St Peter's Square Metrolink stop to reopen after a year

Construction work has been taking place in St Peter's Square since summer 2015

A tram stop in Manchester city centre is set to reopen on Sunday following 14 months of disruption for passengers.

The St Peter's Square stop closed in 2015 to allow construction of two sets of track and two platforms.

The expansion work forms part of a major redevelopment of the square and was funded from the £165m Second City Crossing package to build a second Metrolink line through the city centre.

A full Eccles line service will return after maintenance work this summer.

Councillor Andrew Fender, chair of the TfGM Committee, said: "Once complete, St Peter's Square will undoubtedly be the jewel in Manchester's crown."

TfGM said that St Peter's Square would become "the jewel in Manchester's crown"

All services through the square were halted at the end of June to allow the final stage of the building work to be completed.

Greater Manchester interim mayor Tony Lloyd said: "Although the last nine weeks have been difficult for passengers, this work will bring real benefits for residents and visitors, especially as work continues on the Second City Crossing."

Peter Cushing, from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), said: "There is never a good time to do these things but they are vitally important to support the region's continued growth."

He thanked passengers "for bearing with us".

The square's transformation is considered a key part of the Grow project, which will see more than £1bn invested into the city centre's infrastructure by 2017.

They include bus priority measures, six new cycle routes and major rail works.

Construction work on Oxford Road in south Manchester is expected to end in early September, when only buses, bicycles, hackney carriages and emergency vehicles will be able to use it.

A full Eccles line service via MediaCityUK will return after maintenance work this summer