page_title: Stretford
section_title: Transport
hierarchical_section_title: Stretford / Transport
caption_attribution_description: Stretford Metrolink station
context_page_description: Stretford is a historic market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, 3.8 miles southwest of Manchester city centre, 3.0 miles south of Salford and 4.2 miles northeast of Altrincham. Stretford borders Chorlton-cum-Hardy to the east, Urmston to the west, Salford to the north, and Sale to the south. The Bridgewater Canal bisects the town.
  Historically in Lancashire, in the 19th century Stretford was an agricultural village, known locally as Porkhampton due to the large number of pigs produced for the Manchester market. It was also an extensive market-gardening area, producing more than 500 long tons of vegetables each week for sale in Manchester by 1845. The arrival of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894, and the subsequent development of the Trafford Park industrial estate, accelerated the industrialisation that had begun in the late 19th century. By 2001 less than one per cent of Stretford's population was employed in agriculture.
  Stretford has been the home of Manchester United Football Club since 1910, and of Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1864.
context_section_description: Stretford Metrolink station is part of the Manchester Metrolink tram system, and lies on the Altrincham to Bury line. Trams leave about every six minutes between 7:15 and 18:30, and every 12 minutes at other times of the day. The nearest main line railway station is Trafford Park, on the Liverpool to Manchester line. Services are roughly every two hours in each direction, with extra services calling during the peak hours. The 20-acre (8 ha) Trafford Park Euroterminal rail freight terminal, opened in 1993, is in the Gorse Hill area of Stretford. It cost £11 million and has the capacity to deal with 100,000 containers a year. The containers are handled by two huge gantry cranes, the noise from which has led to complaints from some local residents.
  The town has good access to the motorway network. Junction 7 of the M60 is just to the north of Stretford's boundary with Sale, and the A56 road gives easy access to the south as well as to Manchester city centre in the other direction. Cycle paths exist as part of the Trafford cycle initiative.
  Manchester Airport, the busiest in the UK outside London, is about nine miles (14 km) to the south of Stretford. Frequent Bus and Tram services run from Stretford, though taking the Tram will require you to change services at Cornbrook.
caption: Stretford Metrolink station
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