Greater Manchester Explores Underground Metro Options for Busy Metrolink Lines

Passengers on the Metrolink between Altrincham and Bury could be travelling underground in the future, after the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) approved £375,000 to fund feasibility studies for a tunnelled metro system.

The Altrincham–Bury line is one of three routes being considered for an underground network, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) revealed during last week’s Bee Network committee meeting. TfGM said these lines are the busiest in the system and are expected to exceed capacity by 2050, even if longer trams are introduced. A dedicated underground tunnel could, the authority argues, double capacity along these corridors.

The other two potential routes under consideration include a line following the Castlefield Corridor and Salford Crescent to Piccadilly, and a completely new, fully segregated underground metro connecting Northern Gateway to Manchester Airport. This third line would serve areas currently lacking tram or train services.

All three schemes remain at an early planning stage, with TfGM officials noting they could not yet produce detailed maps of the proposed routes before the committee’s next meeting in February.

Bury Council’s Cllr Alan Quinn welcomed the proposals, saying he was “pretty excited about this” and praising the city-region for “thinking outside the box” to address future capacity challenges.

The £375,000 feasibility funding comes from Greater Manchester’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, provided by central government. The investment follows Mayor Andy Burnham’s December announcement targeting a citywide subway network by 2050 and builds on the £6 million allocated earlier in August for underground transit studies.