Oldham Loop Line to close this Saturday

The Oldham Loop railway line, which takes trains from Rochdale to Manchester, will carry its final train this Saturday (3 October).

The line is being converted into a light rail Metrolink line.

Councillor Keith Whitmore, Chairman of the Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority, said: "It will be an historic occasion and one which marks both the end of an era, and the beginning of an exciting new chapter."

The 12-mile line – one of the steepest regular passenger lines in the country – has been serving passengers for over 140 years.

At the height of the industrial era, it served the mill workers that helped Oldham and Rochdale become leading players in textile manufacturing.

Councillor Whitmore continued: "More recently, it has been a well-used commuter line, providing important connections to jobs, education and healthcare – and those important links are going to remain long into the future when Metrolink arrives.

"My colleagues and I will be joining officials at Northern Rail this Saturday for a special day of celebrations; we will be celebrating the importance and rich history of the line as well as the exciting developments that lie ahead."

As part of a £600 million expansion of the Metrolink network, trams are coming to Oldham and Rochdale.

"With Metrolink we will have a modern, high quality, frequent, self-contained network that runs right to the heart of Manchester city centre, with a new generation of trams, 15 stops, state-of-the-art ticket machines and improved security and customer information services," said Councillor Whitmore.

New Metrolink stops will be built at Freehold, Newbold and outside Rochdale railway station on the new line.

The first trams will be running as far as Central Park by spring 2011, then to Oldham Mumps by autumn 2011 and finally to Rochdale by spring 2012. Services will run every six minutes from Shaw and Crompton and every 12 minutes from Rochdale.

Alternative bus services will be provided while the railway line is closed.

Rail services will run as normal on the Calder Valley line between Manchester, Rochdale and Leeds.

This Saturday a train-naming ceremony, organised by Northern Rail, will be held at Manchester Victoria from 4pm. The last passenger service will leave at 11.24pm.

Northern Rail is commemorating the occasion by naming one of its Class 156 trains ‘Gracie Fields’, after the much-loved Rochdale-born singer and actress.

Gracie’s nephew, Dougie Wakefield, will unveil the nameplate in front of guests including Councillor Whitmore and Rochdale's Mayor Councillor Keith Swift.