10.11.17
NR: Ordsall Chord shows what can be achieved with the right mechanisms in place
The Ordsall Chord – which opened yesterday and connects Manchester three main railway stations for the first time – took nearly nine years to complete from its conception.
The project was marred from the beginning by a number of issues, including complaints that it would ruin the historic section of track which leads out of Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry.
This section was seen as important as it is one of the last major reminders of the museum building’s past life as Liverpool Road station, the world’s first inter-city terminus and thought to be the world’s oldest surviving railway station.
Network Rail’s major programme director, Chris Montgomery, told RTM he felt the Ordsall Chord project had added to the history of the area because, although some sections of the grade I listed structure were removed, much of the area is now much more open and can be seen from the new track.
Construction of the track and infrastructure work on the bridge only took two and a half of the overall nine years of the project. Much of the rest of the time was spent on planning and development, procurement and dealing with legal challenges over the historic elements of the project.
The site also includes the historic Stephenson Bridge, built in 1830 by George Stephenson referred to by many as the father of railways. The bridge – the world’s first passenger rail bridge – is now visible to the public as well, following the demolition of its neighbouring steel bridge, which was built in 1860.
Montgomery spoke of the difficulties of the project but praised the team involved for their attention to the historical aspects of the areas.
He continued: “I am really proud of the team and what they have achieved on this project. It is probably the best example I have seen of alliancing working.
“It shows what NR and our partners can do when we are given enough time to set up a job properly and put in place the right mechanisms to incentivise everyone to work collaboratively towards an end solution.”
The £80m Ordsall Chord project is expected to receive its first services in December following timetable changes from Northern and TPE.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: “Greater Manchester has long called for the Ordsall Chord to unlock capacity on the rail network across the north and it is great that we can finally celebrate its completion.
“This is an impressive engineering project and I would like to thank everyone who has worked on it and contributed to the on-going regeneration of our city-region. The iconic network arch bridge will create a new landmark on the Manchester skyline.
“It harks back to the glory days of rail investment and stands just yards from the site of the world’s first-ever railway station. Just as Manchester pioneered rail travel in the 19th century, I hope we can lead the development of the next generation of infrastructure in the 21st.”
The new development is part of NR’s Great North Rail Project and will change the way services from as far away as Newcastle are able to travel through to Manchester Airport.
A direct link now exists through the west of the city travelling from Victoria through the Deansgate and Oxford Road stations and into the larger Manchester Piccadilly.
Councillor Andrew Fender, chair of the TfGM Committee commented: “The Ordsall Chord is a vital part of the Northern Hub programme of works that will unlock the major bottlenecks in central Manchester.
“Together these will deliver the capacity and connectivity improvements that are urgently needed to enable rail services across the North of England to better meet growing demands for travel.”
Montgomery – along with a number of other stakeholders in the Ordsall Chord project – discussed the plans earlier this year at the TransCityRail conference, which is set to be held in October next year.
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