Manchester

:This article is about the city in England. For alternative meanings, see Manchester (disambiguation).

Transport

Air

Manchester International Airport (formerly Manchester Ringway Airport) is the third-busiest airport in the UK (after Heathrow and Gatwick) in terms of passengers per year. It is served by a dedicated railway station.

Related Topics:
Manchester International Airport - Heathrow - Gatwick - A dedicated railway station

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In 2002 it handled 19 million passengers and provided direct flights to over 180 destinations worldwide by over 90 airlines.

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It has been voted the best airport in the UK by: Which Consumer Magazine, Travel Weekly Globe, Business Magazines International and in the Airport World's Service Excellence Awards (European runner up, 2nd only to Copenhagen).

Related Topics:
Which - Copenhagen

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Road

The main roads serving Manchester are the M56, M6, M61, M62 and M66 motorways. Most of these routes link onto the M60 (manchester's orbital motorway).

Related Topics:
M56 - M6 - M61 - M62 - M66 - Motorways - M60

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This accounts for a large percentage of the UK's motorway network and is the best network provided for any city in the UK outside of the capital London.

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Manchester and the surrounding area have an excellent bus network, with regular services in and out of the city connecting to all the satellite towns and villages. Maps of bus routes and a public transport journey planner for the Greater Manchester can be found on the GMPTE website

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Rail

The city has two major stations, Manchester Victoria and Manchester Piccadilly, linking Manchester to the rest of the United Kingdom. There are also many smaller local stations, such as Manchester Oxford Road.

Related Topics:
Manchester Victoria - Manchester Piccadilly - United Kingdom - Manchester Oxford Road

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Metrolink

Manchester has a tram system called the Metrolink. Operated by Serco, Metrolink links the city centre to Altrincham, Eccles and Bury.

Related Topics:
Tram - Metrolink - Serco - Altrincham - Eccles - Bury

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It is a high frequency service, with trams running every 6-12 minutes. It carries nearly 20 million passengers a year

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Plans to extend Manchester Metrolink into the surrounding towns and boroughs that form Greater Manchester have recently been resurrected after an election time U-Turn by the labour government which rejected the plans months earlier. GMPTE (the Passenger Transport Executive responsible for the Greater Manchester area) is leading the fight to ensure that the extensions are built, with significant support from local councils and community.

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When the desired system (nicknamed the big bang) is completed, passenger numbers will more than double to an estimated 50 million per year.

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Buses

The city's buses are operated by a range of companies including First Bus, Stagecoach (incorporating the lower-cost Magicbus), Finglands, UK North, and R. Bullock. Most major routes are well provided for, including Oxford Road/Wilmslow Road, one of the busiest routes in Europe, bringing large numbers of students from Fallowfield and Withington to the two universities that have campuses scattered around the city centre.

Related Topics:
Magicbus - Wilmslow Road - Fallowfield - Withington

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First Manchester also operates free Metroshuttle services which link important areas of the city like Manchester Victoria and Manchester Piccadilly stations with Chinatown, Deansgate, Oxford Road, and Albert Square. These services complement the metrolink and national rail services.

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High frequency Bendy Bus routes include the Bury-Manchester 135 service and the Bolton-Manchester 8 service, which operate every six minutes.

Related Topics:
Bury - Bolton

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Water

One legacy of the industrial revolution is an extensive network of canals: the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal, Rochdale Canal, Manchester Ship Canal which provides access to the sea, Bridgewater Canal, Ashton Canal and the Leigh Branch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Today, most of these canals are used for recreation.

Related Topics:
Canals - Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal - Rochdale Canal - Manchester Ship Canal - Bridgewater Canal - Ashton Canal - Leeds & Liverpool Canal

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