Newbold tram stop

Newbold
Newbold tram stop on its opening day
General information
Location	Newbold, Rochdale England
Coordinates	53°36′48″N 2°08′08″W / 53.61340°N 2.13550°W / 53.61340; -2.13550
Grid reference	SD910130
System	Manchester Metrolink
Operated by	KeolisAmey
Transit authority	Transport for Greater Manchester
Line	Oldham and Rochdale Line
Platforms	2
Tram routes
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Status	In operation
Station code	NEB
Fare zone	4
Website	Newbold tram stop
History
Opened	28 February 2013; 12 years ago (2013-02-28)
Route map Legend 0:00 Rochdale Town Centre 0:04 Rochdale Railway Station Calder Valley line 0:07 Newbold Rochdale Canal 0:08 Kingsway Business Park 0:10 Milnrow  M62  0:12 Newhey 0:16 Shaw and Crompton 0:19 Derker 0:21 Oldham Mumps 0:23 Oldham Central 0:24 Oldham King Street 0:26 Westwood 0:29 Freehold 0:31 South Chadderton  M60  0:32 Hollinwood Rochdale Canal 0:34 Failsworth 0:36 Newton Heath and Moston Calder Valley line 0:39 Central Park 0:40 Monsall to Queens Road Depot to Queens Road River Irk to Victoria This diagram: view talk edit
Location

Newbold is a Manchester Metrolink tram stop in Newbold, Rochdale.^[1] It is on the Bury Line and in fare zone 2.^[2] This stop was opened on 28 February 2013 as part of Phase 3a,^[3] and has step-free access.^[4]

It is located at street-level and is adjacent to The Kingsway Practice (medical practice). It was also purpose-built for Metrolink on the route of the former Oldham Loop Line:^[5] the tram stop itself is not a converted railway station unlike some other tram stops along the Oldham and Rochdale Line.

History

A tram to Rochdale at Newbold tram stop a few months after opening: October 2013

Beginning May 1880, the Oldham Loop railway line operated through this area. The railway line was included in proposals in 1984 for conversion to light rail,^[6] and following October 2009, the entire line closed for conversion to Metrolink operation.^[7]

A brand new station was planned to be constructed at Newbold, however the railway line was high above street-level at the optimal location, which would have made building a fully accessible tram stop difficult.^[8]

The original alignment was modified in early stages during conversion between the Rochdale Bypass (A664) and Milnrow Road (A640) rail bridges so that Newbold stop could be built at street-level instead.^[9] This change is made obvious by steep inclines uphill for trams upon leaving Newbold in both directions (at 1:29 Rochdale-bound).^[9] A similar change was also done at South Chadderton tram stop further south down the line.^[8][10]

Newbold tram stop opened to passengers on 28 February 2013.

Layout

Tram stop

Newbold tram stop has two platforms (island), and was constructed with accessibility in mind. There are two entrances to the station via pedestrian track crossings. A new footpath was paved for the Metrolink from the Rochdale Bypass (A664) road to the tram stop.^[10]

Two dot matrix passenger information displays stand on one platform each, showing estimated arrival times for trams in minutes up to 30 minutes prior (up to three at a time) and number of carriages.

Track layout

The Oldham Loop line was singled between Shaw & Crompton and Rochdale in 1980, meaning the line here was also singled. The railway bridge over Milnrow Road (A640) was reduced from a double-track to a single-track bridge. When the Metrolink arrived, the track also had to single here. The singled section starts just west of Newbold. It runs for 1,040 m (1,140 yd) until High Level Road next to Rochdale railway station, and it is the longest singled section on the entire Metrolink.^[9]

Along this single track section is a flyover built over the existing Calder Valley railway line for the trams. The Metrolink tracks were raised up and moved away from the former Oldham Loop alignment for this, and rarely-used track from the Oldham Loop can be spotted at the bottom of the embankment made for the Metrolink.^[9] The flyover bridge was lifted into place between 1-3 January 2011.^[10]

Services

v t e Railways in Rochdale
Legend
Past, present and future
Rossendale Lines to Bacup Calderdale Lines to Calderdale Broadley Littleborough Shawclough and Healey Smithy Bridge Wardleworth Rochdale Newbold Rochdale Town Centre Kingsway Business Park Milnrow East Lancs Rly to Bury Newhey Broadfield Oldham Lines to Oldham Heywood Castleton Mills Hill Middleton Manchester Lines North to Manchester

Every route across the Manchester Metrolink network operates to a 12-minute headway (5 tph) Monday–Saturday, and to a 15-minute headway (4 tph) on Sundays and bank holidays. Sections served by a second "peak only" route (like this stop) will have a combined headway of 6 minutes during peak times.

Newbold is located in Zone 4, and the stop itself has two platforms (island) which aren't named. Trams towards Manchester heading to East Didsbury via Exchange Square depart from the inbound platform (north), and trams to Rochdale Town Centre stop at the outbound platform (south).

Preceding station	Manchester Metrolink			Following station
Kingsway Business Park towards East Didsbury		East Didsbury–Rochdale		Rochdale Railway Station towards Rochdale Town Centre

Transport connections

Bus

Newbold tram stop is served closest by Bee Network bus route 434 (Middleton–Rochdale) and two Bee Network school bus services on Rochdale Bypass (A664).

Train

This tram stop is not connected to or near to any railway stations, but the nearest is Rochdale (which can be reached by tram), about 1 mile (1.6 km) away walking.

References

1. "Newbold tram stop local map". Newbold tram stop local map | Bee Network | Powered by TfGM. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
2. "Tram Map | Bee Network | Powered by TfGM". 18 May 2025. Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
3. "Next stop: Rochdale!". Transport for Greater Manchester. 20 February 2013. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
4. "Accessible public transport | Bee Network | Powered by TfGM". 18 May 2025. Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
5. "Metrolink line to Oldham set to open". Transport for Greater Manchester. Retrieved 8 June 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}
6. Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (1984), Light Rapid Transit in Greater Manchester, GMPTE – publicity brochure
7. "Travels In Time: The Oldham Loop". Travels In Time. 7 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
8. "South Chadderton tram stop - What's there to talk about?". Metrolink Insights. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
9. Metrolink Insights (31 October 2024). The Remains of the Oldham Loop: 15 Years of Disuse (Part 1/2). Retrieved 27 December 2025 – via YouTube.
10. "Oldham and Rochdale Line — Manchester Metrolink — LRTA". lrta.info. Retrieved 12 January 2026.

External links

• Newbold tram stop - Live departures
• Newbold tram stop - Area map