A6 Corridor Study Final Report Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council August 2014 A6 Corridor Study Final Report Notice This document and its contents have been prepared and are intended solely for use in relation to the A6 Corridor Study. Atkins Limited assumes no responsibility to any other party in respect of or arising out of or in connection with this document and/or its contents. This document has 202 pages including the cover. Document history Job number: 5115815 Document ref: Final Report Revision Purpose description Originated Checked Reviewed Authorised Date Rev 1.1 Draft - Client comment AB PB GR GR 14/12/12 Rev 1.2 Draft - Client comment GR AB NM NM 26/2/13 Rev 1.3 Draft - Client comment GR AB NM NM 26/6/13 Rev 1.4 Draft - Client comment GR AB NM NM 31/7/13 Final Draft – Client Rev 1.5 GR NM NM NM 20/12/13 comment Rev 1.6 Final Draft GR NM NM NM 20/02/14 Rev 2.0 Final GR NM NM NM 04/07/14 Rev 2.1 Final GR NM NM NM 31/07/14 Rev 2.2 Final GR NM NM NM 13/08/14 Atkins Final Report | Version 2.2 | August 2014 | 5115815 A6 Corridor Study Final Report Table of contents Chapter Pages 1. Introduction 4 Study Brief 4 Background to Commission 4 2. Setting the Context for an A6 Corridor Transport Strategy 6 SEMMMS 6 A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road 7 A6MARR Traffic Model 7 Traffic Growth/ A6MARR Scheme Impact 9 Existing Traffic Conditions 12 Understanding Travel Demands 23 3. Existing Rail Infrastructure 30 Route Description 30 Line Speeds 31 Route Description 32 Station Facilities 33 Rolling Stock Depots and Stabling 39 Loading Gauge and Route Availability 40 Rail Freight 42 Freight Paths 45 Future Plans 46 4. Access to Public Transport Services 48 Bus Service Provision 48 Rail Service Provision 49 Public Transport Accessibility to Key Destinations 53 Cross-Boundary Travel 62 Affordability 63 5. Demand for Rail Services within the A6 Corridor 65 National Context 65 Rail Demand in the A6 Corridor 65 Buxton Line Rail Passenger Survey (Spring 2011) 71 Forecast Rail Growth 80 6. Potential Interventions 81 Long List of Potential Interventions 81 Study Objectives and Deliverability 81 Potential Phased Strategy Development 86 7. Consultation 87 8. Appraisal of Strategy Interventions 94 Introduction 94 Committed Measures/ Outputs from Other Studies 94 Potential Short Term Measures 98 Potential Medium Term Measures 105 Potential Longer Term Measures 109 Other Strategy Interventions 112 Remaining Strategy Interventions 113 9. Recommended Corridor Strategy 116 Introduction 116 Recommended Corridor Strategy 117 Appendix A – Initial Appraisal of Potential Interventions 122 Atkins Final Report | Version 2.2 | August 2014 | 5115815 A6 Corridor Study Final Report 1. Introduction Study Brief 1.1. Atkins has been commissioned by the A6 Corridor Group led by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) and comprising representatives from Cheshire East Council, Derbyshire County Council, High Peak Borough Council, and Transport for Greater Manchester, to undertake a study to consider the potential impact of predicted traffic growth and demands on public transport within the A6 Corridor (Buxton to Stockport / Manchester) over the next twenty years. Peak District National Park Authority has been consulted during the course of the study. 1.2. The study is undertaken against the backdrop of plans for significant housing growth in the corridor, the proposed A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road (A6MARR) scheme, and the wider South East Manchester Multi Modal Strategy (SEMMMS). Over the last ten years since the completion of the SEMMMS study, approximately £63 million has been spent on SEMMMS projects, delivering benefits to local communities across south-east Manchester through a range of public transport and sustainable transport measures. It is widely recognised that the A6MARR scheme is critical to delivering the long-term objectives of the SEMMMS strategy, and to meet national objectives for growth, employment and connectivity. 1.3. The two-fold objectives of the study are summarised as follows: To identify the key transportation issues affecting the A6 corridor now and in the next 20 years and their underlying causes; and To develop a corridor strategy to address these issues and a short, medium and long term action plan to implement the strategy. 1.4. Outputs of the study will be: To provide recommended evidence based strategy and action plan and predicted impacts of the overall strategy and individual elements of it; To develop the schemes within the strategy to allow them to be implemented as discrete phased but coordinated elements of the overall strategy; and To support the development of funding bids. Background to Commission 1.5. The A6 Corridor performs an important role for the Greater Manchester City Region carrying traffic from the Peak District and beyond into Greater Manchester. The A6 is part of the national Primary Route Network (PRN) and provides a strategic link between Greater Manchester and key towns in north Derbyshire including Buxton, Matlock and Chapel-en-le-Frith. It also serves New Mills, Whaley Bridge and a number of smaller settlements including High Lane and Disley. The A6 is also a major access route for the Peak District National Park. 1.6. The mix of local and strategic traffic is one of the major causes of congestion on the highway network. Freight traffic from Derbyshire and the Peak District to the M60, distribution centres and other destinations across the North West, mixes with commuter and business traffic travelling between Cheshire and parts of Greater Manchester, and with local commuter and leisure trips in the centres along the south Manchester corridor. These travel patterns have a direct impact on the ability of the transport network to provide efficient connectivity and access to markets and jobs. It also means that local communities are faced with large volumes of traffic and heavy goods vehicles passing through their centres, creating problems in terms of air quality, noise and highway safety. 1.7. The A6 a key bus corridor into Manchester city centre, operates with the most frequent single bus service in Greater Manchester (the 192) carrying almost 10 million passengers every year, and plays a critical role in supporting sustainable economic growth and accessibility in Greater Manchester. The A6 Corridor study area is also served by a number of rail passenger/ freight routes notably the Buxton Line which connects Manchester with Buxton, and Hope Valley Line which runs between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield. As well as being an important interurban route the line carries considerable aggregates traffic from the Peak District quarries Atkins Final Report | Version 2.2 | August 2014 | 5115815 4 A6 Corridor Study Final Report and traffic connected with Hope Cement Works to the North East, East Midlands, North West and London/ South east. The freight route from Buxton and the Peak Forest joins this route at Chinley. 1.8. The aim of this study is to consider the demands of all modes including public transport and freight, assessing the relative impacts of local and longer distance movement and to develop a multi modal strategy to manage these demands with an emphasis on achieving a modal shift towards more sustainable modes. Atkins Final Report | Version 2.2 | August 2014 | 5115815 5 A6 Corridor Study Final Report 2. Setting the Context for an A6 Corridor Transport Strategy 2.1. Understanding the complex challenges facing the A6 Corridor, particularly in facilitating land-use development, the congestion/ connectivity issues and the focus on delivery of the SEMMMS strategy are important to delivering the right solutions in response to the demand for travel. SEMMMS 2.2. The South East Manchester Multi-Modal Strategy (SEMMMS) is a 20 year strategy covering an area to the south east of Manchester including parts of Cheshire East, Derbyshire, Stockport and Tameside local authority areas. 2.3. The genesis of SEMMMS was the referral of three schemes from the national Roads Programme, namely: A6(M) Stockport North South Bypass; A555 Manchester Airport Link Road West (MALRW); and A555/ A523 Poynton Bypass. 2.4. The 20 year strategy was developed to deal with existing and predicted transport problems in the area and aims to: Improve public transport; Improve the use of road space; Encourage transport change; Encourage urban regeneration; and Improve highways 2.5. The SEMMMS study concluded that some of the serious congestion problems could only be addressed through the implementation of the remitted road schemes, albeit to a reduced standard. Importantly, the highway proposals were one element of the overall package of recommendations that the study concluded should be implemented in their entirety if the 20-year transport vision were to deliver its full outcomes. 2.6. In 2002 the recommendations of the Strategy were welcomed by the then Transport Minister, John Spellar, who invited the local authorities to take forward the schemes necessary for delivery. 2.7. Since then the Local Authorities within the SEMMMS area – Cheshire East, Derbyshire, Manchester, Stockport and Tameside, together with Transport for Greater Manchester, have been working hard to deliver the various elements of the strategy. Over the last ten years since the completion of the SEMMMS study, approximately £63 million has been spent on SEMMMS projects. 2.8. In July 2007, the DfT stated that while the highway proposals provided value for money, limited funding capabilities meant it was not possible to fund the Relief Road as a single scheme, such that consideration should be given to its phased delivery. Three potential phases of the scheme were identified by the local authorities, and were submitted the DfT for consideration in 2007/ 08 as follows: M60 to the A6, including the Stepping Hill Link; A6 to Manchester Airport with Poynton Bypass; and A6 to Manchester Airport without Poynton Bypass (the A6MARR scheme).