Manchester University swimmers Steph Porter, Graham Bell and Jill Nesbitt with FINA World Swimming Championships mascot Speedy the Swordfish
SWIMMERS wearing swimsuits, goggles and swimming caps joined passengers on a Metrolink tram in Manchester just before the city staged the FINA World Swimming Championships.
The Manchester University swimmers were encouraging people to use public transport to get to the championships at the MEN Arena, which is right next to the city’s Victoria station. They were joined by five-time world swimming champion James Hickman and championship mascot Speedy the Swordfish.
The event from 9-13 April was the first of its kind to ever be staged in the UK, with more than 130 countries taking part.
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, which owns the Metrolink system, was providing free tram travel for 1,800 accredited staff, volunteers and athletes taking part in the FINA championships.
“It was fantastic to see the faces of everyone on the tram when a giant swordfish and the swim team got on board,” said James Hickman, the head of PR for the championships. “It certainly raised some eyebrows.”
Meanwhile, improvements to the Metrolink system in Manchester has led to satisfaction levels being neck and neck with cars, according to a new survey of people living near the tram network.
Of the people who gave an opinion, 89 per cent were satisfied with Metrolink services and 86 per cent were satisfied with travelling by car.
An identical survey carried out before last summer’s track upgrades found that satisfaction levels were at 79 per cent for Metrolink and 88 per cent for cars.
Michael Renshaw, interim service delivery director for Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, said: “We replaced nearly 20 miles of track on the Bury and Altrincham lines last summer as part of a major upgrade of the network. Tram journeys are now smoother, quieter and more reliable.
“We’ll also be adding more trams and new ticket machines to the network next year to relieve overcrowding and make it easier to travel by tram.”
The number of passengers satisfied with how smooth tram journeys are has also risen from 47 per cent before the track upgrades to 88 per cent after, and from 56 per cent to 87 per cent for noise levels.