Travel advice ahead of Manchester Arena reopening event

Manchester Arena is set to reopen with a special star-studded charity concert this weekend and transport co-ordinators are advising people attending to plan their journeys in advance.

A capacity crowd of over 14,000 is expected at the arena on Saturday (9 September) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) are confident they have the expertise to keep everyone moving before and after the landmark event.

Whilst the city centre and public transport are expected to be busier than normal on Saturday, TfGM have worked with organisers and Greater Manchester Police to develop robust plans and bespoke travel advice pages, which can be found at:

https://beta.tfgm.com/manchester-arena

A number of road closures will be in place in the city centre before and after the concert, so visitors are being advised to allow extra time to travel and to use public transport wherever possible.

Manchester Arena are advising attendees to arrive as early as possible as enhanced security measures and bag checks will be in operation.

All of Greater Manchester’s Park and Ride sites will be open and as many Metrolink trams as possible will be in operation until 1.30am.

Manchester Arena is served well by a number of bus services, with Shudehill interchange being a five minute walk away. However, road closures mean a number of these services may be diverted at times, so passengers are being advised to check in advance with their operator for the latest information.

Free Metroshuttle services operate to and from the arena and can be boarded at both Victoria and Piccadilly station approaches.

Although a normal rail timetable is expected to be in place, rail services are expected to be busy so passengers should plan their journey in advance.

John Fryer, TfGM’s Transport and Event Planning Lead, said: “We have been working hard with event organisers and partners and we are confident that our transport plans will help to support what promises to be poignant and special occasion for the city.

“We’ll be providing as much capacity as possible and our travel advice pages have lots of useful information so our advice would be to check them before you travel.

“Public transport will provide the best and quickest way of getting around and you should plan your journey in advance, allowing a little bit of extra time as it is going to be busy across the city centre.”

The doors for the arena will open at 5pm, with the concert due to start at 6.30pm and expected to finish between 11 and 11.30pm.