25.09.15
Judge defers Ordsall Chord legal challenge
The legal challenge to the much-delayed £85m Ordsall Chord scheme was deferred at the Royal Courts of Justice in London yesterday (24 September).
However, after making her decision, lawyers urged Mrs Justice Beverley Lang to give her decision as soon as possible. They also stated that if a judge stops the process to link Manchester’s Piccadilly and newly refurbished Victoria stations for the first time, the project may never happen.
Mark Whitby, the former president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, brought the legal challenge to the Ordsall Chord order granted in March.
Whitby’s case was that his alternative scheme, known as Option 15 (below) can deliver the same performance improvements for passengers as the Chord without the same impact on the heritage of the structures in the area. However, he accepts that Option 15 is more expensive than Network Rail’s proposal.
The Ordsall Chord is a new section of track intended to link Manchester’s three main rail stations for the first time. It will be placed north-west of Castlefield Junction, linking that line with the Deal Street Junction line.
However, the line would also intersect the world’s first ever intercity railway line, built by George Stephenson in 1830, and see a number of other grade II-listed buildings and bridges demolished.
At the hearing yesterday, Mr Whitby’s counsel Paul Brown QC argued that the decision-making process behind the route “was flawed” and the benefits of preventing harm to listed buildings were not given “due consideration”.
But Network Rail’s counsel argued that even if the recommended route had not been selected there was “no guarantee” Option 15 would have succeeded. They said it would likely have been objected to by Manchester City Council and Salford City Council.
A Network Rail spokesperson said the company remains committed to delivering the benefits of the Northern Hub, adding that “the Ordsall Chord will play a key part in enabling faster, more frequent trains and more direct services to Manchester Airport”.
Whitby is not commenting publicly until after the hearing.