Pulling plans to build two new platforms at Piccadilly station is a 'decade lost for the North of England', Andy Burnham has said as he pushed back against the move at a meeting of mayors, council leaders and rail chiefs today (June 7). Building platforms 15 and 16 has been seen as key to unclogging congestion on railways across the region – but the proposal was withdrawn last month.
Questioning the move, Lord Patrick McLoughlin, who signed off the initial plans in 2014 when he was transport secretary, said an 'inordinate amount of time and effort' was spent on the scheme. It comes as Transport for the North (TfN) - the body set up by the government which Lord McLoughlin is now the chairman of - looks at a 'new approach' to regional rail infrastructure upgrades.
But the Rail North Committee has refused to endorse a letter to the transport secretary which removes recommendations for the additional platforms at Manchester Piccadilly until their concerns are addressed. Mr Burnham, who was appointed chair of the committee, said the new statutory advice set to be issued by the public body would be 'less specific' in what it is recommending.
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The new approach would 'avoid specifying outputs', such as calling for two new platforms at Piccadilly, and instead focus on 'outcomes'. TfN would still recommend that the busy Castlefield corridor should carry no less than 16 trains per hour each way, but it would not say how this should be achieved.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service ahead of the meeting, former TfN boss Jim Bamford said he agreed with the target. But referring to a 2019 Network Rail report which is not in the public domain, he said 'no other option comes close' to achieving aim that than building platforms 15 and 16.
The Greater Manchester mayor acknowledged the comments by Mr Bamford, saying that as far as the city-region is concerned, platforms 15 and 16 are still 'very firmly on the table'. The proposal for two new platforms at Piccadilly, which was first put forward more than a decade ago, and have been awaiting final sign-off from the government since 2015 after a public inquiry was held.
Mr Burnham told the Rail North Committee today (June 7) that the 'failure' to progress with the plans is 'not good news' for the region. He said: "It is almost a decade since that went in – that's a decade lost in the North of England."
The Labour mayor asked for reassurance that the improvements would lead to an expanded timetable as intended. He also asked if Stockport will be classed as 'congested infrastructure' while his counterpart in South Yorkshire said 'blockages' on this route are affecting improvements to the Hope Valley line.
Mr Burnham announcement by the government last week of a £72m package that will pay for a new platform at Salford Crescent, new 'turnback tracks' near Salford Central and Manchester Victoria and other platform improvements.
But he called for a timeframe for future rail improvement works to be agreed.
The committee concluded that their concerns could not be addressed before the TfN board meets in two weeks' time. They decided to push back their decision on whether to endorse the new statutory advice until September.
Rail bosses were quizzed by Lord McLoughlin about their decision to withdraw the application for work which included platforms 15 and 16 at Piccadilly He said: "Presumably a lot of money was spent securing that particular order."
TfN's investment planning manager Charlie French said a 'broader package' is needed to address issues in the area around the Castlefield corridor which have been identified since the previous order was submitted and may 'negate' the need for some of the work. He said: "Platforms 15 and 16 could still be a solution for Manchester but it's not necessarily the solution that's needed."
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