20.11.12
Ordsall Chord consultation opens
Public consultation opens today on plans for the Ordsall Chord – a project to improve rail travel in the north by improving the connections between Manchester Piccadilly, Oxford Road and Victoria stations.
Experts are progressing the design of the project, including two potential bridge options on display: a bow string railway arch, or an alternative flat bridge.
On Monday, councillors and business leaders from across the region gave their views on the plans. Public feedback will also be used to inform the plans, which are open for consultation this week.
The first part of the programme will ease a bottleneck to the south of Piccadilly and free up space on the network to deliver faster, more frequent services. These will include: two new fast trains per hour between Manchester Victoria and Liverpool; six fast trains an hour between Leeds and Manchester; faster journeys between Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool; a new direct service through the city centre to Manchester Airport; and faster journey times to Hull, Newcastle and the North East.
Dyan Crowther, Network Rail’s route managing director, said: “Britain relies on rail and with demand for rail travel increasing it’s essential we invest in the railway to provide a better service for passengers with more trains, additional seats and fewer delays.
“We thank those who have already made a valuable contribution to the development of this vital project. Feedback from last year’s consultation suggests that the overwhelming majority of people support our plans to deliver faster, more frequent services across the North and helping stimulate low carbon economic growth.”
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