On the trams between 1900-1949 in its peak in 1928 trams carried over 328 million passengers on 953 trams via 46 routes along 292 miles which is 470km of track.
It was United Kingdoms second largest tram network after the combined services of 16 operators across the capital in 1933.
Other larger systems were in Glasgow Which had 100 miles of double track at its peak also Birmingham which had over 80 miles of track.
Manchester's carriage ways company agreed to take over the trams in 1898 when they were due to expire in times between 1898 and 1901 inspectors were sent to view the tramlines to see if they will take over them.
1901-1910= From 1902 onwards both Salford and Manchester tram systems, uniquely in Britain, employed uniformed "trolley boys" – over a thousand at their peak (Jan 1930) – whose job it was to assist guards on double-truck trams by giving the driver a bell signal at the stops. Also they helped people on and off the trams. Manchester took the lead in building these routes so the trams could be leased back for operational services going to. The largest boroughs were Ashton-Under-Lyme, Salford, Oldham.
1911-1920= In the run up to the first world war there were a enormous expansion in the the tram services to the extent that in 1915 trams were the most popular use of transport in Manchester which was carrying over 200million passengers.
By 1913 trams were running from Stockport, Hyde, Cheadle and Hazel Grove.
Also in 1913 trams were that popular in Manchester they had to change from Route names to Route numbers they were getting that popular everyone was using them.
1914-1918= Transport expansion was quick to be re-established. Women had been employed during the war as tram guards but there were shortages of materials and maintenance staff that led to deterioration of both the track and the vehicle fleet.
1921-1930= In 1921 Manchester Corporation formed a new body with Ashton Corporation and Staylybridge joint board.
this took over the Oldham, Ashton and Hyde Tramway allowing Manchester trams to run on the Ashton via Guide Bridge section. Due to price rises after the war, operational costs rose from £681,000 in 1919 to £1,520,000 by 1922. This led to calls from some quarters for tram expansion to be halted.
The final decision to completely abandon the tram system in favour of trolley buses and motor buses was taken on 7 July 1937 but the onset of war delayed some of this. In 1945 the final tram in Manchester ran then after that the last tram in Oldham ran in 1946 so this followed soon after then a year after this in 1947 Bolton and Salford followed. By 1949 just a few miles of track were left in Manchester and the last tram ran on 10 January of that year. The last of the old tram cars were stored at Hyde Road depot until on 16 March they were set ablaze in a huge bonfire, permanently signifying an end to what was once the third largest tramway system in the country.
A few trams were sold to other operators: the last of these in public service were in Aberdeen, in 1956.
The trams continued in Bury for a further month and the last tram ran in Stockport during 1951.
After so long without trams in 1992 the Metro link was formed to bring back trams into Manchester Since the trams went from manchester during the 1950s in the 1960s the Passenger Executive of Manchester wanted to improve Public Transport in Manchester. There was a breakthrough in 1964 for the rail tracks to be built in Manchester City Centre and tunnelling under the Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre. When the Greater Manchester City Council presented the project to the United Kingdom Government it didn't get the sufficient funds to make it and the idea was abandoned in 1974 and abandoned in 1977 on economic grounds this was when the city council dropped the idea completely.
In 1982 the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive concluded that an overnight light railway system should be built to use all the un used railway tracks to improve Greater Manchester's public transport network.
In 1987 funding was given to go ahead with this idea of the Metro link.
By 1999 lots of different Metro link lines were opened such as Eccles, Piccadilly, Altrincham and Bury these were the 4 main lines to the Metro Link going in and out of Manchester.
In 2000 officials of transport planners found that the Metro Link was a great success and the system was exceeding its targets.
On the 6th of july the plans were finalised to get the Metro Link out of Manchester and running to Ashton, Rochdale, Manchester Airport, Oldham, costing over £220 million Pounds and will be finished by 2020 and to this day trams are running from Manchester to Ashton and by 2020 all these plans will be finished and the Metro Link will be running all over Tameside.
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