METROLINK is today celebrating its 25th anniversary – having tripled its original size to become the largest tram network in the UK.

The tram network, owned by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and operated and maintained under contract by RATP Group, first opened its doors on April 6 1992, when passenger services started operating between Bury and Manchester Victoria.

Services to Altrincham followed soon after, before the Queen officially opened the network during a special ceremony in July that year.

Fast-forward 25 years and the network now serves more than 37 million passenger journeys a year and rising.

It covers a 60-mile network, with 120 trams serving 93 stops at destinations across Greater Manchester, including stops in Bury, Radcliffe, Whitefield and Prestwich.

Danny Vaughan, TfGM Head of Operations for Metrolink, said: “The Metrolink story is remarkable and I’m proud to now be a part of that story.

“I’m delighted to be at the helm of a network that is so forward-thinking, but it would be remiss of me to not pay homage to everyone who has helped to craft and shape such an iconic symbol of Greater Manchester over the last 25 years.”

It has not always been plane sailing for Metrolink however. The network received more than 10,000 complaints from passengers in one year from 2011 to 2012.