Railway plan is ‘the way ahead’

Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority

Transport bosses insist that they are behind Network Rail and its plans to ease the plight of Rochdale’s rail travellers. 

It was reported last week how members of Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (GMITA) were persuaded by Oldham councillor Richard Knowles to object to Network Rail’s “Northern Hub” proposals to send trains from Leeds to Manchester’s Victoria Station instead of Piccadilly.

But now the authority chairman Councillor Keith Whitmore, says: “GMITA fully supports the Northern Hub proposals, and has not voted against them.

“Network Rail’s Northern Hub report sets out a way forward for rail travel in the North, for which there is a growing demand and with which the region’s economic future is closely linked.

“It is clear that the recommendations of the Northern Hub report must be put into practice if our rail services are to continue to serve the region effectively.

“We are pleased with the excellent work that Network Rail has done over the past 18 months on the Northern Hub, and have worked in partnership with them on this issue.

“We are keen that the needs of Greater Manchester’s rail users are taken into account as the detail of the proposals are developed, and we will work closely with Network Rail over the next 15 months to ensure that this is the case.

“This will include looking closely at each of the key rail corridors in Greater Manchester to achieve the best solutions for passengers. Specific issues will arise, but we are confident that they will be addressed on a route by route basis.

“We support the priority that Network Rail has given to the Northern Hub, and our support for the proposals is shared across the north of England.”

Councillor Knowles insisted: “I fully support and accept the logic of focusing more services on Victoria, of investing to link Victoria with Piccadilly and two new through platforms at Piccadilly.

“Running times from Leeds to Piccadilly via Victoria will be longer than Leeds to Piccadilly direct.

“Under the Hub proposals the current four trains per hour from Leeds to Piccadilly will be reduced to probably two per hour Leeds via Victoria to Piccadilly with the other four Leeds to Manchester services probably only serving Victoria.

“I mentioned last Friday that Leeds to Piccadilly is the most important inter-regional link in the North of England.

“With the development of the ‘Whitehall of the North’ at Piccadilly, the links between the two regional capitals, their Government Offices and main stations will need to be more frequent and faster, not less frequent and slower.”