The cracking of iron work in a Victorian railway tunnel will disrupt Metrolink trams in the coming months.
The Manchester Evening News reported in March how the town green in Whitefield, Bury, had been dug up by engineers.
A routine inspection of the tunnel had found a fracture in an iron support beam.
Workmen dug a huge hole to get access to the damage and the plot was sealed off with fencing.
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But now the site has been completely surrounded by boarding and protected by 24-hour security.
Work has come to a halt after temporary measures were taken to make the tunnel, which dates from 1876, safe.
Transport for Greater Manchester’s Head of Metrolink, Danny Vaughan, said: “As soon as we became aware of the damage to the tunnel we put some temporary measures in place to make it safe and continue to monitor it extremely closely.
“The operator has also put security in place as an additional precaution and to ensure the safety of the site and public is not compromised.
“The repairs are extremely complicated and will require major utility diversions as well as significant repairs to structural components and we have been working closely with the operator and specialist structural engineers to determine how best to do this – and are due to tender for these works imminently.
“The project will require a short closure of part of the line when it happens and we’ll be sure to give passengers plenty of notice in advance.”
It is estimated when repair work starts the Whitefield to Bury service could be closed for one to two weeks. Replacement buses will be provided.
It is the second time the town's green has been dug up in recent years.
It was turned into a restaurant's car park overnight before being restored.
The wedge of lawn in Whitefield was at the centre of a three-year wrangle due to a blunder by the Land Registry.
The plot was grabbed by an Italian eatery for a car park, and was then partly re-instated after a deal was struck with the town hall.
Eventually it was fully restored.
Now the land which is over a tunnel, has been dug up again.
Posters put on the fencing when it was dug up in March said there is a 'defect' with the tunnel running beneath the site, at the corner of Bank Street.
Services between Whitefield and Bury were suspended in the Spring while initial work took place.
Metrolink services between Manchester and Whitefield will not be affected.
The cause of the damage remains under investigation.
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