TfGM control room keeps transport moving on one of the network’s busiest days

Transport for Greater Manchester’s (TfGM) newly enhanced, state-of-the-art control room was at the heart of monitoring and managing the flow of people and transport on one of the Greater Manchester transport network’s busiest days.

Public transport helped keep the city centre moving on Sunday 26th May as thousands of people turned out for the Great Manchester Run and a parade by Premier League champions Manchester City.  As expected, it was a bumper day on the public transport network with thousands of people travelling to, from and around the city centre over the course of the two big events.  Some 126,300 trips were made by tram, making it twice as busy as a typical Sunday on the Metrolink network and the fifth busiest Sunday on record. 

People were encouraged to ‘travel smart’ and avoid congestion on the roads by making the most of public transport, with as many tram services as possible running on the day. Those who had to drive had the option of using one of the 24 Metrolink park and ride sites, parking up for free and hopping on a tram to the city centre. 

The TfGM control room saw the city-region’s transport staff working alongside colleagues from Greater Manchester Police, local government, Manchester City FC, Metrolink, and bus and rail operators to keep the city moving.

Having all partners working together in the control room ensures there is a shared awareness of the situation across the transport network, as events develop. This allows for a much more cohesive and joined-up approach to incident management.

Over the course of the day the control room dealt with over 50 transport related incidents and around 500 traffic signal timing changes were made to keep Manchester moving smoothly and safely.     

Maggie Carter, Head of Network Development at TfGM, said:

“As expected, it was a really busy day on the network with two big events taking place in the city centre on the same day. 

“Our control room played a vital role in keeping transport issues on the day to minimum. Having the right people in the right place helps us and our partners to respond quickly and effectively to any issues that arise – as well as ensuring a consistent approach to unexpected incidents. 

“We encouraged people to use public transport ahead of Sunday – and the control room played a big part in ensuring racegoers, City fans and other users were provided with timely, accurate and coordinated messages about safety and travel options.”