Getting to Manchester Metropolitan University Graduations

Many of the city centre tram stops are no more than a 10 to 15-minute walk from Bridgewater Hall. Each stop is served by different lines - please see below for more information.

The nearest stop is:

• St Peter's Square tram stop. The stop is a two-minute walk from the Midland Hotel.

Other city centre stops that are close by include:

• Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop
• Piccadilly tram stop
• Piccadilly Gardens tram stop
• Market Street tram stop
• Victoria tram stop

Tram services run frequently throughout the day, connecting you to key city centre destinations such as Piccadilly and Victoria, as well as providing easy access to all 99 stops and 24 park and ride locations across Greater Manchester.

You can check the first and last tram times, as well as the service frequency on our tram schedule webpage.

For more information, take a look at the tram network map.

Metrolink are constantly improving the network for customers. Make sure you check the Metrolink planned improvements webpage before you travel to see if any works will affect your route.

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Park and Ride

If you are driving, did you know that there are 24 Park and Ride sites in Greater Manchester, where you can park your car for free and hop on the tram to your destination? If you're travelling from the M60, the best park and ride sites to use are:

Travelling from the north:

• Whitefield (Bury line) - 331 spaces and 13 disabled spaces - 24 minutes direct service from Piccadilly.
• Radcliffe (Bury line) - 480 spaces and 22 disabled spaces - total trip time of 32 minutes to Victoria and then change onto a service calling at St Peter's Square.

Travelling from the south:

• Sale Water Park (Airport line) - 285 spaces and 16 disabled spaces - 13 minute service to Cornbrook and then change onto a Piccadilly service which takes 10 minutes.
• East Didsbury (East Didsbury line) - 278 spaces and 18 disabled spaces - 17 minute service to Cornbrook and then change onto a Piccadilly service which takes 10 minutes.

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Tickets

Beat the queue at the machines and touch-in and out at the on-stop machines using contactless.

Save money and travel with the family using our family travelcard. Remember, this is only available on the on-stop ticket machines.

Bridgewater Hall is located in Zone 1. A return ticket from Manchester city centre costs £2.70 for an adult. Further information can be found on our tram ticket price webpage.

If you are intending to catch a bus to or from Bridgewater Hall, the following commercial bus services will bring you closest to the venue:

Along Great Bridgewater Street - a 1-minute walk to the venue

• 33 - Worsley - Eccles - Langworthy - Ordsall - Shudehill
• 33B - Brookhouse Estate - Langworthy - Ordsall - Shudehill
• 255 - Partington - Carrington - Stretford - Piccadilly Gardens
• 256 - Flixton - Lostock - Stretford - Hulme - Piccadilly Gardens
• X50 - The Trafford Centre - Trafford Park - Piccadilly Gardens

Along Oxford Street - a 5-minute walk to the venue

• 250 - The Trafford Centre - Trafford Park - Piccadilly Gardens
• 751 - Burnage - Ladybarn - Birchfields - Rusholme - Albert Square
• 797 Burnage - Levenshulme - Longsight - Piccadilly Gardens

Along Princess Street/near St Peter's Square - a 6-minute walk to the venue

• 34 - Bryn - Golborne - Leigh - Salford - Piccadilly Gardens
• 34A - Bryn - Golborne - Leigh - Salford - Piccadilly Gardens
• 50 - East Didsbury - Burnage - Birchfields - Salford - The Lowry
• 51 - East Didsbury - Burnage - Birchfields - Salford - The Lowry
• V1 - Leigh - Tyldesley - Salford - Manchester Royal Infirmary
• V2 - Atherton - Tyldesley - Salford - Manchester Royal Infirmary

Along Cambridge Street - a 8-minute walk to the venue

• 101 - Wythenshawe - Baguley - Moss Side - Piccadilly Gardens
• 102 - Chorlton - Withington - Moss Side - Piccadilly Gardens
• 103 - Manchester Airport - Wythenshawe - Piccadilly Gardens

Some services stop at multiple stops/areas close to the Bridgewater Hall. To find out more detail about the best stop for you, type the service number into our bus webpage.

If travelling around the city centre, you can catch free bus 1 to the stop on Great Bridgewater Street. To plan your journey on the free bus, visit our dedicated webpage.

You can visit the TfGM journey planner to find out more information regarding which service to use to complete your journey.

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Tickets

Get on board a bus with simple and clear low bus fares.

Adults will pay no more than £2 for a single bus journey. If you need to make several trips, a ticket covering a full day of bus travel in Greater Manchester costs just £5.

For more information, you can visit our dedicated webpage.

There are planned rail strikes taking place in July. If you intend to travel by train on Thursday 20 July, please check with your rail operator before travelling. More information is available on our dedicated rail updates webpage.

If you are travelling to and from the city centre by train, there are multiple train stations that will connect you to local and national destinations.

The nearest station is:

• Manchester Oxford Road - a 7-minute walk from the venue.

The stations listed below are within a short walk, bus or tram journey of the venue.

• Manchester Victoria
• Manchester Piccadilly

Before you make your journey, please check with your operator. You can also check the live status of your service on the National Rail website.

Bridgewater Hall is located on Lower Mosley Street.

To get to the Bridgewater Hall from the Mancunian Way, continue onto Medlock Street, Albion Street, then onto Lower Mosley Street.

If travelling from Trinity Way, turn left onto Water Street, then onto Liverpool Road. At the end of Liverpool Road, take a left onto Deansgate, then right onto Great Bridgewater Street, and continue to Lower Moseley Street.

Park and Ride

If you don't want the rush of finding a car parking space nearby, why not park at one of our park and ride sites and complete your journey by tram?

If travelling from the north, please use Whitefield or Radcliffe park and ride and board a service to Piccadilly train station, which is only a 20-minute walk to Bridgewater Hall.

If travelling from the south, please use East Didsbury or Sale Water Park park and rides and board a service to St Peter's Square. You can walk to the venue from St Peter's Square in a few minutes.

Car parking

With limited car parking available in the city centre, please visit MMU's dedicated graduation webpage for more information on recommended car parks.

If you’re flying into Manchester Airport, you can choose from bus, tram, or train to take you into the city centre. The station itself is located within the Airport and is a 5 to 15-minute walk depending on which terminal you are travelling from.

Travelling by train

From the Airport station, you can board a train heading to Piccadilly Station. The journey takes approximately 20 minutes and a service with you every 10 minutes. From Piccadilly station it’s a 15-minute to Bridgewater Hall.

Before you make your journey, please check with your operator and you can also check times/live departures on the Northern Rail website.

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Travelling by tram

Once at the station, you can board the service heading towards Victoria. This will take you to where you can alight at St Peter’s Square. Then, it's a 4-minute walk down Lower Moseley Street.

The journey takes approximately 45 minutes and there will be a service with you every 12 minutes. Check when the next service is due to arrive.

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Travelling by bus

The bus station is a 1-minute walk away from where the trams and trains operate. There are plenty of frequent buses that will take you within walking distance of the venue:

• 43 - Manchester Airport - Wythenshawe - Piccadilly Gardens
  Board the bus at the station Stand E and alight at Dickenson Street Stop SO. Then, it’s a 7-minute walk to Bridgewater Hall. The journey will take approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.

• 103 - Manchester Airport - Wythenshawe - Piccadilly Gardens
  Board the bus at the station Stand D and alight Oxford Street Stand E. Then, it’s a 7-minute walk to Bridgewater Hall. The journey will take approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Before you make your journey, please check with your operator and check times/live departures.

Walking

Whether you decide to walk for a full or partial journey, you can beat the queues, see more of the city and make a positive choice for the environment by walking to Bridgewater Hall.

The city centre is served by plenty of buses, trams and trains with stops/stations located within a short walk away to Bridgewater Hall.

Visit the Bee Active website and see what's within a 15-minute walk of Bridgewater Hall - including tram stops for those that would like to combine walking with Metrolink travel. Just type the postcode 'M2 3WS' for Bridgewater Hall so that you may consider making a change to your journey.

Cycling

There are many lanes, paths and routes around the city which make cycling a great choice to get from A to B - for your pocket and for the planet.

You can find TfGM's own map of cycle routes within the city centre on our website or you can visit the TfGM journey planner to find out your bespoke route to the venue via Greater Manchester's cycle network.

In Greater Manchester, we want everyone to travel safely and easily. We have a variety of accessibility guides suited to your journey on our accessibility hub and some key information for travelling by Metrolink and bus below.

Accessibility on Metrolink

Metrolink is a modern system with a range of accessibility features. All Metrolink trams and tram stops are accessible for wheelchair users.

Every tram stop has:

• A ramp, lift, or escalator - for the latest service updates for lifts and escalators at your stop, visit our dedicated webpage.
• Step-free access for wheelchair users and people with pushchairs
• CCTV and emergency call-points
• platforms with tactile edges for visually impaired passengers.

Every tram has:

• An area for people who use wheelchairs
• Space for pushchairs
• Seats marked for people who have trouble standing
• Emergency call points.

For further information on the accessibility of Metrolink, please visit the accessibility hub.

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Accessibility on the bus

Many buses have ramps and can accommodate wheelchairs. Some new buses also have display screens, route numbers, destination displays and audio-visual ‘next stop’ announcements.

A lot of bus operators have low floor buses to make it easier for people who use wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and those with small children and pushchairs.

For further information, visit our accessibility hub and select your bus operator for their accessibility policies.