Metrolink to / from Etihad

Good point about the bus service. Burnham is going on about the new integrated bus service as if it is something special. The rest of Europe has had one for 50 plus years. We had one in Manchester in the 1960s and 70s. I heard him on the radio this week bragging about it. He is a total bullshitter. Our political leaders think we are all idiots. The total failure of infrastructure is blindingly obvious. We have a new 25,000 arena and 8,000 new seats and nothing has been put in place apart from a few footpaths. Not even a bloody taxi rank.
Burnham??? The loss of what we had in the 60s and 70s is down to Thatcher breaking up Selnec / GM Transport.
 
Burnham??? The loss of what we had in the 60s and 70s is down to Thatcher breaking up Selnec / GM Transport.
Selnec was awful. The buses were always breaking down. Everything about them and their newly named GM Transport were outdated and there was little or no investment.
 
Serious question, as the tracks are already there, it’d only be the station cost. I get that footfall would be non existent on non match days (although maybe not with the arena) but the Old Trafford train station was never used outside of match days and trains were specifically put on, on those match days.

I’m no expert but somewhere on here there’s a bunch of posts from people with good knowledge, outlining all the hurdles needed to overcome, on top of just building the station. Which would probably be millions on its own.

From memory some of the things mentioned were, a hugely expensive upgrade of the line to turn it from an infrequently used freight line to a passenger line. Signaling upgrade. And the actual availability of trains and train staff . Which they struggle to fulfill now.

There were other major drawbacks which I forget now, that don’t obviously come to mind.
 
Selnec was awful. The buses were always breaking down. Everything about them and their newly named GM Transport were outdated and there was little or no investment.

Selnec - Bloody hell that’s a blast from the past
 
I’m no expert but somewhere on here there’s a bunch of posts from people with good knowledge, outlining all the hurdles needed to overcome, on top of just building the station. Which would probably be millions on its own.

From memory some of the things mentioned were, a hugely expensive upgrade of the line to turn it from an infrequently used freight line to a passenger line. Signaling upgrade. And the actual availability of trains and train staff . Which they struggle to fulfill now.

There were other major drawbacks which I forget now, that don’t obviously come to mind.
I remember it being discussed as well. An eye watering costly project with no real benefit. The solution is to somehow massively improve what we have already. Metrolink is a real chore at times.
 
Can’t fathom why they’ve never looked at a train station at the back of the Tesla place. I’m sure there’s a loop that could run from Piccadilly and through Victoria one way with another route in via the Ashbury spur which could bring trains from all points east!
I was talking to a fella who high up in Manchester City council, they are going to do this after Teslas lease is up in 4 and half years time. It will need big investment as they will need to reinstate the Ardwick viaduct and two bridges are out. Then it could be run as a loop via Piccadilly and Victoria. It's only now possible as HS2 won't now be running into Piccadilly.
 
South East Lancashire North East Cheshire.

It was a holding name prior to the creation of Greater Manchester Buses.

The service was far better back then than it was after fragmentation with the likes of Stagecoach coming in.
Bring back (from what I can remember) the individual livery coloured local buses.

Blue/cream for Ashton
Green for Hyde
Red for Ducky/Stalybridge?

Seems everything will be boring metro yellow from now on.
 
I was talking to a fella who high up in Manchester City council, they are going to do this after Teslas lease is up in 4 and half years time. It will need big investment as they will need to reinstate the Ardwick viaduct and two bridges are out. Then it could be run as a loop via Piccadilly and Victoria. It's only now possible as HS2 won't now be running into Piccadilly.
They still want the route into Piccadilly for Northern Powerhouse Rail - that will be unaffordable without HS2 bearing the cost of tunnelling under south Manchester, but they won't compromise the route.

They are not going to spend £30-40m on a new station, excavating the cutting behind the Tesla garage, let alone how many millions it would cost to reinstate the Ardwick curve (after spending a billion on the white elephant Ordsall Curve). It would be easier (not much) and closer to the Arena to put a new station on New Viaduct Street between the gas holders, but you're not going to have trains stacked waiting like tube trains at London stadia.
 
They still want the route into Piccadilly for Northern Powerhouse Rail - that will be unaffordable without HS2 bearing the cost of tunnelling under south Manchester, but they won't compromise the route.

They are not going to spend £30-40m on a new station, excavating the cutting behind the Tesla garage, let alone how many millions it would cost to reinstate the Ardwick curve (after spending a billion on the white elephant Ordsall Curve). It would be easier (not much) and closer to the Arena to put a new station on New Viaduct Street between the gas holders, but you're not going to have trains stacked waiting like tube trains at London stadia.
Hi Vic, all I can say is this fella was pretty sure plans are already in place to make it happen.

I might add that the City Council already work closely with the clubs owners and he expected that the club would be a major funder for the project.
 
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Ask him who authorised the cost of drawing up plans.
No problem, when I see him next I will bring it up, but i will say he has nothing to gain by making stuff up. He's very high up in the council and it's his department that would be heavily involved in such a scheme and he's a genuine guy.
 
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No problem, when I see him next I will bring it up, but i will say he has nothing to gain by making stuff up. He's very high up in the council and it's his department that would be heavily involved in such a scheme and he's a genuine guy.
I would be asking him how they propose to run trains directly across the throat of Piccadilly station without impacting all the current services, to then squeeze new services along the already packed Castlefield corridor all in the aim of a train that runs in circles.
 
They still want the route into Piccadilly for Northern Powerhouse Rail - that will be unaffordable without HS2 bearing the cost of tunnelling under south Manchester, but they won't compromise the route.

They are not going to spend £30-40m on a new station, excavating the cutting behind the Tesla garage, let alone how many millions it would cost to reinstate the Ardwick curve (after spending a billion on the white elephant Ordsall Curve). It would be easier (not much) and closer to the Arena to put a new station on New Viaduct Street between the gas holders, but you're not going to have trains stacked waiting like tube trains at London stadia.
Headbolt Lane station was double that and I think it was an easier site to build on.

I would suggest people don’t pin too much hope on new rail infrastructure (especially anybody over 50 years old). When going to London or places like that, people travel by train to as close as possible then get to their final destination by tube or bus, and this is how people should be moved around Manchester. The money should be spent on realigning the tram line away from Merrill Street or better management at those junctions. I just don’t think the owners or council care that we get stuck there.
 
I was talking to a fella who high up in Manchester City council, they are going to do this after Teslas lease is up in 4 and half years time. It will need big investment as they will need to reinstate the Ardwick viaduct and two bridges are out. Then it could be run as a loop via Piccadilly and Victoria. It's only now possible as HS2 won't now be running into Piccadilly.
In the meantime they could shut the roads between Great Ancoats Street and the stadium and run shuttle buses to and from town. The current situation is pathetic. No political leadership and no vision. Like most other things in the UK.
 
In the meantime they could shut the roads between Great Ancoats Street and the stadium and run shuttle buses to and from town. The current situation is pathetic. No political leadership and no vision. Like most other things in the UK.

What happens to traffic when you close already completely congested roads?

There is no quick and easy solution to a complex problem.
 

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