Reopenings

[Geezertronic]

I guess the trouble there is that you'd need to cross all lines at Cov, which might be a bit of a squeeze, unlike the current self contained shuttle to Nuneaton

I was thinking about that, there must be at least one path in each direction an hour that would allow this?

 

[PR1Berske]

Skem is long over due a railway station. It was in the RUC for the area.

 

[moggie]

So how do you explain the enormous amount of investment in Railways during her term of Office ?

Ref Hansard Mr Freeman (08.06.1992)

Column 236
The annual breakdown by investment ceiling, total investment and rail investment appears in the table.


|c|British Rail Investment 1979 to 1991-92|c|

£ million in 1992-93 prices

|Investment|Group |Rail

|Ceiling |Investment|Investment

-------------------------------------------------------

1979 |n/a |n/a |620

1980 |730 |693 |635

1981 |744 |576 |519

1982 |750 |469 |423

1983 |n/a |465 |417

1984-85 |n/a |511 |438

1985-86 |n/a |605 |590

1986-87 |n/a |625 |572

1987-88 |n/a |751 |715

1988-89 |n/a |762 |692

1989-90 |n/a |868 |831

1990-91 |n/a |932 |959

1991-92 |1,202 |n/a |1,045

Notes:

1. Rail investment excludes non-rail business such as

BR Property Board, ships and hotels.

2. 1984-85 was a 15-month period. The figure given is

a 12-month equivalent.

3. The figure for rail investment for 1991-92 is a DTp

estimate.

"Investment! also included renewals and all roling stock. Draw your own conclusions.

 

[yorksrob]

I'd like to see at least part of the Leigh Loop re-instated - in particular the section between Eccles and Leigh - although I fear there may have been some re-development on the route. If they did it would encompass one of Englands largest towns without a rail link as well as some fairly well populated suburbs in the Manchester/Bolton area.

 

[WatcherZero]

There has been some minor development on the alignment, but the two reasons they always cite against it are that the line doesnt penetrate into the town centre and theres no other service to link it too.

 

[yorksrob]

I suppose the station site is a little bit to the East of the town centre by a few blocks. I wonder how easy it would be to operate it as an extension of one of the services terminating at Manchester Victoria from the East (supposing rolling stock could be sourced).

 

[Scousefandan]

The line from Leigh, Lancashire, allowing a direct link between the town and Liverpool/Manchester, lost since 1969

 

[MidnightFlyer]

The line from Leigh, Lancashire, allowing a direct link between the town and Liverpool/Manchester, lost since 1969

And they want it a guided busway now...Cambridge-St Ives, Dunstable-Luton & now Leigh-Manc. STOP THE BUSWAYS

 

[Scousefandan]

It's not going down well locally. The heavy rail link will be far more beneficial and act as more a of a regeneration catalyst, plus there is no train station nearby, I usually either have to go to Wigan North Western or Newton-le-Willows to get to Liverpool.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

It's not going down well locally. The heavy rail link will be far more beneficial and act as more a of a regeneration catalyst, plus there is no train station nearby, I usually either have to go to Wigan North Western or Newton-le-Willows to get to Liverpool.

Atherton's closest to Leigh, isn't it?

 

[Scousefandan]

Yes, but it's not convenient for Liverpool. You can get to Kirkby and then on to Liverpool from Atherton, but the service isn't great (40 mins to Kirkby, plus 15 mins or so onwards to Liverpool, not including the change waiting time) and involves a change at Kirkby. Whereas the train from Newton only takes 20 mins.

 

[tbtc]

The line from Leigh, Lancashire, allowing a direct link between the town and Liverpool/Manchester, lost since 1969

Where would the other stops be/ where would it come off and join existing lines?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

When it closed, stations were at Tyldesley and Worsley, and it joined west of Eccles station

 

[Scousefandan]

A spur could be built off the existing Atherton line and could join up with the WCML/Chat Moss line junction at Golborne/Newton. Only problem is that there's nowhere really for the railway to pass through in Leigh, because a lot of the former route has been developed on, so would involve a lot of elevated track, which I can't see happening, sadly.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

A spur could be built off the existing Atherton line and could join up with the WCML/Chat Moss line junction at Golborne/Newton. Only problem is that there's nowhere really for the railway to pass through in Leigh, because a lot of the former route has been developed on, so would involve a lot of elevated track, which I can't see happening, sadly.

even so, a terminal Leigh Station, with a half-hourly Vic service would be 1,000,000,000 times better than an evil guided busway

 

[yorksrob]

Yes, looking at Google Earth the formation towards Manchester appears to be much more intact.

 

[Scousefandan]

Yes I agree, a terminal Leigh-Atherton-Manc Vic service could work And it would kick start the regeneration of Leigh town centre, which it badly needs. Wondering if it would just be single track though?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Yes I agree, a terminal Leigh-Atherton-Manc Vic service could work And it would kick start the regeneration of Leigh town centre, which it badly needs. Wondering if it would just be single track though?

Would make it double, for maybe the jn at Atherton, and a mile or so thereafter, but not properly make it a terminal station, leave it open ended for potential trains beyond - like, erm... Aylesbury V P or ............

 

[yorksrob]

I suppose you could start with single track, with perhaps a passing loop somewhere on the way. Fortunately if most of the bridges survive they should already be built to double track standards

I agree that such a link would be very useful to help regeneration in the area. Particularly as the station site seems to be reasonably near to the centre of the urban area as a whole.

 

[Scousefandan]

There is part of the railway bridge still intact near Spinning Jenny Way, at the end of Bradshawgate, so depending on paths, it could be possible to build on viaducts, but not entirely sure exactly where the route could go...the area has been built on significantly!

 

[yorksrob]

Yes, that's the tricky bit south towards Liverpool so I doubt a re-opened line would get that far. Theres an industrial estate then a small estate of houses before the trackbed re-emerges so I suspect it's definately no-go.

 

[jimrbrobinson]

There is part of the railway bridge still intact near Spinning Jenny Way, at the end of Bradshawgate, so depending on paths, it could be possible to build on viaducts, but not entirely sure exactly where the route could go...the area has been built on significantly!

I live about 1/4 mile from the old line at Tyldesley. The original line was double track if the 1907 O/S map and my father's memory are anything to go by. I don't think the footpaths that follow most of the route today are wide enough for this though now due to development and subsidence. The busway is opposed locally for a huge number of reasons, and again, would require significant widening of what are now footpaths. The green brigade also object purely on the basis of the number of trees what would need to be removed. Also, some way of crossing Astley Street at Tyldesley would have to be found and the only viable option for that would be a bridge to carry the railway over the road, which I believe was removed to allow double-deck buses down the route.

An alternative idea put forward was to reinstate (rebuild would be more accurate!) the Kenyon Junction and run a spur line to Leigh from there, however locally it has been argued that there is 'no money' to pay for this. During the congestion charge debates it was also suggested building a Park and Ride station scheme at Kenyon Junction, with a dedicated bus shuttle service between Leigh and the station (similar to the shuttle bus service provided from the Metrolink at Stretford to the Trafford Centre was the example given!).

 

[yorksrob]

I live about 1/4 mile from the old line at Tyldesley. The original line was double track if the 1907 O/S map and my father's memory are anything to go by. I don't think the footpaths that follow most of the route today are wide enough for this though now due to development and subsidence.

Might be easier for single track though

Out of interest, what's your preferred option - as a local resident?

 

[Scousefandan]

And let's not forget the old disused sidings/trackbed at Spring View, near the cemetery
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Oh, and IF it were to ever be built, it would need to be electrified, along with the rest of the Atherton branch. Don't fancy having those awful Pacer units trundling into Leigh en route to Victoria!

 

[jimrbrobinson]

Personally I'd love to see the line reinstated - preferably as a two track, but single track with passing loops would suffice in my view. As I say, they'd have to build a new rail viaduct over Astley Street at Tyldesley, and a station at Tyldesley of course. Perhaps also a station at the brae at Mosley Common. I'm not sure they'd be able to get much farther though as there's been extensive building at Ellenbrook and I don't think the former line even exists there as a footpath now. I'd have to take a wander with my collection of Old Ordnance Survey maps to check the former route against what's there today but I suspect that the new housing just off the East Lancs Road at Ellenbrook blocks the former link.

If that end could be reinstated I can think of places between Leigh and Mosley Common where it's suitable for passing loops certainly, and single track would minimise tree removal in other areas. (The busway idea involves the buses coming off the East Lancs Road at Mosley Common, and travelling along the road towards Tyldesley and joining the busway at Mosely Common brae where there's recently been activity building a junction cut in at the beginning of the footpath.

However, it has also been argued locally that we still have the Manchester to Liverpool line passing across Astley/Chat Moss, and the line at Atherton, and some have said they should build a new station at Astley as well as the idea for Kenyon Junction mentioned earlier.

 

[tbtc]

Someone (I forget who - apologies!) said that the long term future of the Atherton line would probably be Metrolink (with the "Wigan via Bolton" line being electrified for trains).

If this was the case, would it be far fetched to suggest an extension of the Eccles tram line?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Someone (I forget who - apologies!) said that the long term future of the Atherton line would probably be Metrolink (with the "Wigan via Bolton" line being electrified for trains).

If this was the case, would it be far fetched to suggest an extension of the Eccles tram line?

They are the same people who want Manc-Rochdale via Moston to be tram

 

[Scousefandan]

There's a huge gap between stations on the Chat Moss Line though, from Patricroft/Eccles and then Newton le Willows...the line is quite far from Astley Village so there would have to be a connecting bus service, and I'm guessing Leigh wouldn't benefit much...it would have to built near Siddow Common or even Glazebrook to be of any use at all, and even the it doesn't even serve the edge of Leigh, it would effectively be serving Glazebury

 

[jimrbrobinson]

Someone (I forget who - apologies!) said that the long term future of the Atherton line would probably be Metrolink (with the "Wigan via Bolton" line being electrified for trains).

If this was the case, would it be far fetched to suggest an extension of the Eccles tram line?

Unfortunately, I can't see any viable way of linking the Eccles line through. In some ways I don't mind the idea in principle of the Atherton line becoming Metrolink. I'll be honest, I was against the Metro when they were converting the line from Altrincham through Stretford to Trafford Bar and on to Manchester, but it has grown on me over the years. I still think the trams look ugly though, and those new yellow ones are just plain hideous!

 

[yorksrob]

Oh, and IF it were to ever be built, it would need to be electrified, along with the rest of the Atherton branch. Don't fancy having those awful Pacer units trundling into Leigh en route to Victoria!

Ha ha, well, I suppose eventually

Looking at the map perhaps the best idea would be a single track branch from Leigh at around the Platt fold Street area, then taking the route through a station at Tyldesley, before turning North via another disused trackbed just after the Woodland cemetary to join the Atherton Line at Walkden. This would avoid most built over areas whilst allowing the trains to supplement services from Walkden.