Campaign Priorities
The Campaign has developed a short list of priorities to give a clear focus to its activity in facilitating improvements to the rail network. Go directly to one of the priorities by clicking the following links:
Manchester Hub
The Manchester Hub is a major bottleneck on the rail network affecting the whole of the North of England. It has been difficult to define what the Hub is, as it is a combination of factors which converge around Manchester. Essentially the twin track rail through the centre of Manchester is the core of the problem as this forms part of many routes – the TransPennine route through from Liverpool to Leeds and Newcastle, the North Western route through to Bolton, Preston, Blackpool, Lake District and Scotland, the Cheshire route to Warrington, Chester and North Wales, as well as many local commuter routes and freight accessing Trafford Park. Coupled with this pinch point is the throat of Piccadilly Station where conflicting paths can affect the West Coast Main Line route to London, the TransPennine Route and the Styal line to Manchester Airport.
There are a number of interventions which could help solve the congestion problem of the Hub, and the Government have commissioned a feasibility study from Network Rail and Northern Way to suggest possible solutions. This report, published in Summer 2009, is expected to feed into the planning for Network Rail’s Control Period 5, starting in 2014.
The Campaign is meeting regularly with Network Rail and Northern Way, and working to influence MPs regarding a positive outcome to the Manchester Hub.
Rolling Stock
Additional rolling stock is required to meet the unprecedented demand experienced on the railways over a number of years. It also offers a partial solution to the problem of the Manchester Hub, allowing greater capacity on the current track availability.
The Government committed to 1300 new carriages across the country. For services in the North West, Virgin Trains and First TransPennine Express undertook negotiations for specific rolling stock to strengthen their new fleets. However, it is unclear whether Northern Rail will receive new stock or have older stock cascaded to them.
The Campaign has lobbied Ministers for a fair deal for Northern Rail.
Stations
There is a huge number of stations across the North West, some of which are run by Network Rail, some run by a Train Operating Company, some run by the local authority or Passenger Transport Authority. Some stations are large and well used; others see only a handful of passengers each day. The Campaign believes that every station should offer a reasonable standard of access, accommodation and security to its passengers and will support any station operator in their bid to upgrade and refurbish stations.
Electrification
The Campaign is committed to seeing an increase in the electrification of the network in the region, particularly on the Liverpool – Manchester and Preston- Manchester corridors. We believe that it offers the potential for faster, more reliable services that are ultimately less damaging to the rail network and the environment.
High Speed Rail
Although High Speed rail is not one of the Campaign’s main priorities, it is certainly an aspiration to see any new line accessing the North West and beyond. Capacity on the West Coast Main Line is restricted and the line will be full in 2016. We want to lend our voice to a concerted region-wide call for High Speed Rail to connect London (and Heathrow Airport) to Manchester (via Manchester Airport).
