Manchester Metrolink 1021 - 14 Jul 1992

Tuesday 14 July 1992 – The Manchester Metrolink tramway system was officially opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II three days after this photograph was taken. Tram set 1021 was seen passing what was originally Manchester Central Railway Station opened in 1880. At the time of the photograph it had become the G-Mex Centre which is known as the Manchester Central Convention Complex nowadays. In the early 1970s the forecourt of the old railway station became a car park and the Yelloway Coach Station. To launch the Metrolink system 26 of these Italian built Firema T-68 tram sets were acquired and they lasted for 22 years before being replaced.