Northern fears for south Manchester services in December timetable

Northern Rail, together with GMPTE, are reported in the railway press as being so concerned about the impact of Virgin’s December timetable changes as to have written to the Office of Rail Regulation.

From December Virgin will be running 3 trains per hour to London instead of the current 2 which means they will take up more platform spaces at Piccadilly and - crucially - make the Stockport to Piccadilly section even busier.

Northern Rail’s mid-Cheshire services are among the victims of the changes - some services which run from Cheshire through to Piccadilly or Blackpool will terminate at Stockport with travellers having to change there to complete their journey into Manchester.

There are also though to be knock-on effects for services all over Manchester. Walkden trains will be slightly re-timed, but other routes will suffer loss of some cross-city services and, because fewer Northern trains will be able to cross the city, the timetable will require Northern to use more trains and crews.

Barbara speaks up for Walkden

Barbara Keeley MP, a staunch supporter of FOWS, has raised the plight of Walkden station in Westminster while speaking in a debate on proposed congestion charge. Barbara drew attention to the fact that rail services from Walkden are over-crowded during the peak hours, and that very little of the £3bn investment the TIF fund will generate is ear-marked for projects that will benefit the residents of Walkden or Worsley.

See Barbara’s press release for more details.

Passenger numbers keep on rising

Recently published figures from GMPTE’s latest passenger numbers survey confirm what every Walkden commuter knows - the number of passengers is continuing to rocket.

GMPTE conduct a survey every year and this year’s figures show a 14.4% increase in morning peak numbers and a more modest 1% increase off-peak. However, as the figures below show, the numbers are substantially reduced by the decline in the number of passengers alighting at Walkden - the number of passengers boarding trains here has increased by even more than 14%.

The rising popularity of the station is confirmed by Office of Rail Regulation figures which estimate the annual number of passengers at Walkden to be 156,000 in 2007 - a 5% increase on the previous year.

Walkden in line for TIF Improvements

This week’s approval of Greater Manchester’s bid for up to £3 billion of investment by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly could signal significant improvements for Walkden station and trains along the Atherton line.

Walkden is highlighted on GMPTE’s TIF Map for TIF Funded Improvements which FOWS understand to include CCTV, real-time passenger information and improved signage at the station. The Atherton line – along with the Eccles line – is also singled out for additional carriages to ease congestion, although these might quickly be filled by additional passengers using the new proposed Park & Ride facility at Atherton.

Although there is some way to go before the TIF project becomes a reality and the improvements will not be seen for a few years yet, we are pleased that GMPTE have recognised Walkden’s particular need for modernisation in their plans.

Lucky Swinton gets £50,000 investment

You may have seen the article in last week’s Salford Advertiser about the £50,000 grant that GMPTE have secured from the Department of Transport for improvements to Swinton station. No-one could deny Swinton needs improvement, but FOWS are at a loss to understand how Swinton was prioritised above Walkden when:

• Walkden has many more passengers than Swinton
• Walkden is missing all the same facilities that Swinton is missing
• Walkden has more steps to the platform
• Walkden does not have a pedestrian crossing outside
• Walkden doesn’t even have a front door to secure it at night !

This comes on top of last year’s announcement of GMPTE grants to Bolton and Wigan councils to improve facilities at stations between Atherton and Wigan.

FOWS are writing to GMPTE to ask for an explanation of their priorities for local stations.

Have even more say on public transport in Salford !

Following on from the recent post about GMPTE Public Transport Surgeries, GMPTE also has a dedicated “Consultation Team” to liase with the travelling public.Anyone can sign up to the Consultation Panel on GMPTE’s website where you register to participate in surveys and receive a newsletter reporting the impact of panel members’ input. Again, it’s a golden opportunity to get your views on local transport issues heard at GMPTE and we urge anyone with an interest in services from Walkden station to get involved.

Have your say on public transport in Salford

Did you know that GMPTE hold regular Passenger Transport Surgeries where the public are invited to meet GMPTE (and rail operators ?) and express their views ? It’s a great chance to express your views to the people directly responsible for improving public transport services and facilities in Manchester. The next surgery in Salford will be held at Salford Central Rail Station on Thursday 17th April from 4pm to 6pm. Get along and have your say ! See GMPTE website for further details.

Salford Central refurbishment nears completion

	Salford Central station’s late-running renovation work is nearly complete and the new glass entrance hall is a great improvement on its predecessor. Inside the station the tunnel to the platforms is looking spectacular as the brick arches have been exposed and beautifully lit from below.
	On the platform things aren’t so pretty … there’s very little sign of change apart from the welcome addition of electronic information displays, albeit hidden behind ghastly floor-to-ceiling cages.  Is the risk of vandalism so high or has someone just installed the displays at such a low height that cages are needed to stop people bumping their heads ?
	The number of security cameras makes you wonder what kind of assault GMPTE are expecting … we counted 27 criss-crossing every imaginable area of the station. What a pity GMPTE say they can’t afford 2 cameras for Walkden ?

Chamber of Commerce Support for Walkden

We were pleased to note the letter in last week’s Salford Advertiser expressing Greater Manchester’s Chamber of Commerce’s frustration at the lack of investment from GMPTE in stations like Walkden, and the lack of clear commitments on spending plans for future years.

The letter shows that the lack of investment is viewed as a problem by the business community at large, and not just the passengers who face years of waiting for substantial improvments.

 

Northern remove graffiti quickly

Thanks to Northern Rail and maintenance contractors ISS for moving quickly to obliterate the latest outbreak of graffiti within 24 hours.

In contrast to Northern’s sppedy action, an article in today’s Salford Advertiser reports that GMPTE don’t plan to make any significant investment in stations like Walkden for up to 10 years … I’m afraid it looks like those “Life on Mars” headlines will hold true for quite some time unless GMPTE change their plans.

FOWS are grateful for an excellent series of articles in the Advertiser by Pamela Welsh that have focused on the state of Walkden station and public transport in Greater Manchester generally. You can read Pamela’s previous article online here.

If you think this isn’t good enough and GMPTE should be doing more to encourage the use and development of Walkden station, why not write to your local councillor or the chair of GMPTE Roger Jones ? All councillors contact details can be found on the Salford website.