Manchester Metrolink work up for grabs

Contractors are being invited by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTE) to bid for the £520m Manchester Metrolink Phase 3a extension project.

Work involves constructing a 22.5km link from Victoria Station to Rochdale railway station, bypassing Oldham town centre. The existing Manchester-Oldham-Rochdale track will be converted to light rail track. Also included is a line to Droylsden.

The scheme is part of a larger project cancelled by the government in July 2004 after costs ballooned to £900m. The government reinstated the project, but only if the original £520m budget was adhered to.

However, GMPTE may also incorporate some of the Phase 3b work if funding becomes available. These include extensions to Oldham and Rochdale town centres a link from Droylsden to Ashton-under-Lyne and a link out to Manchester Airport via Wythenshawe. Other extensions to Chorlton, East Disbury, Stockport and the Trafford Centre are also planned.