During a meeting of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, local council leaders from across the city-region criticised proposed plans to improve rail reliability that would see some services axed from timetables.
Council leaders were discussing an ongoing consultation that sets out proposals to improve punctuality and reliability on Greater Manchester’s rail network. Plans put forward by the Department for Transport, Network Rail and Transport for the North aim to ease pressure on bottlenecks within Manchester City Centre that have been blamed on the poor punctuality of many services in the region. Punctuality and reliability on the network saw the Northern franchise brought under DfT control in 2020, with Transpennine Express set targets to improve.
Planned improvements have been welcomed by GM Mayor Andy Burnham, but warned that improvements in some boroughs would see reductions in services elsewhere. He said:
Promises made to us and the wider north of England over many years have not been fulfilled, we have an infrastructure that can’t cope.
“It’s frustrating to even have to consider a timetable that reduces services, but at the same time we need to bring some reliability back to rail services in the north of England.
“We should have a working principle of not letting one or two boroughs shoulder the full burden, we need to spread the pain.”
The consultation sets out three alternative proposals to improve pre-Covid performance of the rail network. Plans include withdrawal of direct links to Manchester Airport from Sheffield and Warrington, as well as some services in Wigan and Eccles; however, many lines may also expect increased regularity, including services between Stockport, Hazel Grove and Buxton.
Council leaders from across Greater Manchester’s 10 local authorities have criticised the cuts to services that may be involved, particularly at a time when there is greater investment in encouraging public transport use to help meet climate change targets. Stockport Council leader, Cllr Elise Wilson, commented:
I accept services are not as good as we want them to be, but reducing them isn’t making them better is it?”
Local authority leaders agreed to each respond to the ongoing DfT consultation, in addition to responses being prepared by councils.
The consultation opened on 14th January, and runs until 10th March 2021. The full proposals and details of how to contribute to the consultation are available via the GOV.UK website.