Sunday train services

Posted on December 8, 2012 by admin

Unless there’s been a change of plan at short notice without the need to tell anyone – not that anything like that has or could ever happen round here – Sunday trains return from 9th December 2012.

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Slaithwaite Station 30th anniversary – request for memorabilia

Posted on November 20, 2012 by admin

 

STRAINS of Happy Birthday To You could echo across the platform at Slaithwaite Station next month.

The original station was shut down in 1968 as the country’s rail network was slashed under the Beeching Axe, but, after public pressure, Metro, West Yorkshire’s Passenger Transport Executive, opened a new station on the same site on December 13 1982.

With the landmark 30th birthday on the horizon, the Friends of Slaithwaite Station (FOSLS) want to mark the occasion.

One of the anniversary organisers, Vicky Minton, said it was full steam ahead to the anniversary, which would be celebrated on Saturday December 15.

“The station gives us access to work, cultural activities and sport and literally connects us to the world,” said Ms Minton, a founder and former chairman of the group.

The Friends hope to put on an exhibition dedicated to Slaithwaite Station past and present and would love to hear from local people who have memories or memorabilia.

Anyone who can help should email Vicky at: victoria.minton@gmail.com

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October closure

Posted on November 13, 2012 by admin

The October closure has now been and gone, and any passengers travelling to or from Manchester should have seen the difference at Stalybridge station. When the two new platforms are fully operational, which should be from the December timetable change, it should be much easier to reduce the impact of delayed trains.

Following the intervention of our local councillors, MP and others (and SMART too), Metro agreed to ask Northern Rail to look at how they could retain a train service up to Marsden, and Northern agreed to run the first train of the day (0648 from Marsden, 0652 from Slaithwaite).

In spite of the late decision to run this train, apparently Northern were pleasantly surprised that more people than usual were using this train.

Credit where it’s due, Northern did a fairly good job of publicising the replacement buses, with the printed timetables clearly identifying the location of replacement bus stops (something which has been very poor in publicity for previous closures and bus replacements).

However, it has to be better next time. Between now and 2018, this route is to be modernised and electrified, and closures for engineering works will take place from time to time. The train operating companies (Northern and First Trans Pennine, or anyone else who gets awarded the new franchise when the current one expires) need to run trains rather than replacement buses wherever practicable. It is not acceptable simply to do what is operationally easy regardless of the inconvenience to passengers. And Metro need to tell the train operating companies to run trains wherever practicable.

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“Huddersfield rail passengers’ misery as landslide sparks delays”

Posted on November 13, 2012 by admin

[from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 13th November 2012

RAIL passengers travelling across the Pennines were hit by a string of delays after a landslip caused signal problems which forced services to be suspended.

Yesterday, following a weekend of disruption on the Huddersfield to Manchester line, signalling faults at Greenfield caused trains to be suspended at Stalybridge.

Northern Rail services were disrupted from 6.40am with rail replacement buses drafted in to ferry passengers from Stalybridge to Huddersfield.

First TransPennine services between Huddersfield and Manchester continued to operate but at a reduced rate with around a 40-minute delay to allow engineering work to restore the signalling.

The damage was caused on Sunday by a landslip at Scout Tunnel between Stalybridge and Mossley which forced Network Rail to close the line for several hours.

Rail passengers were offered bus replacement services, causing significant delays to journey times.

The latest disruption comes nearly two weeks after a £20m improvement works suspended services for nine days.

A spokesman for First TransPennine Express said:

“We are extremely sorry for the delays and inconvenience to customers travelling between Huddersfield and Manchester. Network Rail have engineers on site and are working to correct the problems and return the service to normal.

“We want to ask customers to please check the details of the travel plans as buses will replace certain journeys and times are likely to be extended. We are focused on getting the train service back to normal as quickly as possible.”

Speaking of the improvements works, he added:

“The line was handed back to us on time and we were able to operate a normal train service between Manchester, Huddersfield and Leeds. There are residual works at Stalybridge that were planned and ongoing. These will be completed by early December through planned engineering works on Sundays.”

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