I was priviliged to be among the passengers trying out the new Metrolink track on Thursday morning when the Bury line reopened.

Two local MP’s joined myself and Councillor Roger Jones, Chair of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, on a tram ride from Bury to Manchester. They promised this summer’s track upgrades would be just the start of a multi-million pound investment in Metrolink.

Millions of pounds will be invested in Metrolink over the next few years and I am delighted this first stage of improvements has been completed. Improvements to stops and ticket machines will follow in the near future, and adding eight extra trams to the network in 2009.

I was amazed how much smoother and quieter a tram journey now is, it is a vast improvement on the old track. Some of the Metrolink track on the Bury and Altrincham lines was more than 50 years old as it was used by trains before Metrolink opened in 1992. Nearly 20 miles of track has been replaced during the summer, and the platform surfaces have been upgraded to make it easier to get on and off the trams.

Further information about public transport services in Greater Manchester is available at www.gmpte.com, or by calling Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 (calls cost 10p per minute from landlines). Lines are open from 7am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and from 8am to 8pm at weekends.