UPDATE – Line closure at October half-term

Letter from Metro dated 19th April.

“Northern are currently developing detailed plans for the Stalybridge blockade with Metro, Transport for Greater Manchester and Merseytravel.”

“There are some significant challenges in making the best use of the rail resources to cater for passenger flows during this week. There are likely to be some trade-offs involved, for instance between resourcing Calder Valley services and Marsden – Huddersfield services. We will work closely with Northern and Network Rail to ensure we get the best possible arrangements.”

E-mail from Metro to a rail users’ group on the Calder Valley route, dated 3^rd May 

Forget the current timetable as BOTH routes will be recast loosely this:
FTPE
Hull – Leeds – Huddersfield
Scarborough – York – Huddersfield
Middlesbrough – York – Leeds – Manchester Vic
Newcastle – York – Leeds – Manchester Victoria – Newton – Liverpool

The latter two will pick up calls at Hebden Bridge, Todmorden and Rochdale in light of alterations to Northerns services as folllows

Leeds – Dewsbury – Hebden Bridge – Man Vic > CURTAILED at Hebden Bridge
Leeds – Bradford – Hebden Bridge – Man Vic > SERVICES altered to operate in the opposite half-hour to present
Selby – Bradford -Huddersfield – Wakefield > operate separate to CV as independent service I.e. Not from Man Vic
Blackpools – as is but minor changes.

Buses
Huddersfield – Stockport – Airport (express)
Huddersfield – Stalybridge – Ashton – Guide Bridge (local)

 West Yorkshire to Manchester Airport to travel to Huddersfield and express bus to Manchester Airport via Stockport.

 Planning Teams are still working out the plans and FTPE will be leading a very comprehensive customer communications exercise for both routes.

 Hope this helps – more will be available late August.

What this looks like to us is that our suggestion of running a shuttle between Huddersfield and Marsden during the week-long blockade in October was never seriously considered.

The suggestion that there might be insufficient trains and traincrew to run trains between Huddersfield and Marsden because of “trade-offs …….. between resourcing Calder Valley services and Marsden – Huddersfield services” when there will be fewer trains running along the Calder Valley route makes no sense.

It looks like the difficulty is not one of resources or logistics, but rather one of motivation. 

We do not accept that what is proposed represents “the best possible arrangements”.

Put simply, there is no valid reason why trains could not run between Huddersfield and Marsden during October half-term (the blockage, remember, is at Stalybridge). If Metro were to ask for this, we are quite sure Northern Rail would be willing and able to oblige.