West Didsbury tram stop
West Didsbury is a tram stop on the South Manchester Line of Greater Manchester's light-rail Metrolink system. It opened to passengers on 23 May 2013, in West Didsbury, south Manchester, England.
The Metrolink stop is 300m south-east of the former heavy rail station of the Midland Railway, which opened 1 January 1880 as Withington; was renamed on 1 July 1884 to Withington and Albert Park; renamed again on 1 April 1915 to Withington and West Didsbury; and closed on 3 July 1961. The route was earmarked for redevelopment with a light rail system during the 1980s, and was confirmed and funded as part of Metrolink's Phase 3b of expansion in 2006.
Service pattern
- 12 minute service to, with double trams at peak times;
- 12 minute service to, with double trams at peak times;
- 6 minute service to, with double trams at peak times.
History
Railway station
Withington and West Didsbury railway station opened in 1880 as "Withington" when the Midland Railway opened its new Manchester South District Line out of Manchester Central Station. The station was renamed "Withington & Albert Park" in 1884 and then "Withington & West Didsbury" in 1915.The station closed in July 1961, although local services to other stations on the Manchester South District line continued to pass through until January 1967, and express trains continued to use this route until 1969, when the entre line was closed as part of the Beeching cuts. By the 2000s, the original cobbled station approach road and wall were still visible off Lapwing Lane, and the remains of the station platforms could still be seen at the bottom of the overgrown embankment.