A review of Greater Manchester's Metrolink
Manchester's metro system, known as the Metrolink, is a light railway system, that connects the city centre to Greater Manchester. Regular services run on the metro, in particular, used by commuters who work in Manchester, but live within the metro's area. It runs to Bury in the north, Eccles in the west and Altrincham in the south.
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Routes and destinations
Five lines
The Greater Manchester Metrolink has five lines, which operate across two zones, the city zone and outside the city.
Each line has a different colour, such as green for the Altrincham to Bury line, or turquoise for the Bury to Manchester Piccadilly line.
Points of interest
The Metrolink calls at a number of interesting sites both within, and outside the city of Manchester.
Culture and history
The city zone of Manchester's Metrolink is rich with culture and history.
You can visit St. Peter's Square station for easy access to Manchester's Central library, town hall and the cenotaph.
Shopping
Manchester's Arndale is the largest indoor shopping centre in the UK.
You can call at Market Street Metrolink station to reach a shopper's paradise, with over 240 shops, department stores and eateries.
Sporting excellence
Old Trafford station, which is on the green and yellow lines, plays host to Old Trafford football and cricket stadiums.
These play host to Manchester United, and Lancashire County Cricket Club respectively.
Both venues have also been used to host international-level sport, including the England football and cricket teams.
Media City UK
The Media City UK Metrolink stop, which is served by the brown and pink lines, was built in 2010 to offer a transport link to the state of the art media site.
Media City UK plays host to both the BBC and ITV.
Ticketing
Day tickets Both peak and off-peak (after 09:30am, from Monday to Friday, and all day on the weekend, Metrolink.co.uk) tickets can be purchased for travelling on the Manchester Metrolink. You can buy a single or return ticket, if you simply need to make a one-way or one return journey on the same day. Season tickets Season tickets can be purchased for those who travel regularly on the Manchester Metrolink. You can visit Metrolink.co.uk, and if you already have a travel club ID number, you can buy a season ticket. Those, who do not have an ID number, must send in a physical application.