Metrolink outlines fares for new zonal system
Metrolink has revealed further details of its proposed zonal ticketing plan, including how much tickets will cost, as it prepares to introduce the system at the start of next year.
The new system will offer zone-to-zone travel rather than point-to-point tickets, and will reduce the number of fares available from 8,556 – the number of point-to-point combinations – to 10.
Transport for Greater Manchester agreed the zonal fares plan in July this year, following a public consultation.
Around 5,000 people responded to the consultation, with 73% of people saying they found the zonal system “easy to understand”, while 57% said it would be more convenient.
The zonal plan is based on concentric rings around the city centre, with zone one starting around the centre, moving out from zone two to four, covering different areas of Greater Manchester.
Terminus points Manchester Airport, Altrincham, Rochdale, and Bury, are all proposed to be in zone four, while East Didsbury and Ashton-under-Lyne are both in zone three, alongside the proposed termination point of the new Trafford Park line at the Trafford Centre.
Some stations – for example Brooklands and Stretford – sit on the border of two zones; a lower fare will be given based on the direction of travel. For example, a journey from Stretford to Sale is a zone 3 fare, while a journey from Stretford to Piccadilly is a zone 1 + zone 2 fare.
A pre-planned fare increase will also take place in early 2019 at a similar time to the new zonal system is adopted. Under the new fare system, annual tickets based on zones will typically be cheaper than under the previous system.
The new fare system is as follows:
Any single zone (1, 2, 3 or 4)
- Single: £1.40
- Daily travelcard (peak): £2.60
- Daily travelcard (off-peak): £1.80
- 7-day: £10.20
- 28-day: £35.00
- Annual: £400.00
Two zones (1+2)
- Single: £2.80
- Daily travelcard (peak): £4.20
- Daily travelcard (off-peak): £3.40
- 7-day: £17.00
- 28-day: £58.00
- Annual: £650.00
Two zones (2+3 or 3+4)
- Single: £2.40
- Daily travelcard (peak): £3.40
- Daily travelcard (off-peak): £3.00
- 7-day: £14.80
- 28-day: £50.00
- Annual: £570.00
Three zones (1+2+3)
- Single: £3.80
- Daily travelcard (peak): £6.00
- Daily travelcard (off-peak): £4.20
- 7-day: £24.60
- 28-day: £81.00
- Annual: £930.00
Three zones (2+3+4)
- Single: £3.20
- Daily travelcard (peak): £4.60
- Daily travelcard (off-peak): £3.80
- 7-day: £19.80
- 28-day: £67.00
- Annual: £740.00
All zones (1+2+3+4)
- Single: £4.60
- Daily travelcard (peak): £7.00
- Daily travelcard (off-peak): £4.80
- 7-day: £30.00
- 28-day: £98.00
- Annual: £1,110.00
This is all well and good but it is still £7.00 to use all zones. The Lisbon Metro is less than 2 Euros to hop on and off where you want. If a capital city in a much poorer country can provide minimal fares. Why are we being fleeced on an at best average service?
By Elephant
10 Journeys on Barcelona’s metro? €10.95. I given up hope the UK will ever see sensible pricing on public transport again.
By meh
Metrolink has to pay for itself. It’s the crap UK system but it manages to work. This means there’s more of a business case than for new rail lines or expensive lines which require subsidy (such as Northern or Merseyrail).
For a service which will be every 6 minutes or better across much of the system, it’s worth paying a premium for. More double units and the Trafford Centre – Crumpsall line are making a zonal ticket even more worthwhile.
By Self-Sustaining
Elephant, you come out with this every time. Because in Europe, public transport on a local or national level is either subsidised, the infrastructure has been in place for so long that it has been paid for, or it is built by local authorities who spread the cost over long term loans. The UK doesn’t. We are lucky to even have a public transport network like this in Manchester.
By Loganberry
£1.40 for a single in Zone 1 is very similar to the “hop on hop off” European city metro prices that commenters on here are advocating. £7 will be to use the entire network, unlimited, for a day. I don’t think that’s too bad, personally…
By Anonymous
The Amsterdam tram system is 7 euro for a day ticket, so it’s really not that bad.
By Tofu
@Anonymous True, £7 for a day could be worse.
By meh
Interesting that they have managed to squeeze Eccles into Zone 2 but kept the Bury line spread out enough so the equidistant Prestwich is pushed into Zone 3
By Anon
This is better but those charges need to cover trams, buses, and trains! They all need joining up for one easy fair price. Got to catch up Manchester!!
By .
Anon, it’s because Prestwich is on a fast former rail line with many less stops into town. The Eccles line is priced low as Eccles in a different competitive environment. The line has to compete with buses which are nearly as fast and with the M602 which whizzes you into town in minutes … well… when Regent Road reopens
By Anonymous
Seems like a good way around the complicated pricing we have now. But seems to penalise people commuting into the city centre. Bury to Queens Road, £4.60 (peak day), Bury to Victoria, £7.00 (peak day) – if you want people to leave their cars make commuting affordable.
By Richard
Then make sure that people paying for a Zone 4 ticket to get from Altrincham to the Etihad get double trams on match days and seeing as people in Altrincham will be contributing the most so you can update lines elsewhere, please re-instate the Altrincham- Etihad through tram on match days. The last few match day trams have been singles, overcrowded , uncomfortable and verging on dangerous.
By Anonymous