Manchester Travel & Transport

The transport system in Manchester offers visitors a number of ways to get around including taking public transport such as buses and trains to using the road with car hire and coaches.

Buses
Manchester has an extensive bus network providing transport across Manchester, to the outskirts of the city and the Greater Manchester area. Local bus services and timetables are shown at: Manchester Buses.

Metroshuttle Buses provide free transport between the main railway stations, shopping areas, businesses and car parks in Manchester. Operating seven days a week from 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 6pm on Sundays, it provides the most cost effective way to get around the city centre. The buses run from Manchester Piccadilly, Oxford Road, Victoria, Deansgate and Salford Central railway stations.

Trains
Trains in Manchester serve a number of routes across the centre of Manchester and the outskirts including the Greater Manchester area. There are several mainline rail routes offering local and regional services including services to Liverpool, London, Chester, Birmingham and Scotland. Manchester is served by three main railway stations around the city centre, Manchester Piccadilly railway station is the largest and is used for services from London Euston. The service is operated by Virgin Trains. The approx journey time from London to Manchester is 2 hours 10 minutes via Virgin trains.

Manchester Victoria Station includes services to Wigan, Southport, Blackpool and Liverpool among others.

Manchester Oxford Road Station is located on the southern side of the city centre and includes services to Manchester Airport, Liverpool, Blackpool and Preston.

Deansgate Railway Station is located in the Castlefield area of Manchester with services to Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester Airport, Buxton and Preston.

For more information please see National Rail Enquiries


Manchester Metrolink
Manchester has a light rail service, the Metrolink offering services around the Greater Manchester area including from Manchester city centre to Altrincham, Bury, Eccles and South Manchester. The Metrolink tram system offers visitors a quick and efficient way to get around Manchester covering the major tourist attractions and main train stations.

For more information please see: Metrolink


Bicycle
The city of Manchester can be explored by bicycle with a range of cycle routes and dedicated cycle lanes in operation. Bicycle hire is available in the city at Manchester Piccadilly station and at Manchester Metropolitan with the ICycle project

For more information please see: Brompton Dock and ICycle Manchester


Public Transport Safety Tips
Most journeys on public transport in Manchester go ahead without incident, in order to minimise the chances of any incidents, passengers may wish to consider the following safety tips:

- Be aware of your belongings at all times.
- Do not leave your bags and belongings unattended at any time.
- Stay alert and aware of your environment and those around you.
- Do not show valuables including money and jewellery in public.
- If you are carrying a bag/handbag, ensure you use a bag that has a strong good quality strap and wear it across your shoulder (not on your shoulder), with the pockets closed facing towards your waist. Carrying the bag on your shoulder makes it much easier for criminals to snatch the bag or cut the strap.
- Be careful and cautious in crowds and beware of pickpockets, do not leave anything valuable showing in public including wallets in back trouser pockets.
- Sit in carriages with other passengers do not sit in carriages with no/fewer passengers.
- Try not to use smaller/isolated stations especially at night.
- When waiting for buses, trains, boats and taxis stand with other passengers in an area that is well lit, do not stand/wait in isolated areas.


Car
There are a number of car hire firms in Manchester that offer car rental services for both short and longer term car hire offering a range of vehicles from small budget cars to family cars to larger mini-buses and luxury cars. Manchester does experience traffic congestion along with many other cities, the traffic is usually at its peak during the peak morning and evening rush hours however road incidents and unforeseen circumstances can create traffic congestion at all times.

The ring roads in Manchester give the city good connections to Motorways, with the M60, M602, M62 and M56 located close by offering good road connections to the north, south, east and west of Manchester.

Parking in Manchester is available in the main car parks and on street parking. Among the main city car parks are the car parks at Manchester Victoria Station, Manchester Central Convention Complex and the Great Northern complex.

Drivers should note there are parking restrictions in the city and there may be driving restrictions in and around the city centre. Following the rules is advised as any infringement is likely to be met with strict enforcement of fines.

For more information please see: Parking in Manchester for more details on Manchester street parking and car parking.


Coach
Manchester is easily accessible by coach with coach services from a number of UK towns and cities including from London Victoria where there are regular coach services to Manchester with a journey time of between 4 hours 30 minutes and 5 hours 30 minutes depending on the service. Both National Express and Megabus offer coach services from London to Manchester.


Air
Manchester Airport is located approx 10 miles to the South East of Manchester city centre, with a journey time of approx 20-25 minutes by car. Both UK regional and international flights operate to and from the airport with in excess of 100 airlines and 190 destinations catered for. Manchester Airport is connected to Manchester city centre via trains with regular service operating with a journey time of approx 20 minutes.




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