UK: Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling has granted a Transport & Works Act Order for Transport for Greater Manchester to build a tram line to Trafford Park in the west of the city.
The 5·5 km route would run mostly on a segregated alignment. Leaving the Eccles branch of the Manchester Metrolink network at Pomona, it would run alongside the Manchester Ship Canal, then along Village Way and Parkway to reach the Trafford Centre, a large retail complex. There would be six stops.
The project cost of £350m is to be funded through a package agreed as part of the Greater Manchester devolution deal. The line could open by 2020-21, says TfGM.
