On taking the first tram from Chorlton to the Airport ...... today

Now I have joined that select and rather eccentric group who try to be some of the first passengers to travel on each new metro line as it is opened.

Top of course of my list was the extension from Chorlton to East Didsbury which took me along the same route as the old trains which began their service back in 1880.

For me it was about recreating a little bit of the history I so often write about but I have to confess that sitting there was also about that long lost hobby of train spotting, model making and much more that fits me into a lad who grew up in the 1950s.

And there is nothing wrong with that, although I have never, like one of my friends bought into sounds of steam engines or taken myself off for trips on private railways.

Instead I will be on one of the first trams to pull in to Chorlton from Cornbrook and head south across the Mersey and onto Wythenshawe and the Airport.

If previous trips are anything to go by I will be surrounded by men and a few women roughly my age, carrying cameras, sound equipment and tram timetables.

Because there is always at least one person who wants to judge the running times, the distance between each stop and the speed of the journey.

Me, I will just sit back and look out at the scenery and in the fullness of time choose a few select stops to alight look around and snap a picture.

This I have done for all of the metro stops from Chorlton to East Didsbury and at least one on the Rochdale line and another on the Ashton-Under-Lyne one.

Not that I can claim to have taken three journeys on the Oldham Rochdale line every time the route was extended.

And yes I am looking forward to the Second City crossing which will prove to be fun.

There is something about travelling across the city looking down and around which is a total different experience to the same views from the bus.

That said I remain a little bothered by the number of times I have had to stand on the route from Chorlton into town.

It doesn't seem to matter if it is the rush hour or later in the day.

Now that might change with the new service but as two people have pointed out it terminates at Cornbrook which mean  changing but I guess I can do that.

And that said since I wrote this in preparation for today, last time I did the 9.30 run there were extra cars laid on which made a difference.

So we shall see I am after all one that believes that the bottle is always half full and I travel in hope.

All of which makes the trip out to the airport an exciting one.

Pictures, Chorlton and Market Street Metro stops, 2014, from the collection of Andrew Simpson