trams...

[julesjones]

...are now an option for me.

The shiny new tram line opened today, and I have tested it. Both There, and Back Again. I have confirmed my pre-existing opinion that it is not going to entice me away from the bus for my daily commute -- but that I am going to be exceedingly happy to use it for various leisure activities. In theory it's a quicker trip into the city centre, but in practice it's a less frequent service than the bus, which largely negates the speed advantage. And I never have to stand on the bus even in rush hour, which happy situation is not likely to pertain on the tram. But there are outings which until today involved going on the bus into the city centre, and then taking the tram back out again, and which will now involve taking the tram halfway into the city centre, and changing to a different tram back out again. And thus we will be able to cut a significant chunk of time off the journey.

Alas, Tram! has only come about after some friends who were on the other side of the city have moved away. I never actually visited them there, because by the time I got into the city centre and back out again, it was a fairly long trek, in spite of them being only a few minutes walk from a stop on one of the other tram lines.

Comments

[silly-swordsman.livejournal.com]

I suffered linguistic confusion after finding English text following the Swedish title (where "trams" means nonsense, silliness).

I like trams, though. They've always struck me as a more civilised form of transport than buses.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

I've only been back to Manchester once or twice since they reintroduced the trams, so I haven't had chance to travel on them yet, but I definitely approve of more trams as a general principle. :)

I used to commute on the electric line that ran from Victoria to Bury (we lived at Whitefield then) and I understand that has now been incorporated into the tram system.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

I've been on the Melbourne trams, and like them rather more than most buses (being where I am and working where I do, it's a car for the most part... but I do like eavesdropping when I am on public transport)