Published by RAILFUTURE – campaigning for a bigger, better railway No 163 £3 April 2020 To Preston & Scotland To Blackburn To Calder Valley, Bradford & Leeds Rochdale Bolton Salford Salford Manchester To Southport Victoria Stalybridge & Kirkby Crescent Central To Hudderseld Graphic: ELLIE KING Wigan WINDSOR & Leeds To Liverpool LINK ORDSALL Eccles CHORD TRAFFORD Manchester PARK Piccadilly To Widnes CASTLEFIELD CORRIDOR Hadeld & Liverpool Warrington WEST COAST MAIN LINE MAIN WEST COAST Deansgate Oxford Road HS2 Stockport To Hope Valley & Sheeld To Chester & North Wales Manchester Airport To Stoke, Crewe & London To Crewe & London To Crewe & London To Crewe Pinchpoint in Manchester Our picture shows platform 14 at Manchester Piccadilly as the sun sets on a cold, January day. Platform 14 is one of only two through platforms at Piccadilly and is part of the Castlefield Corridor (shown in the map above). About 40,000 passengers use the two platforms each day and there is now a team of 12 staff to manage the crowds on just those two platforms. But the trains are congested too. The key to unlocking congestion in Manchester and throughout the North of England is the Castlefield Corridor. See pages 2, 3 and 5 PINCHPOINT RAILFUTURE CAMPAIGNER Railwatch contents Northern Hub is an unfinished job 2 Chris Page OF THE YEAR 2020 Parts of the Northern Hub rail 3 Unfinished Northern Hub project have been built, but MANCHESTER we are still waiting for several 4 East Anglia, East Midlands PAGE one picture Further to the inaugural We will require a infrastructure interventions, award at the AGM written statement of 5 Manchester’s way forward dependent on Government Rail passengers wait for their in Cardiff 2019 and no more than 500 decisions, to complete the trains on platforms 13 and 14 in recognition of words identifying task. The much-publicised 6-7 Unloved CrossCountry ABELL Picture: PAUL as dusk falls at Manchester the dedication and how the nominee problems of train operator Piccadilly. These platforms are achievements of has contributed to 8-9 Your views Northern were inextricably at the heart of the congestion Railfuture volunteers, Railfuture’s mission linked to the failure to problems for much of northern we will be presenting to be the number one 10 Severnside and Wessex complete the Northern Hub. England because long-distance STEPHEN WARING examines the award for advocate for rail users 11 Accessible trains and buses and local services rely on the Campaigner of the and the rail industry how this lengthy saga rolled two-track Castlefield Corridor. Year at the AGM and how they have out – while passengers stood 12 42 Steps are a barrier on platforms throughout the British Rail started to deal with in Birmingham on enhanced Railfuture’s North waiting patiently for real the problem by opening the Saturday 27 June 2020. campaigning for a 13 Travelling with a guide dog improvements. Windsor Link in 1988. The Ordsall bigger, better railway. The award will be 14 Thames Valley, North East Chord followed in 2017. presented after the n Nominations may be Both projects allowed more formal business is made by any Railfuture 15 Rail freight campaign On a December Sunday in 2017, trains to run through the city, concluded and will member Arriva-owned Northern ran be followed by lunch the first trains over the newly rather than stopping in terminal n The nominee must be 16 Wales and North West and an opportunity to installed Ordsall Chord, which platforms. Trains go through to a member of Railfuture Manchester Airport, Liverpool, network. 17 Scotland allowed some Leeds-Calder n All Railfuture North Wales, Wigan, Southport, So, do you know Valley-Manchester trains to be members are eligible to 18 Railway Haters Bolton, Blackpool, the Lakes, the someone who has extended to Oxford Road station. north-east England and Scotland. contributed to the be nominated Close to the university, Oxford n Midland Cinderella TIGHT SPOT: Platform 14 at Manchester Piccadilly station with a TransPennine Express train from but progress has stalled. success of Railfuture You may nominate Road is a good drop-off for Manchester Airport to Edinburgh. Platforms 1-12 are in the terminus part of the station. Platforms Manchester’s share of HS2 will or someone who has yourself 19 Ron Cotton farewell workplaces and education, 13 and 14 carry all the through trains, including these TPE trains from Manchester Airport to not now arrive until at least 2035, raised the profile of n The deadline for as well as for attractions and Scotland, as well as local services. Plans for new platforms 15 and 16 (which would have been after originally being scheduled Railfuture on key nominations to be 20 Peak District reopening onward connections. built to the left of the line shown in our picture) have been on hold since 2016 issues? for 2032. There is talk of an HS2/ received is 30 April 21 West Midlands, Yorkshire We were told in the autumn Northern Powerhouse tunnel Perhaps they work 2020 of 2019 that Northern was and Works Act enquiry was 13 trains an hour are the most They also agree that Transport from the airport to Piccadilly. behind the scenes, For further details or Devon and Cornwall no longer allowed to fulfil its franchise commitment complete, and the project was that can be run with the present Secretary Grant Shapps was With or without HS2, the helping their local to submit a nomination to continue ths service. By ready to go. For some reason, infrastructure. Almost certainly correct to replace Arriva with problems of the Castlefield branch? please email 22 London and South East contrast, TransPennine Express the Department for Transport that means timetable cuts are state ownership. Corridor remain. Read pages 3 Membership Director, Whoever they are, if is permitted to run twice-hourly refused to publish the TWA likely in the short term in an and 5 to find out why the grand 23 Christian Wolmar But the external problems remain you think they deserve Wendy Thorne: round Ordsall from North East report, and the plans to solve effort to improve reliability. plan started by British Rail was to be resolved – and not just recognition we would wendy.thorne@ 24 Revolutionary times England to the airport. the congestion problems have not completed. In January, Transport for the in Manchester. A single new like to hear about them. railfuture.org.uk been “pending” for the past four North’s board requested the How can this be fair to the many years. platform at Leeds is going to take passengers from the Calder Secretary of State to agree the another year to complete. The extra platforms are needed TWA order and start detailed Valley who want to travel The time for “assessing options” Chair’s column: A flood of decisions at last – and more to come through to Oxford Road? because so many trains now pass planning on Piccadilly and through. Oxford Road. is surely done. Capacity and There have been plenty of Government assesses franchise Colne and Matlock-Buxton. Instead of promised new electrification projects essential opportunities for Railfuture to bids means that bidders win Funding for Hoo, Levenmouth services, since the botched With frequent trains, there is TfN also backed other options for green growth must go ahead. exercise influence lately, with if they quote a low price and and East West Rail has already May 2018 timetable, we suffer insufficient time for the trains around Manchester including Dare we hope for a positive to stop to allow passengers on Government decisions on rail assume that everything will go been announced. continuing train delays and junction improvements (such announcement by the time this and off, before another train is as possible grade separation coming thick and fast. according to plan. When it does HS2 is an essential part of cancellations. Frustrated Railwatch is published? queueing up to come into the at Ordsall Lane), development We, especially our media rep not, it is the passenger who doubling rail capacity in Britain so passengers are finding other platform. of “three quick wins”, and The Government should require Bruce Williamson, have been suffers. Railfuture welcomed the that more people can travel by rail ways to travel. assessment of options for freight train and track operators to busy with radio, TV and press Government announcement of rather than road or air, reducing The North West electrification The timetable is inevitably funding for “Reversing Beeching”, disrupted because minor to avoid Castlefield. work as one, distribute resources appearances about those carbon emissions. scheme was announced in 2009. equitably, cooperate with but £500 million will be enough delays can cause widespread Meanwhile, train operators decisions. There will probably be a slow One year later, the Manchester to reopen only about 25 miles of chaos – and it seems unlikely continue to struggle with regional bodies such as Transport The media have sought us out start while contractor costs are Hub Study of February 2010 railway at today’s typical Network that solutions such as digital delays to services caused by the for the North and restore broken because we give an honest, reviewed, but any descoping begat the Northern Hub which Rail costings. signalling can possibly prove a congested infrastructure. Delays promises. realistic but challenging point of must not reduce HS2’s ability to became the “Great North Rail magical solution. to TPE trains have a knock-on Top priority must be a timetable view. We aim to get our policy The Government funding should release capacity on existing main Project”. be used in part as seed capital to The aim is to run at least effect on Northern’s ability to that works.