Rick's St Mary's Diary

It seems that our questions to Council and the Area Board have paid off, as the communications campaign for the Metrolink closure has begun in earnest today. I have been informed that commuters were given information on the closures at Met stops this morning, and that further information is available from Travel Shops. The website is also a good place for news, and this too has been updated with a bit more on the closures. It’s great news that the track is being replaced – it’s long overdue – and I hope that the experience for passengers will be similarly upgraded. At the moment the quality of the ride is abysmal, reliability is patchy, and there are safety concerns on trams and platforms. And of course, the entire experience is very expensive. The track upgrade needs to be just the first stage of improvements to rolling stock, ticket machines, safety and stations. Public transport needs to move from being the only choice for car-less commuters, to being the first choice for everyone.

Rick