THE Friends of Mossley Station and Stalybridge-Huddersfield Rail User Group (SHRUG) are urging passengers to have a say in a public consultation about their services.
Andrew Holstead, secretary of both groups, explained it is important for rail users to make known their views to Transport for Greater Manchester on the proposals before the March 10 deadline as changes on the Manchester to Huddersfield service will made from May 2022.
The Manchester recovery taskforce public consultation was set up by the Department, Network Rail and Transport for the North in the wake of the chaos that following the introduction of a new timetable in May 2018 and from which Mr Holstead said they have never recovered.
The taskforce looked at simplifying service patterns and minimising conflicting movements at junctions. They identified three different options to deliver more resilience and reliability to the timetable – options A, B and C – which are being consulted on, as well as a do-nothing option.
Both rail use groups favour option C, as do Tameside Council and Mossley Town Council, which effectively is a return to the pre-2018 timetable.
Mr Holstead believes option C delivers the greatest benefits for rail users at Stalybridge and Mossley:
- It provides a half-hourly service throughout the day at Mossley, not just in the peak as happens now.
- Only option C provides a half-hourly service at Mossley throughout the day.
- It provides two trains per hour from Stalybridge to Southport (via Victoria) meaning easier connections for people travelling beyond Manchester Victoria to Salford Crescent for Salford University.
- It achieves the greatest resilience and reliability to the system across the Manchester region.
- It provides more frequent services on other lines giving better connections and more journey opportunities for Mossley residents.
Mr Holstead said: “Of each of the three options and the no change, option C delivers the greatest benefits in terms of improved connectivity and improved performance for Mossley residents and businesses.”
It is understood the results of the consultation will be known in late April or early May which will give the rail companies 12 months to implement the favoured option.
The consultation document is published on the GOV.UK website.
