TRANSPORT bosses have celebrated the newest, and final, addition to the Metrolink fleet.

Now more than seven years since the first ‘M5000’ tram made its maiden voyage, the arrival of Metrolink’s 120th tram marks the last of the current order and means that the fleet is ready for the new Second City Crossing opening early next year and the Trafford Park Line.

The M5000 fleet of trams has also replaced all of the original T68 models.

Councillor Andrew Fender, chairman of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: “The 120th tram marks yet another major milestone in the Metrolink story.

“I can still remember when Metrolink only had one line and 26 trams back in 1992 and here we are, nearly 25 years later, with a completely new fleet and seven lines stretching right across Greater Manchester.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Tram 120 tram out in service, and even more excited about the future of the network which I’m sure will continue to go from strength to strength.”

Earlier this month, Tram 120 made its way from the manufacturer’s factory in Vienna before arriving at the Queens Road Depot, where it was kitted out in its distinctive yellow and silver Metrolink livery.

Peter Cushing, TfGM’s Metrolink Director, said: “The fact that Metrolink now has 120 trams in its fleet means we’re able to provide our customers with an even better and more robust service.

“We’re now seeing 36 million journeys made by Metrolink each year which really cements our place as the UK’s largest light rail system. The future looks really bright for the network and I’m proud that we play such a key role in transporting so many people across Greater Manchester.

“I look forward to next year when the Second City Crossing opens and, of course, I’m delighted we’re starting work soon on a new tram line to Trafford Park and the Trafford Centre.” Since their introduction in 2009, M5000 ‘Flexity Swift’ Metrolink trams have provided a smoother journey for customers and have drastically improved service reliability, which now meets a target of 45,000 km travelled between service-affecting failures.

The vehicles are manufactured by Bombardier-Vossloh Kiepe in Vienna and similar model trams run on systems in several European cities including London, Cologne, Bonn, Rotterdam and Stockholm.

Chris Coleman, managing director at RATP Dev in Manchester, which operates the Metrolink network on behalf of TfGM, said: “The arrival of the 120th vehicle marks another important development for us as the Metrolink operator – we’ve come a long way since the first M5000 tram arrived in 2009. Vehicle 3120 will now join the other 119 trams which we operate and maintain.

“Our vehicle maintenance teams work extremely hard to ensure we have safe, reliable vehicles ready for service for the 95,000 customer journeys on Metrolink every day.

“Since the introduction of M5000 trams, we’ve also delivered improved reliability year on year for these vehicles in order to deliver an excellent customer experience for our passengers.”