Drake Street tram stop won’t be reinstated

Rochdale Council has concluded that it will not try to overturn the decision made by transport bosses to pull the plug on plans for a Metrolink stop on Drake Street.
 
In March, Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority decided to scrap the planned stop because of a “very large overlap of the 800m catchment area for the Drake Street stop with the Town Centre and Railway Station stops to either side of it.”
 
Traders have since submitted a petition to councillors about the stop being removed and called for it to be reinstated.
 
However, in a report presented to councillors at a cabinet meeting tonight (6 June) they were advised by council offciers ‘not to proceed to seek to overturn the ITA decision to delete the Metrolink stop.’
 
The following reason was given: “This option is not realistic given financial implications and other factors.”
 
The rationale for the deletion of the stop was put down to operational difficulties, financial pressures and that the stop offers no additional catchment benefits to that provided by the stops at Maclure Road and Rochdale Town Centre.
 
http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/53419/metrolink-wont-stop-on-drake-street