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Four years after work began an essential repair to a Metrolink tunnel has been completed. The work has left a town centre green dug up and a web of pipework and metal ever since. The plot of land off Bury New Road in Whitefield will now be restored. Before the work it was a wedge of lawn with daffodils to instil a bit of civic pride. Despite the repairs being done transport bosses say the reinstatement of the green will be achieved "in the coming months". The land was dug up in March 2021 and it has been fenced off ever since. The Manchester Evening News revealed in September why - a main contractor relinquishing the work, and bats. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE The land is over a tunnel through which the Manchester Victoria to Bury Metrolink line runs. The Whitefield station is 50 yards away. A routine inspection of the tunnel in 2021 found a fracture in an iron support beam. Workmen dug a huge hole to get access to the damage and the plot was sealed off with fencing. But the site was later completely surrounded by boarding and protected by 24-hour security. Metrolink services were disrupted in August 2021 by the work. It then came to a halt after temporary measures were taken to make the tunnel, which dates from 1876, safe. But in early 2022, in addition to a vast hole on the green exposing utility pipes, a small section of Church Lane was dug up too. This resulted in traffic being prevented from turning left onto Bury New Road. Bank Street was blocked off for periods. After starting the work in March 2021, transport bosses admitted in March 2022 that it may not be finished until summer 2023. Transport for Greater Manchester’s Head of Metrolink, Danny Vaughan, said at the time: “The work required to repair the damaged iron structure is complex and requires the major diversion of multiple utilities, including gas, water and electric, as well as significant repair and replacement of structural components." But by September 2025 the work had still not been finished four and a half years later. The green was surrounded by garish eight foot high blue metal fencing. The land itself remained dug up and straddled with girders. Last month a spokesperson for Transport for Greater Manchester told the MEN: "The originally appointed contractor took a decision to restructure their business and move away from delivery of this specialist type of work, which meant a new procurement process to find a specialist contractor was required. More recently, during the final required survey prior to tunnel beam replacement works commencing in May of this year, a bat roost was discovered. In order to comply with legislation, planned works had to be deferred." Finally in the last few days heavy plant was brought in to finish off the repairs. Between Saturday 25 October and yesterday (Thursday 30 October) beam replacement works were carried out meaning no trams could run between Crumpsall and Bury . New precast concrete roof beams and supports were put in place, renewing the whole structure, so that tram services can continue to safely pass through the tunnel for decades to come. Metrolink say next week work will begin to waterproof the tunnel, with utilities being put back in the following week. They say: "The final phase, including landscaping and reinstatement of street furniture, will be completed in the coming months." The work to replace the beams was completed by Metrolink operator KAM’s contracting partner, Story Contracting Ltd. Ian Davies, Metrolink Network Director, said: “Replacing beams in a tunnel dating back to the Victorians was never going to be a simple task and the close proximity of nearby electricity, gas, fibreoptic and water mains and the nearby road only added to the complex nature of the work. “Thanks to everyone’s hard work, we’ve been able to complete this work and get trams back running through the tunnel and back between Bury and the city centre. Thanks to everyone involved in this project for their efforts and our passengers for their patience this week while the delivery team got the job done. “We know work like this is disruptive to passengers but it helps to make sure our tram network is safe, resilient and reliable for years to come.” The wedge of lawn was previously at the centre of a three-year wrangle due to a blunder by the Land Registry. The plot was grabbed by an Italian eatery for a car park, and was then partly reinstated after a deal was struck with the town hall. Eventually it was fully restored, only to be dug up again - legitimately.
