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'HANDS OFF OUR RAIL SERVICES!' SAYS ROSIE COOPER MP

Immediate release: Tuesday 27 July

Amid ongoing concerns at the outcome of the Manchester Recovery Task Force, Rosie Cooper MP has recently written to key stakeholders at Transport for the North and the Department for Transport, urging that West Lancashire be spared cuts to its services.

Under current proposals, the existing Southport to Manchester Piccadilly service will be axed in a rail consultation which has given local residents no opportunity to voice another preference.

This would affect a number of stations in West Lancashire which the service stops at.

Rosie Cooper MP commented: “It is unbelievable that the government would consider a proposal to further restrict rail services in West Lancashire. Cutting this route would cut off convenient access to the south of Manchester, including to Manchester Airport.

“Residents were given three options to choose between in this consultation, but for those in West Lancs it was a sham – as all three options included the axing of the Southport-Piccadilly service.

“I have written urgently to Richard George, Chair of OLR Holdings Ltd, who has been asked by Transport for the North to review the current proposals.

"It is imperative that he recognise the concerns of West Lancashire residents and preserve this important route.”

Duh....What sort of logic is it, that cuts rail services when there's a climate emergency on?

The Govt should be looking to electrify routes like this one - not cutting them!

Beware the service is not being axed or cut .
It’s being axed from consultation and may have restricted services.
Like most public transport we don’t need a 15min bus service, make it 30 minutes
people will adjust. Save on costs ,environmently friendly. Win win situation.
Same with trains etc.

Originally Posted by ausard2

Beware the service is not being axed or cut .
It’s being axed from consultation and may have restricted services.
Like most public transport we don’t need a 15min bus service, make it 30 minutes
people will adjust. Save on costs ,environmently friendly. Win win situation.
Same with trains etc.

The Southport/Manchester Piccadilly train runs every 60 minutes - and yes, it should be every 30 minutes minimum.

Manchester should seriously consider reviewing the Manchester underground plans. Work for an underground rail network was started and then abandoned. This would most certainly dilute the crowding issue on the lines. The rail profits would increase because tram travel is inefficient and only runs in certain areas. It is impossible to increase the number of trams because these run o already crowded roads. An underground network should be a priority, so that all stations can be serviced - it would pay them to do that.

Originally Posted by ausard2

Beware the service is not being axed or cut .
It’s being axed from consultation and may have restricted services.
Like most public transport we don’t need a 15min bus service, make it 30 minutes
people will adjust. Save on costs ,environmently friendly. Win win situation.
Same with trains etc.

The service is being cut, surveys have revealed that over 60% of passengers traveling to on the line have a destination of Piccadilly, South Manchester or the Airport not Victoria, the most convenient interchange with the trams is Deansgate where trams to almost all destinations traverse which again is on the Piccadilly line. What is required is an increase in capacity along the Deansgate / Castlefield corridor, this can be done in the short term by rerouting the slow moving freight trains but in the long term it needs more lines, this can be done either by building alongside or overhead but it will cost but not as much as the HS2 White Elephant.

Originally Posted by said

The Southport/Manchester Piccadilly train runs every 60 minutes - and yes, it should be every 30 minutes minimum.

Manchester should seriously consider reviewing the Manchester underground plans. Work for an underground rail network was started and then abandoned. This would most certainly dilute the crowding issue on the lines. The rail profits would increase because tram travel is inefficient and only runs in certain areas. It is impossible to increase the number of trams because these run o already crowded roads. An underground network should be a priority, so that all stations can be serviced - it would pay them to do that.

Tram travel is very efficient, much more than building an underground which would be horrendously expensive, the Tram network is constantly being expanded , a new line to the Trafford Centre has recently been opened more are in the pipeline. Within a handful of years cars will be banned from the City Centre anybody traveling to the City Centre will have to either use Public Transport or utilise a Park n Ride.

Originally Posted by Alikado

The service is being cut, surveys have revealed that over 60% of passengers traveling to on the line have a destination of Piccadilly, South Manchester or the Airport not Victoria, the most convenient interchange with the trams is Deansgate where trams to almost all destinations traverse which again is on the Piccadilly line. What is required is an increase in capacity along the Deansgate / Castlefield corridor, this can be done in the short term by rerouting the slow moving freight trains but in the long term it needs more lines, this can be done either by building alongside or overhead but it will cost but not as much as the HS2 White Elephant.

99.9% of Freight trains run from Crewe to Trafford Park Container Terminal and vice versa there is NO alternative Route.