At long last the Colne Valley has the opportunity to have a half-hourly train service at Marsden and Slaithwaite stations but it needs community support to make it happen.
For over ten years Slaithwaite & Marsden Action on Rail Transport (SMART) has been campaigning for an all-day half-hourly service at Marsden and Slaithwaite. Although there has recently been a big improvement in the rolling stock the frequency of trains has remained at just one per hour outside of the morning and evening weekday peak periods.
On January 14th. the Department for Transport published the “Manchester Recovery Task Force Consultation” which aims to undo much of the chaos caused by the disastrous May 2018 timetable change that so badly affected our local train services and those across the whole of the North of England.
The consultation paper presents three options A, B & C. Option-A is likely to produce the least increase in punctuality and resilience across the rail network and Option-C is projected to produce the greatest increase in punctuality and resilience across the rail network. Option-C also produces the greater benefits to more of the stations on routes radiating from Manchester, including Marsden and Slaithwaite, than the other two options.
Option-C would give Slaithwaite & Marsden a half-hourly service throughout the day to Manchester and Huddersfield and an hourly train to Leeds. This would be achieved by having the current Manchester to Hull train stopping at Slaithwaite & Marsden throughout the day.
Councillor Rob Walker, Chair of SMART, said:
“As we hopefully emerge from the Covid pandemic we do not want to see even worse traffic congestion in our villages and towns. We want to encourage people to use train services again. SMART believe that a half-hourly service is vital in convincing people that rail travel is the best option. At the moment if you narrowly miss a train it can be nearly an hour’s wait. We at last have excellent trains with plenty of seats; all we need now are regular and reliable services.
With business developments like the Globe Mill in Slaithwaite, and the growth in leisure visitors to the Colne Valley, we want to see more people travelling by train into our area as well as commuting from it to work.”
The full 35 page report that contains all the consultation questions can be read here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/951401/manchester-recovery-task-force-public-consultation.pdf
Consultation responses should be sent to performancerecoverytaskforce@dft.gov.uk by March 10th at the latest.