A new consultation aimed at improving Greater Manchester’s railways has been launched.
The Manchester Recovery Task Force Public Consultation brings together the Department for Transport, Transport for the North, Network Rail and the train operators, Northern and TransPennine Express.
It will look at boosting the performance of the rail network around the city and how to provide a more reliable service for users.
Passengers are being presented with three options which feature increasing levels of change from the pre-COVID service patterns. The three options affect different routes, and which routes have direct services to Manchester Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations, and Manchester Airport.
Liam Robinson, Transport for the North’s Rail North Committee Chair said: “Passengers need a better deal when it comes to reliability. When they return to the North’s trains, they need to step onto services with confidence.
“Manchester’s congested rail network has long been the source of delays and frustration for passengers, with knock-on effects for the North’s communities. We urge everyone to take a look and give their view on these proposals.
“Whilst the goal of these short term changes is to reduce delays and increase reliability, it is clear that the work we are doing with Government and the industry on longer-term investment in rail infrastructure is also critically important, alongside changes to services.”
The agreed option, scheduled to be introduced in May 2022, will significantly improve overall reliability whilst maintaining the pre-Covid travel connections for the vast majority of passengers. Some changes may mean making different choices for travel.
This change will give passengers a more reliable service with less risk of knock-on delays, whilst longer term infrastructure changes are developed that will enable more services to be added in the future in a sustainable way.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester and Transport for the North Board Member, said:
“I welcome this consultation and the Government’s focus on this issue. The bottleneck in central Manchester is a problem for the whole of the North – and solving these congestion issues will improve the reliability of rail services for passengers right across the North.
“As we look to build back better from the pandemic, we want to work with the Government to deliver a reliable and dependable timetable, alongside the much-needed upgrades to our Victorian infrastructure.”
Congestion in the region before the pandemic created regular delays to services around Manchester, with knock-on impacts to reliability across the North. While the public are being asked to stay at home, the rail industry is using this opportunity to plan improvements around Manchester ready for when passengers return in much greater numbers.
The consultation builds on Government investment in electrification schemes, and brand-new trains for Northern and TPE, as it works together with Transport for the North and Network Rail on the development of a new robust timetable underpinning a transformed offer to passengers.
Chris Heaton-Harris, Rail Minister, said: “We are putting the power to improve Manchester’s rail network in the hands of those that use it daily.
“I urge passengers to use this opportunity to comment on the future of your railway.
“Improving punctuality and reliability is one of my key priorities. As we continue to build back better from the pandemic, these proposals will ensure that the rail network is more dependable for those who use it every day.”
Phil James, Network Rail route director for the North West, added: “The proposed changes to the timetable in Manchester aim to give passengers across the north consistently safe and reliable train services running to a schedule they can trust. We look forward to hearing people’s views on it.”
