Metrolink services to and from Oldham Mumps are scheduled to open to the public for the first time on Wednesday 13 June, subject to final testing.

The first in-service tram to Oldham Mumps is scheduled to leave Manchester Victoria at 5.24am on Wednesday, calling at all eight stops along the new line – Monsall, Central Park, Newton Heath & Moston, Failsworth, Hollinwood, South Chadderton, Freehold and Oldham Mumps (temporary).

It will then become the first in-service tram to depart Oldham Mumps, leaving at 6am. Journeys from Mumps to Manchester city centre will take around 25 minutes.

Services will run every 12 minutes. A six-minute service will be introduced as patronage grows and capacity through Manchester city centre increases.

“This is welcome and long over due,” stated local Shaw Lib Dem Councillor Howard Sykes. “We still have no news when the line will open to Shaw and Crompton. My colleagues and I will continue to press for this to happen as soon as possible.”

Tickets to any of the stops in Manchester city centre, up to and including Deangsate-Castlefield, start at £3.20 for a peak ‘anytime’ single from the Oldham Mumps-Hollinwood stops, or £2.30 from the Failsworth-Monsall stops.

An ‘anytime’ return ticket for the same trip will be £4.80 from the Oldham Mumps-Hollinwood stops, and £3.40 from the Failsworth-Monsall stops. Off-peak (9.30am onwards) equivalents will be £3.50 and £2.80 respectively.

Further savings can be made with special day, weekend, family and group passes, as well as longer term tickets, including weeklies, four-weeklies, quarterlies and annuals.

Monsall, Central Park, Freehold and South Chadderton are all brand new destinations, while the stops at Mumps, Hollinwood, Failsworth and Newton Heath & Moston, which were served by the Oldham Loop until it closed as a heavy rail line in October 2009, have been completely rebuilt.

Once complete, the decked car park at Hollinwood, which is currently under construction, will provide almost 200 park-and-ride spaces exclusively for the use of Metrolink passengers. Up to 100 spaces will be provided in the interim.

As part of Metrolink’s commitment to improving cycle parking facilities across the existing and future network, cycle stands are available at Freehold, Hollinwood, Failsworth, Newton Heath & Moston and Monsall, with cycle lockers also available at Freehold, Hollinwood and Failsworth.

All services will call through Manchester city centre and then travel on to the South Manchester line, ending at St Werburgh’s Road in Chorlton.

Passengers can connect with services to Bury at Victoria and services to Altrincham, Eccles and MediaCityUK in Manchester city centre or at Cornbrook. They can also link up with bus services at Central Park and Shudehill, or heavy rail services at Manchester Victoria.