South District Railway
| South Manchester Line | |
|---|---|
A M5000 tram approaching East Didsbury.
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| Overview | |
| Type | Tram/Light rail |
| System | Manchester Metrolink |
| Locale |
Manchester East Didsbury |
| Termini |
Trafford Bar East Didsbury |
| Stations | 8 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 7 July 2011 (Trafford Bar to St. Werburgh’s Road) 23 May 2013 (St. Werburgh’s Road to East Didsbury) |
| Character | Reopened former railway trackbed |
| Rolling stock | M5000 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 4.4 miles (7.1 km) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 750 volts DC overhead |
| Operating speed | 50 mph (80km/h) |
The South Manchester Line (SML) is a tram line of the Manchester Metrolink in Greater Manchester running from Manchester city centre to Didsbury. The line was opened between 2011 and 2013 as part of phase three of the system's expansion, and runs entirely along a former railway trackbed.
From Manchester city centre, the line follows the Altrincham Line as far as Trafford Bar, after which it diverges south-east on a grade separated junction, passing the Trafford Metrolink tram depot. The line then continues south-east along a former railway alignment serving stops at Firswood, Chorlton and St Werburgh's Road. This stretch is shared with trams on the Airport Line, which diverges south just after St Werburgh's Road.
The line then continues south-east serving stops at Withington, Burton Road, West Didsbury and Didsbury Village, to its terminus at East Didsbury, which is a short distance away from East Didsbury railway station.
The line was originally a railway; the Manchester South District Railway (MSDR) which was opened by the Midland Railway in 1880, in order to allow Midland Railway expresses from London to reach Manchester Central station. The line ran south from Manchester Central to . The line was transferred to the ownership of the Cheshire Lines Committee in 1891, and remained in their ownership until nationalisation in 1948.
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