Station closure increasing journey times

John Hallet endured a two hour journey home to Rochdale from Manchester after his journey time was increased due to the closure of Manchester Victoria station.

John used the Metrolink service, the bus service and walking as part of his journey but says there was no help on offer to him and other travellers regarding changes to services.

John said: “The root cause of the journey trouble was the closure of Victoria. It wasn’t a major problem but there were no clear notices to explain what was going on or to inform people of the changes to the services.”

John recalls seeing a small sign at one station but say he eventually got hep from another traveller. He added: “We had seen in the news that Victoria was closed but there was no one at Central Park Station to help people when they got off. We got help from another traveller in the end because there was no other help.”

A TfGM spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear of this passenger’s experience.

“From the information provided, it would appear that the gentleman used the Shudehill stop. A bus replacement service was operating from stand J at Shudehill Interchange, which is directly behind this Metrolink stop.

“Staff were stationed at both Shudehill and Central Park stops. Posters on stops gave directions to the replacement bus services.

“It is possible that the combination of a Premier League football game at the Etihad Stadium and the X-Factor finals at the Phones4U Arena made local roads busier than usual and, in turn, affected journey times on board the replacement buses into the late afternoon, early evening.

“We would encourage the gentleman concerned to contact our Customer Relations team so we can look into his experience in more detail.”

Rail group STORM is currently looking for information from anyone regarding any troubles they face due to the closure of Manchester Victoria. They would like to hear from passengers about their experiences travelling with the changes in place. They are looking for information regarding signage, help, trains, routes, corals and any other issues observed by travellers.