If this line were to be reinstated, how would Manchester cope with the additional traffic. Piccadilly is already full to capacity. However, with the Northern Hub proposals including the additional platforms 15 & 16, would this then be sufficient?
Well, here we go...
Traffic from Chinley (regardless of where it comes from before there) has many choices as to where it can go into Manchester.
Chinley - Hazel Grove - Stockport - Stockport Viaduct Slows - Piccadilly Main Shed
This route is very overcrowded as it is and there is little space for expansion, thanks to the pinch points of the piccadilly approaches for this area and the flat junction at slade lane, and where 6 tracks become 4, at the same junction.
Chinley - New Mills - Guide Bridge - Piccadilly Eastern Platforms
At the moment these lines are also at capacity, but soon, 2tph fast paths are going to be freed up under the Northern Hub plans. When TPE is sent over to Victoria (but 2tph Leeds - Piccadilly semi fast will remain). There is also the scope to 4 track between Guide Bridge and Piccadilly without any hassle at all, the trackbed, bridges, everything, even a lot of the platforms are still there.
4 track can be put in place all the way up to ardwick, there is also space for at least two more platforms in the Long Stay car park. And, the Northern Hub is going to displace services to higher platform numbers, as the plan is to have all slow line services using the through platforms, or as many as possible. So the fasts will then be assigned all the way, potentially, upto platform 12.
There is also scope to run from Ashburys into Victoria, terminating in the Eastward bay platforms, or pushing through to Salford Central or Salford Crescent (both of witch need more platforms, and can be done relativly cheaply, at Salford Central). If this was combined with further electrification then life would be much easyer for trying to find platforms from that kneck of the woods.
And if that wasn't enough routes for you, there is also the possibility of building a coard from the shorter route from Romiley to Ashburys onto the Denton line, not only re-instating services to denton on a more regular basis (this could be combined with a car park for P+R off the M60 and M67) but it does not need to touch Guide Bridge and can run via Ashton Moss Junctions (Another station, P&R and Metrolink Interchange at Ashton Moss perhaps?) straight into Victoria without ever interfering with a Piccadilly route West of the coard. Or, even more, there is space to re-instate a further coard at Guide Bridge it'self so again, another route to Piccadilly and Victoria.
So yes, capacity at Manchester termini is a problem, but not one that can't be overcome.
(PS. I'm also an advocate of Electrification on all routes to Chinley from Manchester and Stockport with some bay platforms re-instated at the station for electrification to end at. Would be handy for turning services around and joining the dots of the network's extremities, namely Hazel Grove. With then 3tph slow from Manchester, and the Hope Valley service then run via Guide Bridge fast, calling only at Guide Bridge and Chinley before the Hope Valley (or if via Stockport, Stockport, Hazel Grove, Chinley, Hope Valley). To speed up the hope valley services, and any services direct to Derby (I can see the Norwich - Liverpool as an ideal candidate) would be sent that way fast, with an hourly slow following the same pattern, limited stop to Chinley from Manchester, then all stations to final destination, possibly limited stop at the other end)
