Modern Railways – April 2019

Forum

44 Modern Railways April 2019 http://www.modern-railways.com

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CONGESTION IN

MANCHESTER

John Haigh (‘Forum’, last month) raises

some important points regarding

the effect of the current state of

platforms 13 and 14 at Manchester

Piccadilly on local stations along

the Airport route, including my

own local station, Heald Green.

However, Mr Haigh’s proposal to

reroute most long/medium-distance

services to Victoria and leave

Manchester Airport with a stopping

service to Manchester Victoria

would undo decades of effort to

close the Piccadilly-Victoria divide

in Manchester, by doing serious

damage to connectivity at Piccadilly

(such as between London services

and the TransPennine network).

It would also sever Manchester

Airport’s present rail links to major

stations across the North, including

Preston, Blackpool, Leeds and

Newcastle, many of which either

lack airports entirely or, in the case

of Leeds and Bradford, have airports

which are less accessible by rail and

which have fewer destinations.

By his own admission, the airport

is currently dissatisfied with its rail

service (thanks currently to dismal

performance). Even if the service

becomes more reliable, the trade-offs

here are connectivity with the rest

of the North, journey times (which

would be extended by stopping at

every station) and more crowding,

as Airport-bound passengers

would have to share space with an

increased number of commuters

from stations along the route – at

least until the arrival of HS2, of course.

At the same time, Victoria would

simply be left in the same state that

Piccadilly is in now. Although Victoria’s

desirability as a terminus may have

increased since 1989 (with the station

facilities being significantly improved

in the last decade), its capacity has,

meanwhile, significantly decreased.

With just four through platforms,

I struggle to see how the station

would be able to cope with taking

on the extra services Mr Haigh is

proposing, especially since these

through platforms will also have to act

as bays for west-facing terminating

trains. The cramped through station

would also struggle with the extra

crowding from people making

additional changes (for example,

going to the Airport), and crowding

on the Metrolink between Piccadilly

and Victoria would also increase.

We both agree that the situation

at present is simply not acceptable.

The real solution, however, is

simply to finish the Northern Hub

by building platforms 15 and 16

at Manchester Piccadilly. Yes, it will

be expensive and disruptive in the

short-t erm. But surely it is worth it

for the reliable and well-connected

railway that Manchester has

been promised for decades?

DAVID FRANKAL

Campaigning for Platforms 15/16

Heald Green, Greater Manchester

With reference to recent discussion

in Modern Railways about congestion

on the Castlefield corridor in

Manchester, there is in fact a way

of removing freight trains from this

route altogether. If a chord were to be

built at Warrington, where the former

Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) route

crosses the West Coast main line,

freight trains from the south could

access Trafford Park from the west and

avoid central Manchester completely.

Assuming one path per hour

each way, the chord could be

bi-directional single track to the

east of the WCML formation. Freight

trains could leave the main line at

Acton Grange Junction and travel

through Arpley yards and the side

of Bank Quay station, obviating the

need for another flat crossing or

grade separation. The chord would

connect to the CLC just west of

Warrington Central. The amount

of demolition needed would be

minimal, though a bridge would

be required over local roads.

Signalling improvements

would be needed to shorten block

sections on the CLC and freight

loops would be advantageous, land

for which still exists at Warrington

and Glazebrook. Loops would also

benefit passenger services, nowadays

constrained by a lack of overtaking

opportunities. The route would

Castlefield corridor: Freightliner’s No 70007 passes Manchester Oxford Road while operating the

15.18 Trafford Park to Southampton intemodal working on 29 June 2017. Tim Squires

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