Tram season tickets and travelcards will be accepted on Altrincham trains and the 263 bus from 19 October, TfGM says. No replacement bus runs south of Sale.
If you hold a tram season ticket or a travelcard, you will not have to pay again to get into Manchester while the Altrincham line is shut. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) says these tickets will be accepted on Northern trains between Altrincham and the city centre, and on the 263 bus.
TfGM has also confirmed what our earlier report had to infer: no tram replacement bus will run from Altrincham, Navigation Road, Timperley, Brooklands or Dane Road. It is adding more buses to the 263 instead.
The advice sits in the stop-by-stop travel checker on TfGM’s Deansgate-Castlefield and Trafford Bar works page. You pick your tram stop and it shows what to do. We read the entry for every stop on the Altrincham line.
The closure
No trams will run on the Altrincham line from Monday 19 October to Sunday 1 November. Services return from the start of service on Monday 2 November. The Trafford Centre and Eccles lines close too (TfGM).
We reported the four replacement shuttle routes on 21 September, and the fact that none of them starts south of Sale: Altrincham tram closure: 14 days off, bus starts at Sale.
Which tickets work where
TfGM’s wording is precise, and the difference matters.
- Northern trains between Altrincham and Manchester city centre: accepted for “passengers with travelcards and tram season tickets (7-day, 28-day and annual)”.
- The 263 bus: the same, travelcards and tram season tickets (7-day, 28-day and annual).
- Tram replacement buses from Sale: accepted for “Metrolink passengers with a valid ticket”.
A single, return or day tram ticket is not on TfGM’s list for the train or the 263. If you do not hold a season ticket or travelcard, TfGM says you can buy a ticket from the 263 driver or tap on with a contactless card.
Stop by stop
This is what TfGM’s checker says for each stop on the line, south to north.
| Tram stop | Replacement bus from the stop? | TfGM’s suggested route |
|---|---|---|
| Altrincham | No | Train, or the 263 from Altrincham Interchange |
| Navigation Road | No | Train, or the 263 from Manchester Road |
| Timperley | No | Train from Navigation Road, or the 263 from Manchester Road |
| Brooklands | No | The 263 from Washway Road, or walk to Sale for the replacement bus |
| Sale | Yes, every 10 minutes | Replacement bus to Piccadilly, or the 263 |
| Dane Road | No | The 263 from Cross Street, or walk to Sale for the replacement bus |
| Stretford | Yes, every 10 minutes | Replacement bus to Piccadilly, or the 263 |
| Old Trafford | No | The 255 or 263 from Chester Road, or walk to Firswood or Trafford Bar |
The replacement bus from Sale runs Sale, Stretford, Trafford Bar, Deansgate-Castlefield and Piccadilly. The 263 runs Altrincham, Sale, Stretford, Hulme and Piccadilly Gardens. TfGM describes it as running “frequently throughout the day” but has not published how many extra buses it will add.
The train: what TfGM says
TfGM says trains from Altrincham and Navigation Road run to Manchester “approximately every hour on weekdays and Saturdays, and every two hours on Sundays”. That Sunday gap is the one to plan around.
Timperley and Brooklands have no railway station. TfGM points Timperley passengers to Navigation Road for the train.
When we checked the Northern service for our earlier report, the train from platform 3 at Altrincham Interchange took 28 minutes to Manchester Piccadilly. Our Altrincham tram times page has the train timetable and fares.
One gap in TfGM’s own advice
The Brooklands entry tells passengers to “walk to Sale and then board a replacement bus service from X”. The stop is not named: the letter X is printed as published. The Sale entry does not say where on the street the bus leaves from either. TfGM says replacement bus timetables and stops “will be published in advance of the closure”, and gives no date.
What it means for you
- If you have a season ticket or travelcard: use the train from Altrincham or Navigation Road, or the 263. You should not need to buy another ticket.
- If you buy tram tickets as you go: you will need a train ticket or a bus fare for the fortnight, unless you get yourself to Sale for the replacement bus.
- On Sundays: the train runs about every two hours, so the 263 may be the quicker choice.
- Before 19 October: check TfGM’s page again for the replacement bus stops. We will report them when they appear.
Our Altrincham roadworks and travel page tracks the other disruption in the area week by week.
Sources
- TfGM: Deansgate-Castlefield and Trafford Bar works, including the stop-by-stop travel advice for Altrincham, Navigation Road, Timperley, Brooklands, Sale, Dane Road, Stretford and Old Trafford: closure dates, ticket acceptance on trains, the 263, the 255 and replacement buses, the extra 263 buses, the train frequencies and the unpublished replacement bus stops. Read 27 September 2026.
- TfGM: 263 bus route for the route Altrincham, Sale, Stretford, Hulme, Piccadilly Gardens.
Have your say