draft 62-mile (100 km) network consisting of three lines: Altrincham – Hadfield / Glossop , Bury – Marple / Rose Hill and Rochdale – East Didsbury . To promote
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#17328701374493900-465: The position of returning officer in borough constituencies is held ex officio by the mayor or chairman of the borough or district council, and the high sheriff of the county in county constituencies. The administration of elections is carried out by the acting returning officer, who will typically be a local council's chief executive or Head of Legal Services. The role, however, is separate from these posts, and can be held by any person appointed by
3975-413: The previous common electoral quota for the whole United Kingdom and replaced it with four separate national minimal seat quotas for the respective Boundaries commissions to work to, as a result the separate national electoral quotas came into effect: England 69,534; Northern Ireland 67,145, Wales 58,383 and in Scotland only 54,741 electors. The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 gives
4050-493: The rest of the network as the system has grown. Heavy snowfall during the winter of 2009/10 impaired Metrolink services and the operator was criticised for failing to have cold weather procedures. This prompted a programme to improve the reliability and performance of the system in freezing conditions. Metrolink operated icebreaker -style vehicles at night during snowfall in January 2013 to provide standard services. In January 2016, Transport for Greater Manchester agreed on
4125-454: The rest of the network. Enabling works began in January 2017, and the first test tram ran in November 2019 between Pomona and Village . The line finally opened on 22 March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in the UK on the second day of operation overshadowed news of the new line's opening, leading to it not getting much ridership after the lockdown ended. via Exchange Square Before
4200-788: The rotten boroughs. It also divided larger counties into two two-seat divisions , the boundaries of which were defined in the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 , and gave seven counties a third member. Similar reforms were also made for Scotland and for Ireland . The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ( 48 & 49 Vict. c. 23) equalised the population of constituencies; it split larger boroughs into multiple single-member constituencies, reduced smaller boroughs from two seats each to one, split each two-seat county and division into two single-member constituencies, and each three-seat county into single-member constituencies. The House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1958 , eliminated
4275-510: The route and adding several new stops as well, re-opening a disused 1.7-mile (2.7 km) section of the Cheshire Lines Committee railway to use as the first part of the South Manchester Line (up to St Werburgh's Road ), and building a new 4-mile (6.4 km) East Manchester Line as far as Droylsden . When completed in 2013, Phase 3a increased Metrolink's total network length to 43 miles (69 km). Phase 3b involved
4350-513: The scheme, GMPTE held a public proof of concept demonstration in March 1987 using a Docklands Light Railway P86 train on a freight-only line adjacent to Debdale Park . The Project Light Rail proposals were presented to the UK Government for taxpayer funding; following route revisions in 1984 and 1987, Project Light Rail was approved. Because of the central government's constraints on financial support for innovative transport projects, funding
4425-584: The seat was represented by Ivan Lewis . Lewis belonged to the Labour Party and was a minister during the Blair and Brown governments, but was suspended in 2018 due to allegations of indecent behaviour. He stood unsuccessfully as an independent in the 2019 election. Prior to 1997, it had been represented by Conservative David Sumberg since the constituency's creation in 1983. The seat was contested by future cabinet minister Hazel Blears in 1992, narrowly losing and would later be elected in her hometown in nearby Salford
4500-496: The service frequency on all routes was increased to 10 minutes during peak times and 20 minutes off-peak Monday–Saturday, and every 15 minutes on Sundays. Normal service was reintroduced on 5 July 2021, although temporarily removed in late August 2021 due the number of staff having to self isolate. The two enhanced service routes at the time: Altrincham–Bury direct and Shaw and Crompton–East Didsbury resumed on 31 August and 6 September 2021 respectively. As of 2022 , Metrolink operated
4575-525: The street running section to Eccles Interchange was completed. The Broadway–Eccles section was opened on 21 July 2000, and the complete line was officially opened by Princess Anne on 9 January 2001. The Phase 3 extension project, nicknamed the "Big Bang", was promoted by GMPTE and the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) in the early 2000s. The project, costing £489 million (£1040 million in 2023), would create four new lines:
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#17328701374494650-430: The term burgh is used instead of borough . Since the advent of universal suffrage , the differences between county and borough constituencies are slight. Formerly (see below ) the franchise differed, and there were also county borough and university constituencies. Borough constituencies are predominantly urban while county constituencies are predominantly rural . There is no definitive statutory criterion for
4725-422: Was abandoned in 1977. The Centreline shuttle bus service provided inter-station links for many years. The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE), the successor to SELNEC, continued to examine possible rail link solutions. Light rail emerged in the early 1980s as a cost-effective option that could make use of existing railway lines and run through the city centre at street level, eliminating
4800-594: Was built at Exchange Square . The project also involved re-ordering St Peter's Square and re-siting the Cenotaph to accommodate an enlarged tram interchange and junction. Construction began in 2014, and the 2CC route opened fully in February 2017. The Transport & Works Act Order for the 3.4 mile (5.4 km) Trafford Park Line was granted in October 2016. This new line includes six tram stops, including, but not limited to,
4875-472: Was closed. Trolleybuses were withdrawn from service in 1966. Greater Manchester's railway network historically suffered from poor north–south connections because Manchester's main railway stations, Piccadilly and Victoria , were built in the 1840s on peripheral locations outside Manchester city centre . The central commercial district had no rail links, and over the years, several unsuccessful schemes were proposed to connect Manchester's rail termini. In
4950-676: Was completed in November 2014 with the Airport Line 's opening. Phase 3b was delayed after a failed bid to raise funding through the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund and a proposed traffic congestion charge in 2008. GMPTE and AGMA instead funded Phase 3b through a combination of council tax , government grants, Metrolink fares and contributions from the Manchester Airports Group and other bodies. With increased tram traffic brought about by
5025-555: Was expanded from the 2004 elections onward to include Gibraltar , the only British overseas territory that was part of the European Union , following a court case. Manchester Metrolink Manchester Metrolink is a tram / light rail system in Greater Manchester , England. The network has 99 stops along 64 miles (103 km) of standard-gauge route, making it the most extensive light rail system in
5100-501: Was funded by the GMPTA , the ERDF and private developers. It was constructed 1997–99 by Altram (a consortium of Serco , Ansaldo and John Laing ) and six new AnsaldoBreda T-68A trams were bought to operate services on the line, but were also used in other locations across the network. The line was inaugurated by Prime Minister Tony Blair on 6 December 1999 as far as Broadway tram stop as
5175-579: Was funded separately by the Northwest Regional Development Agency . As part of Phase 3, the original blue T-68 trams were also phased out and replaced with a new fleet of Bombardier M5000 trams, which entered service in December 2009. Beginning in October 2009 with the closure of the 14-mile (23 km) Oldham Loop heavy rail line , Phase 3a involved converting this line to light rail operation , including rebuilding all stations on
5250-549: Was granted by HM Treasury with the strict condition that the system be constructed in phases. Additional taxpayer funding came from the European Regional Development Fund and bank lending. Parliamentary authority to proceed with Phase 1 construction was obtained with two Acts of Parliament – the Greater Manchester (Light Rapid Transit System) Act 1988 and Greater Manchester (Light Rapid Transit System) (No. 2) Act 1988. The first phase of Metrolink involved
5325-565: Was initially scheduled to open in September 1991, but services did not begin until 1992, when the Bury Line of the Metrolink opened from Victoria station to Bury Interchange on 6 April. The first street-level trams began running on 27 April between Victoria and G-Mex (renamed Deansgate-Castlefield in 2010), and the Altrincham Line opened on 15 June from G-Mex to Altrincham . The branch to Piccadilly station opened on 20 July. Metrolink
5400-427: Was introduced in 1901, and the municipal Manchester Corporation Tramways expanded across the city. By 1930, Manchester's tram network had grown to 163 route miles (262 km), making it the third-largest tram system in the United Kingdom. After World War II , electric trolleybuses and motor buses began to be favoured by local authorities as a cheaper transport alternative, and by 1949 the last Manchester tram line
5475-413: Was modified to a twelve-minute service throughout the day, doubling to a six-minute service in peak periods, resulting in a "ten trams per hour" service pattern on routes running from Altrincham and Bury to Manchester every six minutes. Operators were required to provide this level of service at least 98% of the time or incur a financial penalty charge. This twelve-minute service pattern has been adopted on
5550-409: Was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 17 July 1992. In Phase 2, the Metrolink network was extended westwards to Eccles along the new 4-mile (6.4 km) Eccles Line , as part of the 1990s urban regeneration of Salford Quays , increasing the total Metrolink route length to 24 miles (39 km). The extension cost £160 million (equivalent to £340 million in 2023) and
5625-459: Was the constituency of a county corporate , combining the franchises of both county and borough. Until 1950 there were also university constituencies , which gave graduates an additional representation. Similar distinctions applied in the Irish House of Commons , while the non-university elected members of the Parliament of Scotland were called Shire Commissioners and Burgh Commissioners. After
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