Travel Information

To ensure you have the best experience, we’ve laid out some travel advice to ensure both you and your supporters are prepared for the event on Sunday 15th October 2023.

GENERAL ADVICE….

  • Please check for Travel Updates on TfGM here.
  • Continue to check the Transport for Greater Manchester website and their social media for the latest updates on the event weekend.
  • You might also want to check out the dedicated Manchester Half Marathon page on the TfGM website available in August.
  • Plan your journey well in advance and leave plenty of spare time for any queues both in your journey and also for when you arrive in the event village (at bag drop, toilets etc).
  • If you are early for your wave’s dedicated arrival time, please don’t attempt to enter the start process, unless called to do so.
  • If you miss your arrival time, it’s likely you will still be able to start with a later wave, but please do everything possible to arrive at your allocated time.

YOUR TRAVEL OPTIONS ARE…

METROLINK

PARTICIPANTS TAKING PART

First time to Manchester? Getting around is simple with the city’s Metrolink system. There are 99 stops on the network with many close to the event start & finish line and along the race route.

Services operate on the line from 7am on the Sunday morning. Closer to the event we will provide the timings of the first tram for each line.

We recommend the following Tram Stops to get to the Start Area, and to depart from the Finish Area:

Close Tram Stops: Quieter

Why not incorporate a gentle 12-15 min warm up walk (past the famous Manchester United Football Old Trafford ground) to the Start Access area on Talbot Road and avoid the busy congestion of the other tram stops.

  • Wharfside on the Trafford Centre (red) line – 12 min walk
  • Exchange Quay on the Eccles (light blue/orange) line – 15 min walk

Closest Tram Stops: Very Busy

  • Old Trafford, located on the Altrincham (purple/green) line – 3 Min Walk
  • Trafford Baron the Altrincham (purple/green) line – 10 min walk

Although no tram stops will be closed for the event, participants are advised not to travel to Pomona as the Start Area is not easily accessible from there and you will need to wait to cross over the busy race route (at the designated crossing areas) more than once to reach the start area, which may cause delays to your journey.

Please note for your arrival planning / timings – that all runners must access the Start Area from Talbot Road to go through the correct start process, even if you arrive ‘run ready’ with no need to use the Bag Drop. The toilets are also located near this area.

Make sure that you check your journey in advance and leave plenty of time for busy Trams and possible queuing. For service updates across the weekend visit the Metrolink website.

On the same link you can find further information about ticket prices, tram frequency and anything else you may need to know.

SPECTATORS WATCHING THE RACE

Are you assigned the important role of cheering on a friend or family member?

There are different Metrolink stops located close to spectating points along the race route.

Below is a list of the stops which, at a glance, are close to the race route and approximately how far along they are:

  • Deansgate Castlefield – Around 2 miles
  • St Peter’s Square – After 2 miles
  • Cornbrook – Before 6 miles
  • Sale – After 7 miles
  • Stretford – After 10 miles
  • Chorlton – After 11 miles
  • Firswood – Around 12 miles

CAR

As you can imagine, the race route requires a significant number of road closures across the Sunday. We strongly dissuade you driving on the Sunday as the closures are likely to cause congestion on other parts of the network, and we wouldn’t want you to be delayed.

PARKING AT MANCHESTER UNITED FC

Parking at Manchester United is now SOLD OUT.

Please see Park & Ride below for another driving option.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We recommend using public transport, but if driving is your only option, then Manchester United FC have a limited number of car parking places available to pre-book at a cost of £15. These spaces must be secured in advance and will not be available to pay for on the day.

Whether you use this or any other public car park please keep in mind that many roads will be closed for the event so please ensure you plan a route that avoids closures.

Unobstructed access to the MUFC car park is possible from the M60 (Junction 9), and M602 (Junction 2).

Event road closure detail can be found here.

PARK & RIDE

Park and Ride using the Metrolink is a quick and easy solution to travel to the event, without worrying where to leave your car. This is a free service to passengers with a valid Metrolink ticket.

  • East Didsbury – 302 spaces.
  • Brooklands – 108 spaces.
  • Navigation Road – 81 spaces.
  • Sale Water Park – 300 spaces.
  • Ladywell – 250 spaces.
  • Parkway – 360 spaces.

Head to the Transport for Greater Manchester Park & Ride website for more details on these locations and the service.

DISABLED PARKING

We offer a limited amount of disabled parking for our participants that require it. It must be booked in advance, with a deadline of Friday 6th October.

Our team will be happy to help with this – Click Here to get in contact

RAIL SERVICES

If you’re arriving on the morning of the race, we recommend traveling to Piccadilly or Victoria station. From here you can then connect with Metrolink trams to take you to the start line.

If you’re arriving at Oxford Road train station, you will need to make the short walk to St Peter’s Square tram stop, where you can then board a tram.

NEED ANY HELP?

If this is your first race or you’re unfamiliar with the area we understand that you might have a lot of questions.

Most key questions and common queries are answered in our Event Guide, or you’ll likely find what you need from the relevant pages on our website.

If you have any remaining questions, please visit our HELP CENTRE