Photo of the Heaton Park tram lit up
Heaton Park tramway is set to operate again thanks to a major new funding award securing its future for generations to come.
For more than 12 months the trams have been unable to run as the electrical substation which powers the Heritage Tramway at Heaton Park needed an overhaul to bring it up to current safety standards.
The £481k funding investment, secured from Manchester City Council, will enable essential restoration work on the substation to begin in spring 2026. The upgrade should mean the tramway can restart in summer 2026 which coincides with the 125 anniversary of Manchester’s first electric tramways in1901.
The tramway operates on the only remaining section of the original tramway in Heaton Park and this major investment into the existing infrastructure will ensure its safe and continued operation for many years to come.
It is the culmination of the hard work and dedication of volunteers of the Manchester Transport Museum Society (MTMS) who have worked in partnership with Manchester City Council since 1979 to keep this popular attraction running in one of the city’s largest and most popular green spaces.
Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods said:
“Our support of the much-loved Heaton Park Tramway not only preserves an important piece of local heritage, but a piece of living history. It will be welcomed by visitors to Heaton Park who come to enjoy the outdoor space as well as the variety of attractions that this wonderful park has to offer. The vintage trams hold a special place in the hearts of many people, and I’m delighted that it will be up and running again in time for the 125 anniversary.”
Geoff Senior Chairman of the Manchester Transport Museum Society said:
“This is the wonderful news our volunteers have been looking forward to and represents a huge vote of confidence in the hard work and dedication they have shown in the last almost 50 years of working with the city of Manchester to build, develop and run this vital piece of Manchester’s transport heritage not only for the citizens of Manchester but those who travel to the park from wider afield.”
The funding comes as Tramway Museum Society celebrates its 70th anniversary at the Baker’s Institute on Swan Street in 1955. Tramway enthusiasts and historians from the Greater Manchester area first gathered here to set up a dedicated society for the preservation of tramcars from across the UK which led to the creation of the National Tramway Museum in Derbyshire and later to the Heaton Park Tramway in Manchester.
Heaton Park Tramway is a heritage electric tramway, operating for over half a mile within the historic Heaton Park in Greater Manchester. The volunteer-run attraction incorporates a unique collection of vintage tramcars from Greater Manchester and the North West, running in regular operation during the summer months.
The tramway is operated by the volunteers of the Manchester Transport Museum Society (MTMS) on behalf of the Manchester Tramway Company Limited (MTCL), a joint venture company between the Manchester Transport Museum Society and Manchester City Council.
To find out more visit both HPTramway.co.uk and manchester.gov.uk/heatonpark and on Facebook and other social media.