Some of the issues that SMART continues to campaign on are
- A punctual and reliable train service
This is a busy two-track railway, carrying a mix of express passenger and stopping trains, plus occasionally freight. it’s challenging to maintain punctuality and reliability, and too often it is the infrequent local stopping service (or, to be more precise, passengers on the local stopping service) that suffers disproportionately when disruption occurs
2. Giving us decent information when trains are cancelled
It’s bad enough when a train is cancelled, even worse when there is no information or it is actually incorrect.
3. Safety and Disabled Access at Slaithwaite and Marsden stations
At Marsden platforms 1 and 2 are inaccessible for wheelchair users and people with prams whilst at Slaithwaite the cobbled ramp to platform 1 means that the station is only fully accessible if the passenger is being dropped off and collected by car. The proposed Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) was supposed to provide full disabled access at all stations along the route, but in September 2019 it was revealed that disabled access had been deleted from TRU to save money. In May 2022 it has finally been confirmed that both stations will be made fully accessible, with Marsden station having a new footbridge with lifts.
4. Vandalism at Slaithwaite station
This seems to have been improved, partly due to the efforts of Friends of Slaithwaite station
5. Improvement to the train service,
in the shape of
- the restoration of the half-hourly peak frequency which was removed in the disastrous May 2018 timetable (this has been achieved with the December 2019 timetable changes);
- two trains per hour throughout the day;
- through trains to Leeds (the December 2019 timetable provides these at peak times only);
- improved (or rather restored) connectivity to Manchester Victoria; and
- earlier first and later last trains.
Other Issues:
When one campaigns on public transport issues the relationship between one form of mobility and another quickly becomes evident. Supporters of SMART continue to point out the importance of having good bus services in a rural area to get around as well as link up with the railway stations that serve the Colne Valley.
SMART members campaigned on:
– the Taxibus service that linked Wilberlee, Pole Moor and other outlying districts with Slaithwaite station and the village.
as far as I know the triangle of land, where the daffodils blossom freely amongst the junk every year belongs to what used to be British Rail and now presumably Network Rail. But I would bow to superior knowledge.
I know that British Rail owned the Steps, and have assumed that Network Rail are the successors in title, and on this basis have assumed that the rest of the land belongs to the railway company.
The Real ale trail started of with a few chaps with beards and notepads jotting down their ale’s its now become Ibiza uncovered every weekend, broken glass litter the stations on Sunday mornings, saw some lads attempting to push wall down at Slawit, someone I know was flashed at by a group of cheering ale trailers last week.The only people who benefit are the landlords of the pubs, they could at least send someone up to the station to collect glasses/broken bottles. This is repeated in Marsden, Stalybridge,Trains cancelled /delayed because of it last night when we were trying to get into Manchester apparently mini riot on Staybridge station. Surely the landlords have a responsibility
Thanks for this, October the 8th is was a watershed.