French firm takes control of Metrolink system

RATP Dev UK, a subsidiary of the French state-owned company which runs the Paris Metro, has taken over the contract to run Greater Manchester's Metrolink.

The move comes in the middle of a £1.4 billion Metrolink expansion programme - which includes an extension to Rochdale.

The network was previously run by Stagecoach. Stagecoach Metrolink employees remain employees of the same legal entity except its name has changed to Metrolink RATP Dev Limited.

Metrolink will continue to be owned by Transport for Greater Manchester.

Councillor Andrew Fender, Chairman of Transport for Greater Manchester, said: "RATP Group has a span of expertise covering 12 countries and the experience of carrying 12 million passengers a day.

"They will help us to continue to improve services, providing us with access to experts who are operating tram services and light rail systems in major cities across the world, from Paris and Florence to Seoul, Hong Kong and Mumbai.

"We welcome RATP to Greater Manchester and are looking forward to working with them."

Metrolink Director Philip Purdy added: "I would like to thank Stagecoach for their contribution and commitment to Greater Manchester over the past four years.

"RATP Group is a global name in public transport and passenger services and we will have access to a significant amount of expertise in everything from operations and engineering to passenger service and technology, including smart ticketing."