Mancunian Way: Manchester's got everything except a late-night tram

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The mad scramble to get home after Parklife is almost as much as much of a tradition as the bucket hats and bikini tops favoured by festival-goers. And with Metrolink drivers on strike this weekend, it looks like this year is going to be more hectic than ever.

But even when the trams are running it can still be a task trying to get home after a night-out. Last weekend was one of the busiest Manchester has seen in a long while, with three huge gigs on and City and United playing in the FA Cup final.

But with the Metrolink still running on a post-pandemic timetable, which sees services finishing at midnight, there were, predictably, problems. In today's newsletter we'll take a look at how Manchester's late-night trams compare to other European cities.

Staying on a public transport theme we'll get the latest on the HS2 row ahead of what's been billed as 'one of the most important days for Manchester for many, many years'. And we'll also have a chat with Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard as they reminisce about late nights and early mornings on Canal Street.

In Berlin the subway runs 24 hours a day over the weekend. It's the same in Milan.

In Barcelona trains run through the night from Saturday into Sunday morning. Parisiens have until roughly 2am to catch their last train home and even the relative early birds in Lisbon can stay out until 1am.

But since covid, the Metrolink has stopped at midnight. And it's even earlier in some cases.

If you're trying to get back to Prestwich, for