RAIL TUNNELS in and around Stalybridge will see the tracks running through them lowered as in a multi-billion pound project.
And the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is set to brighten up at least one Tameside station with artist Chris Cyprus commissioned the find and install artwork at Ashton -under-Lyne.
Details of what will be done in Stalybridge and Scout Tunnel were revealed as it was announced Network Rail has awarded a design contract.
COWI will work on Stalybridge and Scout, as well as Standedge Tunnel, with experts used to working in historic passages called on to make the lines through them suitable to accommodate larger trains and overhead live wires.
That includes the installation of 1.7 kilometres of track slab that will facilitate the lowering of the track.
As part of the TRU, which will see the line between Manchester and York electrified, Mossley’s train station is earmarked to move so it can accommodate longer trains.
If all goes to plan, it will be in place – roughly 300 metres along the line away from Stamford Road – within six years.
Mossley station’s current building, which is listed, will remain and will be repurposed, possibly for community use.
The existing car park is also set to stay and may be extended to the new building, which is needed to accommodate longer trains and make both sides accessible – it will also have a toilet, which the current one does not.
A stretch known as Mossley Cottages, behind properties on Manchester Road close to the station as it is now, will not see gantries hammered in because of their proximity.
It will be a ‘neutral section’ meaning essentially, trains will coast from the last one, just before the buildings start, to the new station and the tack will be moved slightly away from the homes, businesses and pub.
After being awarded the contract to design the Stalybridge-Huddersfield section, COWI’s UK managing director Andy Sloan said: “We are looking forward to collaborating closely with TRU and its supply chain through its new hub and spoke model.
“The work presents unique challenges due to the age of the infrastructure, requiring a balance between modern engineering solutions and the preservation of historical integrity.
“Our teams have been working on the TRU project for over seven years, so we are delighted to continue our involvement on this additional section of the programme.”