Passengers were showered with gifts from Metrolink elves as a brand new tram stop in the heart of Manchester opened on Sunday morning.

The opening of the Exchange Square stop marks the first stage of the Metrolink Second City Crossing, a new tram line through the city centre.

The stylish new stop is fully accessible with ramped access, ticket machines, smart card readers, passenger emergency facilities and a PA system.

A clean, uncluttered design sees passenger information displays and seating integrated into polished concrete columns to give the stop a sleek look.

And to mark the occasion Metrolink elves - also known as Metrolink Customer Ambassadors - were handing out goodie bags to passengers throughout the morning.

Work on the 600m stretch of line between Victoria Station and Exchange Square began in summer 2014 and was fast-tracked thanks to a European cash injection, which is also funding stop improvements at Deansgate-Castlefield and Victoria.

When it fully opens in 2017, the £165m Second City Crossing will allow more frequent, reliable services to run right through the city, calling at Deansgate-Castlefield, St Peter’s Square, Exchange Square and Victoria Station.

Passengers can now benefit from a six-minute daytime service between Shaw and Crompton, Oldham and Exchange Square from Monday to Saturday, with a less frequent service on Sundays.

Coun Andrew Fender, Chair of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: “This is great news for the city and Metrolink passengers and is yet another major Metrolink project delivered on time and on budget.

“More people right across the region can look forward to the Second City Crossing bringing better access to jobs, shops, culture and leisure.

“Getting the Exchange Square stop up and running weeks before Christmas is a significant achievement – and one that would not have happened without European funding to fast-track the work.”

Watch: The Metrolink second city crossing

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There are now 93 stops on the Metrolink network, with more than 90,000 passenger journeys each day, and over 33 million passenger journeys expected to be made this year.

Between now and 2017, the city centre will see more than £1bn of investment in projects to lay the foundations for continuing success by ‘future proofing’ the city’s transport infrastructure.

For information and regular updates on the transformational Second City Crossing visit transformationinformation.co.uk