It has been announced that the last train will run between Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale on Saturday 3rd October 2009 – a little over a year away. Almost as soon as the railway is closed construction workers will move in to start converting it into a new Metrolink line. Transport bosses are now working closely with bus operators to see how the bus network can be enhanced during the upgrade.
GMPTE plan to consult with passengers about alternative bus services and will be providing more details about them nearer the time of railway closure. Annual season tickets will be available for purchase until Saturday 4th October 2008 only. Whilst the work is taking place trains will run normally between Manchester, Rochdale and Leeds.
Philip Purdy, Metrolink Director at the GMPTE, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve now got a date confirmed for work to start on building a brand new Metrolink line to Oldham and Rochdale. As well as replacing the existing train stations with Metrolink stops, we’ll be building six new stops. The track will be upgraded and we’ve already ordered new trams to run on the line. The new tram service will be more than twice as frequent as the existing train service, and will provide a direct link into the heart of Manchester city centre and beyond. It will also make it much easier to reach other destinations across Greater Manchester using public transport. People will obviously have to change how they make their journeys while the work takes place but I hope they will agree that the new tram line will be worth the wait.”
The Oldham and Rochdale line will see new stops built at Monsall, Central Park, South Chadderton, Freehold, Newbold and outside Rochdale railway station. As reported last week there will also be Park and Ride sites built at Hollinwood and Derker with car park improvements at Shaw and Crompton.
It is planned that trams will start running from Manchester to Central Park in spring 2011, Oldham Mumps in autumn 2011 and Rochdale in spring 2012. Once the whole line is opened trams will run every 6 minutes between Shaw & Crompton and Manchester and every 12 minutes from Rochdale to Manchester.
Source: Manchester Metrolink