After our brief update last week on the latest situation regarding testing beyond Oldham Mumps on the Manchester Metrolink extension to Rochdale, Transport for Greater Manchester have now given an official update on what is going on with a suggestion that passengers may be able to board a tram as far as Shaw & Compton from early in 2013.<\/p>\n
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As we mentioned last week the first tram had been used on clearance tests as far as Shaw & Compton and Oldham Councillors have now been invited to check on the progress of the line.<\/p>\n
Cllr Dave Hibbert, Oldham Council\u2019s Cabinet Member for Transport and Planning, said: \u201cThe sight of trams crossing Mumps is a landmark, not just for this project, but for the wider changing face of Oldham and the regeneration of the town centre. It\u2019s great to see the infrastructure for this line now in place. It\u2019s vital now that the right testing takes place to ensure the safety and reliability of the service.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is now planned that sometime early in the new year \u2013 providing there is a successful period of commissioning and testing \u2013 services will be extended the short distance from Oldham Mumps to Derker and Shaw & Compton stops \u2013 ahead of the full opening through to Rochdale Railway Station a few months later. It has originally been thought that the next opening on the Oldham and Rochdale line would be the full length to Rochdale but thoughts have obviously changed since then.<\/p>\n
Cllr Andrew Fender, Chair of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: \u201cThe\u00a0 progress we\u2019re now making on the extension to Shaw & Crompton and Rochdale Rail\u00a0 Station is positive and welcome and within the timescales we\u2019ve been working to. The sight
\nof the first tram crossing Oldham Mumps was an historic moment and a sign of things to come. That said, there are still some significant challenges involved, not least a very thorough period of testing and commissioning \u2013 and the weather conditions will also be a factor. So the work in the coming weeks and months will be crucial to maintain the programme so that people in Derker and Shaw & Crompton can benefit from the arrival of Metrolink early in the New Year.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After our brief update last week on the latest situation regarding testing beyond Oldham Mumps on the Manchester Metrolink extension to Rochdale, Transport for Greater Manchester have now given an official update on what is going on with a suggestion … Continue reading