A town hall’s opposition to HS2 plans to cut off Ashton from the Metrolink for years is to be heard before a Parliamentary select committee.
A petition backed by Tameside full council was submitted in August last year to the House of Commons opposing the plans within the hybrid High Speed Rail between Crewe and Manchester bill.
As it stands, tram services on the Ashton-under-Lyne to Eccles route would be suspended during the construction period while ‘Metrolink realignment works’ are carried out to allow for completion of the station concourse and fit-out works.
There would be a temporary track and ‘turn back’ created at Piccadilly for a period of two years until the new Piccadilly Metrolink stop is fully functional.
The executive cabinet has now agreed to allocate up to £50,000 to support the petition, including getting professional and technical advice for the hearing.
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Previous leader Brenda Warrington had said she was ‘dismayed’ by the fact that developing the new HS2 line could see Metrolink services to Ashton suspended for two years.
However an HS2 spokesperson previously insisted they aimed to ‘limit disruption’.
The council wants the bill amended to enable the construction of a new depot at Ashton Moss, which would see a tram shuttle service operate between the Ashton and New Islington stops instead of the full closure of the Ashton Line.
This, with some other works, would enable the Ashton Metrolink line to remain open throughout the construction of HS2, officers say.
The report to cabinet states: “The council require that the existing Metrolink Ashton Line should be kept connected to the remainder of the Metrolink network for as long as practicable during construction of the HS2 station and modified Metrolink infrastructure and, when the line has to be disconnected from Piccadilly, trams are able to operate as far into Manchester City Centre as possible, with bus services provided to bridge the gap.”
The council states that the bill must be amended in order for the HS2 Ltd company to take on powers needed to construct and operate the Metrolink enabling works.
All three MPs in Tameside have also petitioned against the bill on the basis of the impact ‘severing’ the Ashton Metrolink line would have on their constituents.
Denton and Reddish MP Andrew Gwynne had said it would be ‘disastrous’ for the borough.
The council’s objection will now be heard before a select committee of MPs, at which an officer will attend to respond to questions, technical enquiries and cross examination.
The HS2 Hybrid Bill for Phase 2b between Crewe and Manchester was put before MPs on last January and is still going through the parliamentary process.
Responding to criticism when the plans were first revealed, a spokesperson for HS2 said that subject to the passage of the bill, Metrolink realignment works are not expected to begin until at least 2024, and they intend to limit disruption to Metrolink to ‘as short a duration as is reasonably practicable’.
A replacement bus service between Ashton and Piccadilly Gardens would be in operation before the new Piccadilly Metrolink stop becomes fully functional.
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