The New Northern Franchise The Shape of things to come ? This document is produced by Noel Henry for the Friends of Reddish South and Denton stations campaign group (FORSADS), to highlight the benefits to the rail industry of including a service within the new franchise invitation to tender (ITT), which uses stock that currently terminates at Manchester Victoria, from various locations within Lancashire, that need to be moved on to free up platform space. 1 Contents page Manchester Victoria 3 Stockport 5 Advantages of extending services to Stockport from Victoria 8 Surveys 9 Stockport to Stalybridge Service 10 Reddish South 11 Denton 12 Potential Service Changes 13 We are not alone 13 Summary 14 Appendices: Results of surveys & petition appendix 1 15 appendix 2 16 appendix 3 18 Contact details: 18 there is an accompanying DVD with hard copy of this report inside the back cover 2 Manchester Victoria Manchester Victoria is undergoing exciting changes, with the work currently ongoing rejuvenating the building, and recent investment in the Ordsall Chord which will bring about new opportunities for service change. All being well, a new 1km section of track, called the Ordsall Chord, will be constructed by the end of December 2016. This will then allow TransPennine Express services from the North East, and Yorkshire, direct access to Manchester airport, via Manchester Victoria and Manchester Piccadilly stations. Currently there are train services from the North West which terminate at Victoria on the through platforms, examples are Southport, Clitheroe, Wigan Wallgate, Blackpool North, Liverpool Lime Street and Kirby. By 2017 these will be in the way of the express trains to/from the airport, and therefore need to be moved on to another location. Some through services dwell at the platform for up to 10 minutes, some train sets have to use the reverse sidings at Victoria, some return to Newton Heath depot and others have to roam the network as empty stock, for example to Bolton and back, or Brewery junction and back. The challenge facing Network Rail and the Train Operating Company (T.O.C.) is how to accommodate these services once the fast services from Yorkshire to Manchester Airport start. 3 The Department of Transport (DfT) in the High Level Output Strategy (HLOS) suggests moving them on to Rochdale or Stalybridge. Both stations have had new bay platforms built, but the option to Stockport, which required no new infrastructure was ignored. Why can’t some go to Stockport? Allowing Network Rail and the T.O.C. planners to include Stockport as a choice of destination will improve their capability to secure efficiencies in operation of train services through Victoria. Sending all services to Rochdale and Stalybridge wouldn’t necessarily produce any new business, and the new Franchisee is charged with the task of reducing service frequency in the peak and/or off-peak where demand is low and the current service represents poor value for the subsidy needed. The option to Stockport meets the DfT requirement of the new franchise, chapter 3.22 on page 32 of the Stakeholder Consultation says; 'we (DfT Rail Executive/Rail North) want rail services that drive forward growth and bring about a transformation in overall rail service provision. We are working together to achieve these aims, and will be seeking innovative and different ideas from bidders to maximise the potential opportunities'. The option to Stockport would provide new connections, generate new business, provide a more balanced service pattern and help fulfil the aspirations of the Northern Hub at providing cross Manchester connectivity. The option to Stockport utilises spare capacity on an underused part of the network, therefore improving the overall efficiency of the network. 4 Stockport With 14 off peak services per hour north from Stockport, only 2 get past Piccadilly (=14%) along the Castlefield corridor; one to Preston and one to Liverpool. The work associated with the Ordsall Chord and Northern Hub will provide extra paths for Manchester airport services accessing Piccadilly and Victoria stations, no guarantee of available spare paths through the Castlefield corridor for trains from Stockport. Growth in passenger numbers north from Stockport will only come with new destinations. Services to Piccadilly are well catered for, and if there are no spare paths through the Castlefield corridor, growth will only come by running services through to Manchester Victoria and beyond. The addition of one extra train per hour off peak improves the percentage from 14 to 20. Improved service patterns is one of the aims of TfGM Local Transport Plan. 5 Any extended service from Salford Crescent / Manchester Victoria to Stockport will address long outstanding complaints that Stockport doesn’t connect with the Calder Valley Castlefield corridor and doesn’t connect with all central Manchester stations. It also delivers on the core objective of TfGM Local Transport Plan that all parts of Greater Manchester have good access to Central Manchester stations. Connecting Stockport to Manchester Victoria gives better connection to Metrolink for services to Bury, Oldham and Rochdale. (See route map to the right). Rail North has three over-arching objectives for devolved rail services in the North of England. 1. To support economic growth by delivering more rail capacity and better rail connectivity. 2. To improve the quality to the railways in the North, with a better offer for passengers to encourage more use. 3. To deliver a more efficient railway and to secure greater value for money for the support from the public purse. Extending a service from Manchester Victoria to Stockport delivers better rail connectivity and improves the choice to passengers at Stockport, which will encourage more use. Extending a service is more cost effective than a dedicated service between Stockport and Victoria, and delivers the objectives of Rail North. 6 The diagram below is Northern Rails route map, highlighted in yellow are the services from Hazel Grove to Preston, operated by Northern, and Nottingham to Liverpool, operated by East Midlands, which pass Piccadilly. Ideally any extended service from Manchester Victoria to Stockport would not duplicate too many stations on the north with the existing Stockport – Preston service. For example a service to Southport, Kirby or Wigan Wallgate would only duplicate Salford Crescent. Journey times from Victoria to Stockport of approximately 33 minutes give ample time for a robust timetable for hourly services; possible extension to Hazel Grove (42 minutes from Victoria) with its large free car park and increased catchment area to boost footfall. Service chosen would help maximise stock displaced at Victoria, therefore keeping costs to a minimum, and would be the best option for timetable and operational requirements. Whilst at present the Southport service could be extended with very little, if any, alteration to its current timings, other services may prove more favourable to be extended when the timetables are altered in December 2016 (completion of the Ordsall Chord) and again in December 2018 (completion of the electrification through to Stalybridge). 7 Advantages of extending services to Stockport from Victoria 1. The Stockport corridor would have instant access to Calder Valley services at Victoria. 2. The Stockport corridor would have access at Victoria to Metrolink services to Bury, Oldham and Rochdale. 3. Stockport passengers would have access to the Noma53 development at Manchester Victoria (www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqW8qa0D9Sc) 4. Stockport passengers would have better access to the Northern Quarter, retail outlets, arenas, theatres and business at Manchester Victoria.(www.manchesterarndale.com www.theprintworks.com www.royalexchange.co.uk www.phones4uarena.co.uk www.nationalfootballmuseum.co.uk) to list a few. 5. Stockport would have better access to Salford Central, giving better employment opportunities at Spinningfields. (www.spinningfields.business-group.co.uk www.spinningfieldsonline.com www.theavenuemanchester.com) 6. Stockport provides better level interchange with the intercity services to London for those passengers from the North West who would have to interchange at Piccadilly between the through platforms 13/14 and platform 12 where the London service terminates. 7. Stockport would better connect with Reddish South and Denton stations en route from Victoria. 8. Stockport has good connections with Piccadilly, but has poor connections beyond Piccadilly, a service to Victoria would help address this imbalance. 9. Having scheduled services between Stockport and Victoria will allow for better recovery from unplanned service disruptions between Stockport and Piccadilly. 8 10. Better use of spare capacity in the network. Extended services from Victoria could either terminate at the under-used bay platform 3a at Stockport or spare capacity could be utilised by terminating on the bi- directional platform 1 - or run through to further destinations like Hazel Grove for example. Surveys. Surveys have been carried out over the last 14 months by the Friends of Reddish South Station and a petition launched by the Friends of Denton Station on behalf of the campaign group. The results have been summarized in Appendices 1 & 2 of this report. You will see that part of the survey asks if potential passengers would be as - or more- in favour of a service to Stalybridge in preference to a service to Manchester Victoria. This was asked in response to a Transport for Greater Manchester(TfGM) suggestion that a service to Stalybridge would be more used and therefore more cost effective. As you will see from the results, most of those surveyed (locally and further afield) are very much in favour of a reinstated service from Stockport to Manchester Victoria. There is little or no possibility of Metrolink being extended to this area of Greater Manchester. 9 Stockport to Stalybridge service. Current service does not engage the communities of Reddish and Denton, in choice of destination or frequency. The service is inadequate to the business community.