T-68
Encyclopedia
The T-68 is a type of tram
used only on the Manchester Metrolink
system in Greater Manchester
, England
. The trams have unusually high floors, designed to be accessed from standard UK railway platforms: all tram stops on the city streets have been built to a height of 0.9 metres (3 ft), for compatibility with converted railway stations elsewhere on the network. The trams were built by the Italian company AnsaldoBreda.
The T68, the first variant of the T-68 design, was introduced to Manchester in 1991. 25 entered service altogether and were numbered from 1001 to 1025. Soon after, an additional vehicle, 1026, was introduced to simplify scheduling problems. When the Eccles line opened, three of these trams, 1005, 1010 and 1015, were modified for use on the Eccles
branch by having retractable coupler
s fitted they were also redesignated T68-M (Modification) however this designation is little used publicly. The other T68s are currently being converted for running to Eccles. Trams 1001–15, 1021-23 and 1025 have been modified. All of these vehicles have been refurbished and had their original white passenger doors repainted to make them more visible.
branch. These have a dot-matrix destination display and have retractable couplers which make the trams more suited for street running. They are numbered 2001 - 2006.
Currently, the trams wear a livery of turquoise doors, white body and grey 'skirts'. This livery was also applied to the stations. This livery has been used since the Metrolink opened.
In October 2008, a new corporate livery was created, in anticipation of the introduction of the new M5000
Flexity Swift
trams to the network. The new livery consists of a yellow front, with yellow and silver sides, with black doors. The livery was created by Hemisphere Design and Marketing Consultants of Manchester
and is similar in design to the Merseyrail
trains in Liverpool
. The older trams are also going to be re-painted in the new livery, when they come in for re-refurbishment. All of the city centre stops, as well as the stops on the Altrincham line have been refurbished and now display the new look. The Eccles line is currently being refurbished and Bury line stop refurbishment will occur next year with selected stops such as Bury Interchange occurring this year. Twenty-three of the T-68s have name plates, named after famous Mancunian people, achievements, places or company sponsorship.
trams will allow for a programme of thorough refurbishment, all trams will be gradually sent away in small numbers for several modifications to improve reliability and reduce maintenance such as the removal of the problematic retractable steps as well as mechanical and electrical upgrades. The original 1000 series will also all receive the same modifications to the cowlings as the T68a as well as covered bogies and dot matrix displays. Both series will have the internal furnishings stripped out and replaced with a set similar to those on the new M5000 and finally they will be repainted in the new yellow and silver livery. It is expected that the entire fleet will have been refurbished by the time the Manchester Airport and Oldham/Rochdale town centre sections are complete in 2016.
The T-68 fleet is complemented by 12 new trams that includes 4 new trams for the MediaCityUK extension and 8 to improve service on the Bury–Altrincham service. At least 50 more will be delivered for the Phase 3a & 3b expansions. These are not a variant of the T-68 design as GMPTE
has opted to purchase Bombardier
's Flexity Swift
High Floor design.
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
used only on the Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
system in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The trams have unusually high floors, designed to be accessed from standard UK railway platforms: all tram stops on the city streets have been built to a height of 0.9 metres (3 ft), for compatibility with converted railway stations elsewhere on the network. The trams were built by the Italian company AnsaldoBreda.
T68
A single car prototype bodyshell numbered 1000 and given the name The Larry Sullivan was built in Italy in 1990 and delivered to Manchester for public exhibition to promote the system. It featured an orange and white GMPTE livery. The tram was later reliveried in the first Metrolink livery and it is now preserved and displayed at the Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester.The T68, the first variant of the T-68 design, was introduced to Manchester in 1991. 25 entered service altogether and were numbered from 1001 to 1025. Soon after, an additional vehicle, 1026, was introduced to simplify scheduling problems. When the Eccles line opened, three of these trams, 1005, 1010 and 1015, were modified for use on the Eccles
Eccles Metrolink station
Eccles Interchange is an interchange comprising a single platform Manchester Metrolink station and a small bus station serving Eccles town centre.The interchange opened as part of the second stage of the Eccles extension in July 2000....
branch by having retractable coupler
Coupler
Coupler is a word used to describe any of a number of things:* A railway coupling device;** A Janney coupler;* An electronic device, more properly, an acoustic coupler;* A telecommunications device known as a directional coupler;...
s fitted they were also redesignated T68-M (Modification) however this designation is little used publicly. The other T68s are currently being converted for running to Eccles. Trams 1001–15, 1021-23 and 1025 have been modified. All of these vehicles have been refurbished and had their original white passenger doors repainted to make them more visible.
T68-A
The T68-A is the second variant on the T-68 design. Introduced in 1999, only six T68-As were built, all for use on the EcclesEccles Metrolink station
Eccles Interchange is an interchange comprising a single platform Manchester Metrolink station and a small bus station serving Eccles town centre.The interchange opened as part of the second stage of the Eccles extension in July 2000....
branch. These have a dot-matrix destination display and have retractable couplers which make the trams more suited for street running. They are numbered 2001 - 2006.
Livery
In October 2008, a new corporate livery was created, in anticipation of the introduction of the new M5000
M5000
The M5000 is a model of Flexity Swift high-floor tram, built by the Canadian manufacturer Bombardier Transportation at its factories in Bautzen, Germany and test facility in Vienna, Austria with all electrical equipment supplied by Vossloh Kiepe of Werdohl, Germany.-Manchester Metrolink:As part of...
Flexity Swift
Flexity Swift
The Flexity Swift tram is a family of urban and inter-urban light-rail vehicles manufactured by Bombardier Transportation for a wide number of customers across Europe...
trams to the network. The new livery consists of a yellow front, with yellow and silver sides, with black doors. The livery was created by Hemisphere Design and Marketing Consultants of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and is similar in design to the Merseyrail
Merseyrail
Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...
trains in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. The older trams are also going to be re-painted in the new livery, when they come in for re-refurbishment. All of the city centre stops, as well as the stops on the Altrincham line have been refurbished and now display the new look. The Eccles line is currently being refurbished and Bury line stop refurbishment will occur next year with selected stops such as Bury Interchange occurring this year. Twenty-three of the T-68s have name plates, named after famous Mancunian people, achievements, places or company sponsorship.
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The Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion , sometimes referred to as simply The Legion, is the United Kingdom's leading charity providing financial, social and emotional support to those who have served or who are currently serving in the British Armed Forces, and their dependants.-History:The British Legion was... |
The future
The introduction into service of the new M5000M5000
The M5000 is a model of Flexity Swift high-floor tram, built by the Canadian manufacturer Bombardier Transportation at its factories in Bautzen, Germany and test facility in Vienna, Austria with all electrical equipment supplied by Vossloh Kiepe of Werdohl, Germany.-Manchester Metrolink:As part of...
trams will allow for a programme of thorough refurbishment, all trams will be gradually sent away in small numbers for several modifications to improve reliability and reduce maintenance such as the removal of the problematic retractable steps as well as mechanical and electrical upgrades. The original 1000 series will also all receive the same modifications to the cowlings as the T68a as well as covered bogies and dot matrix displays. Both series will have the internal furnishings stripped out and replaced with a set similar to those on the new M5000 and finally they will be repainted in the new yellow and silver livery. It is expected that the entire fleet will have been refurbished by the time the Manchester Airport and Oldham/Rochdale town centre sections are complete in 2016.
The T-68 fleet is complemented by 12 new trams that includes 4 new trams for the MediaCityUK extension and 8 to improve service on the Bury–Altrincham service. At least 50 more will be delivered for the Phase 3a & 3b expansions. These are not a variant of the T-68 design as GMPTE
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive
Transport for Greater Manchester is the public body responsible for co-ordinating public transport services throughout Greater Manchester, in North West England. The organisation traces its origins to the Transport Act 1968, when the SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive was established to...
has opted to purchase Bombardier
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
's Flexity Swift
Flexity Swift
The Flexity Swift tram is a family of urban and inter-urban light-rail vehicles manufactured by Bombardier Transportation for a wide number of customers across Europe...
High Floor design.
Fictional
- In December 2010 the TV Program Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, a T-68 was used in the 50th anniversary of the show to portray a tram crash on the street. As well as a mock-up tram for scenes after the crash, real life Manchester MetrolinkManchester MetrolinkMetrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
T-68 1015 was also used, given the fleet number 1030 and temporarily painted in the new livery.
Real
- In 1996 a Dutch lorry driver who was lost jumped the lights at Victoria and crashed into 1006 Derailing the leading bogie.
- On the 31 August 2004 a T-68 derailed at Shudehill.
- A similar Derailment occurred on London Road on 11 January 2005.
- Tram 1005 Derailed at Pomona due to "Out Of Gauge" tracks.
- On Wednesday 22 March 2006, two wheelsets of tram 1011 derailed at Long Milgate (The City Center exit of Victoria)
- On 8 October 2006 Penda Otoo-Kati, of Parsonage Road, Withington, was hit by a tram near the G-Mex, at the junction of Windmill Street and Lower Moseley Street. He was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary where he was pronounced dead.
- on 30 October 2010 T-68 1008 derailed at Market Street.
- On 7 June 2011 a T68 1021 derailed at Market Street on Points which were blocked by litter.