Rail North West
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Rail North West A special train awaits departure from Colne station taking the long way round to Skipton. Could trains once again be running from here on the old direct trackbed to Skipton? Photo courtesy SELRAP SELRAP AGM brings good news SELRAP’s (Skipton – East SELRAP committee members Lancashire Rail Action Partnership) attended a meeting earlier at County th guest speaker at their AGM on 10 th Hall in Preston on the 26 February March was able to bring good news with Senior Lancashire County to members. Lancashire County Council Transport Officers, County Councillor Mr Azhar Ali confirmed Councillor Azhar Ali and that the Council would be providing representatives from consultants and £10,000 towards the GRIP 3 engineering company ARUP and the (Governance for Railway offer of £10,000 was made then by the Council. SELRAP believes it has Investment Projects) study needed secured a further £6,000 from Pendle to progress the line’s re-opening. Borough Council and will seek more from other partners. This would /cont. Newsletter of the North West Branch1 of Railfuture — Summer 2014 Rail North West 2 Summer 2014 lead to a full GRIP 3 study involving Council and North Yorkshire County Network Rail. Council. Lancashire County Council are already working with these Chairman of SELRAP Derek authorities on the proposed bypass. Jennings thanked the ARUP team, in Leeds for their help and advice whilst Derek Jennings read out his they produced earlier GRIP stage chairman’s report which included the reports and thanked members for following statement “I think I can say their huge support for the appeal so that today we are nearer in achieving far. Another appeal will be made to our goal than we have ever been.” progress the engineering study so that the line can be re-opened as part At an Open Members Meeting on of a major ‘Cross Pennine Line’ Monday 12 th May 2014, they received connecting Liverpool to Hull. the latest stage 2 feasibility study from the engineering consultant firm Liaison officer Andy Shackleton ARUP which confirms that the spoke about the 1B study undertaken benefits of re-opening the Skipton to by ARUP and completed in February Colne line could be up to 6.5 times 2014, from which the costs/benefits the cost of building it. ratio (BCR) was found to be very promising and if the number of The study also stated that there are passengers is greater than key towns at each end of the route calculated, for every £1 spent there and smaller towns/villages along the could be benefits worth up to £6.50 – track bed that would benefit from the that is if initial the number of increased connectivity (including with passengers increased by 30% after Leeds and Manchester) that the being opened for 10 years. proposed scheme offers. (Passenger footfall has always been far greater than numbers estimated The study states that initially there when recent railways have re- would be 414,000 new passenger opened; therefore benefits could be journeys - rising to 620,000 within 10 even higher than this.) years of re-opening this line. Re- instating the line would also offer new Councillor Azhar Ali spoke in support opportunities for freight movement. of funding to progress this next GRIP feasibility study and stated that the Lancashire County Council has Skipton- Colne line, whilst benefiting begun the process of contacting the local economy was also of appropriate partners to begin to regional and national importance. He establish the formation of a Project reminded the audience too that the Development group to oversee the track bed is protected. He also Skipton-Colne project GRIP 3 study . acknowledged the importance of Following broad based discussion, gaining the support of Craven the County is to formally invite Rail North West 3 Summer 2014 SELRAP to act in a consultative and study. Cheques, made payable to advisory capacity to the group that SELRAP can be sent to: when finally formatted, will work to Peter Nowland Treasurer, SELRAP 3 re-open the Skipton-Colne line as Iveygate, Colne, BB8 9BN Tel 01282 recommended by the Jonathan 871659 Roberts Consultants report in 2010. For more information, visit SELRAP members and others www.selrap.org.uk , Jane Wood, responded magnificently for funding Media Officer SELRAP. to undertake the stage 1 and 2 studies so is asking individuals and Tel 01282 815787 organisations if they are able to make [email protected] a contribution to the full GRIP 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A large number of passengers crowd onto a Manchester bound evening service at Knutsford on the Mid Cheshire line. Photo Arthur Thomson. MCRUA wants more services on this line MCRUA wants 2 by JMP Consultants is still awaiting publication. In the meantime, rather trains/hour on Mid- than waiting what seems an age for it Cheshire line. to eventually come out, /cont. MCRUA (Mid-Cheshire Rail Users The Study of the Mid Cheshire line Association) members have commissioned by funding partners produced a draft proposal for a two Cheshire East, Cheshire West & trains an hour service throughout the Chester and Transport for Greater day along the Mid Cheshire line. The Manchester (TfGM) and carried out proposal is that as well as the all stations stopping service, there is Rail North West 4 Summer 2014 also a semi-fast service from from a Greater Manchester station can Piccadilly to Chester and back, travel without further fare on the stopping only at the more heavily Central Zone of Metrolink (Bounded by used stations of Stockport, Victoria - Holt Town - Deansgate/ Altrincham, Knutsford, Northwich, Castlefield stops). STORM is pressing Greenbank and then Chester. for a similar arrangement that anyone holding a rail ticket to Rochdale issued They have worked out this could be from a Greater Manchester station can operated by the same number of travel without further fare from units that were used along the line up Rochdale Railway Station to Rochdale to last December, though it would Town Centre on Metrolink. need more train crew and, of course, the paths. Interestingly, in the TfGM - Where’s the station Rail Strategy published in 2012 it STORM thinks that the National Rail states that for stations with a footfall Enquiries Service (NRES), run by the of over 50,000 there should be at Association of Train Operating least 2 trains an hour. All the above Companies (ATOC), don’t seem to stations fall into that category. Even have taken account of the opening of more interestingly, it states that for the Greater Manchester Metrolink to stations with a footfall of over Rochdale Railway station. If a 500,000, this should be at least 4 passenger enquires as to the fare from, trains an hour. The official figures say Todmorden or Littleborough to show Knutsford at over 450,000 and Milnrow (between Oldham and MCRUA know from their passenger Rochdale, now a Metrolink station), the counts, that the figure is higher than fare quoted is based on the premise this. Yet, Knutsford only has 1 train that the passenger will go all the way an hour. Quite an achievement to into Manchester by rail and out again have over ½ million passengers with by Metrolink, instead of the natural way only one train an hour. MCRUA of changing modes at Rochdale suggests people imagine how many Railway station saving something over more passengers would be an hour's journey time generated and taken off the A556 - Moston loses services with a more frequent “turn up and go” service. The draft proposal has been Despite Transport for Greater provided to all the Community Rail Manchester having a policy that every Partnership partners, including the rail station within Greater Manchester Department for Transport. with footfall greater than 50,000/year, should have a service of at least two STORM snippets trains per hour, in the new timetable (May 2014) Moston, which is four - Rochdale tickets miles from Manchester Victoria has had its service reduced from two Any person holding a rail ticket to trains to one train off-peak. The a Manchester City Central Zone issued Rail North West 5 Summer 2014 next station out is Mills Hill and trains improvements, trains to Manchester are allowed the same time from Mills Airport started in 1993 and brand- Hill to Victoria whether they stop at new multiple units introduced in 2000 Moston or not! There is a local and 2006. Although the Northern petition about the changes online at; services were still in the hands of Sprinters, at the time they still proved http://www.stormrail.info/moston-station- a reliable workhorse for the rest of petition-to-reinstate-services the Cumbrian Coast services. - ELR expansion But over the next three years, if the Plans are being progressed to extend Department for Transport has its the East Lancashire Railway line way, there will be a departure of from its present terminus, Heywood, modern rolling stock from Furness to Castleton where a connection will with total takeover by the now-ageing be possible for passengers onto the Sprinters. By 2016, and possibly Calder Valley line. Land issues and even sooner, the Furness line will financial constraints dictate that for once again revert to a the present, the ELR will have a Lancaster/Preston shuttle in the temporary station on the west side of hands of diesel multiple units over 25 the Manchester Road overbridge at years old. To add insult to injury, as Castleton whereas the mainline virtually everyone else in the North station is east of the bridge only a West starts to benefit from the short walk away. ELR are hoping “sparks effect” of electrification, the that there will be similarities to Furness line will take a step back in Bluebell Railway who opened an time.