Metrolink hitches lead to carpeting

Bosses at Britain’s third biggest bus company have been told to concentrate on keeping trams on line.

Stagecoach won the contract to operate the publicly-owned Metrolink in 2007 and will run Rochdale’s new trams.

One of the company’s top executives has already been carpeted by Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive chief executive David Leather over poor performance.

And now, the deputy leader of Manchester City Council has accused the company of being too keen to replace trams with buses.

Tram passengers have been given two free days travel this month as an apology for delays in getting trams back on the Altrincham line after a summer closedown for improvements.

Services were halted seven times in two days after city centre lines were reopened at the beginning of this month.

Mr Leather said: “I would not have said that the way it has been running over the last few weeks is appropriate and that is appreciated by Stagecoach.”