page_title: Zone 1 (Manchester Metrolink)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Zone 1 (Manchester Metrolink) / History
caption_attribution_description: Manchester Victoria
context_page_description: Zone 1 of the Manchester Metrolink light rail network is the heart of the system where all of the other lines converge. Its boundaries are broadly equivalent to those of Manchester city centre, and approximately mirror the city's Inner Ring Road. Within Zone 1, first opened in 1992 as the City Zone, trams largely run along semi-pedestrianised streets rather than on their own separate alignment. The original route between the Altrincham and Bury lines ran to Victoria station via Market Street and High Street, and was soon joined by a branch to Piccadilly station by a three-way delta junction. A second route between the South-West and North-Eastern parts of the network was built to ease congestion on the original line. Opened in 2017, the Second City Crossing added one additional stop to the network.
context_section_description: Historically there were extensive tram lines in Manchester city centre as part of the first generation tram system; however, these were all abandoned by 1949.
  The current Metrolink system started operation in 1992. The first Metrolink routes through the city-centre were designed to link Victoria and Piccadilly stations, as well as integrating the converted Bury Line (Bury-Victoria) and Altrincham Line (Altrincham-Piccadilly) into a single network. The first phase city-centre routes, consisted of a 1.9-mile (3.1 km) street-running route from Victoria, via Market Street to G-Mex (now known as Deansgate-Castlefield) where it joined the line to Altrincham Interchange: This is now known as the first cross city route (1CC). Also a 0.4-mile (0.7 km) branch to Piccadilly, which diverges at a three-way junction (known as a 'delta junction') at Piccadilly Gardens.
  The first phase network was opened from Bury to Victoria on 6 April 1992; Victoria to Deansgate–Castlefield (then G-Mex) on 27 April; Deansgate–Castlefield to Altrincham on 15 June; and then the branch to Piccadilly station on 20 July 1992.
  Since 1992, a number of alterations to the original routes have taken place:
  Originally Market Street stop had one platform for northbound trams, while High Street stop just around the corner handled southbound trams. In 1998, following the pedestrianisation of Market Street. High Street stop was closed, and Market Street was rebuilt as a two-way stop.
  Cornbrook tram stop was opened in 1999, but was originally only for interchange and was not part of the "City Zone". A street-level entrance was opened in 2005, and it became part of a slightly expanded Zone 1 (as a fare boundary) when zonal fares were introduced in 2019.
  Shudehill Interchange was opened in 2003, between Market Street and Victoria. A bus interchange opened alongside in 2006.
  In 2010, G-Mex stop was renamed Deansgate-Castlefield, as the former G-Mex exhibition centre alongside which it was named after, had been renamed Manchester Central.
  Mosley Street stop was closed in 2013, to improve journey times and increase capacity.
  In 2013, the Piccadilly branch was extended to Ashton-under-Lyne. The first stop on this new route, New Islington, was not initially included in the "City Zone" but the zone boundary was changed in the first part of the following year to also include New Islington. When Metrolink fares changed from a point-to-point system to a zonal scheme, the "City Zone" was renamed as Zone 1.
caption: An AnsaldoBreda T-68 tram emerges into the streets from Manchester Victoria station in June 1992
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