The line connects Manchester city centre and Victoria station to the suburbs of Cheetham Hill, Crumpsall, Blackley, Prestwich, Whitefield and Radcliffe.

Originally the line had only five intermediate stations at Crumpsall, Heaton Park, Prestwich, Whitefield and Radcliffe.

[2] In August 1953, the Irk Valley Junction rail crash occurred on the line near Manchester Victoria, resulting in ten deaths and 58 injuries.

Trams on the Bury Line would thus continue from Victoria station into the city-centre, to either Altrincham or Piccadilly via a new exit into the streets to the south.

Available funding only allowed for minimum upgrades to be made, and so most of the infrastructure such as the stations and track were changed little.

Later, on 27 April the same year, the First City Crossing (as it is now referred to) opened, and trams then ran from Bury to G-Mex (renamed Deansgate-Castlefield in 2010) via Victoria.

After leaving the tunnel, it travels on a viaduct, keeps left at the Irk Valley Junction (right for the Oldham and Rochdale Line) and passes by Queens Road depot, and serves its first stop at Queens Road, new for the Bury Line.

It travels past the tram entrance to the depot, then serves a stop at Abraham Moss, also a new station that has not been converted from train operation.

It then serves Prestwich, and travels on a bridge over both the M60 and Bury New Road to get to Besses o' th' Barn.