Metrolink

[lfclfclfc123]

Am I the only person who thinks Warrington could do with the metrolink?

[Gary]

It has been campaigned for in the past and I am sure it will again in the future.

But I think you are the only person to have two images in your signature!

You will probably have to remove Riise for this season!

[JimmyMac]

Am I the only person who thinks Warrington could do with the metrolink?

 

The editor of the G**rd**n had a bit of a bee in his bonnet a couple of years ago about extending the Metrolink from Altrincham to Lymm and onwards to Warrington. Given how long it has taken for Greater Manchester to get the extensions within the county borders, I think it will be a long time before they even think about extending into Cheshire as well - and it'll probably be existing railway lines that benefit from so-called tram-trains, i.e. Altrincham to Northwich via Knutsford.

 

Warrington doesn't stand a chance of getting its own tram system at any time soon, as it's just not big enough to get a decent length of route, and the suburbs are too low-density.

 

In the meantime, Warrington has a pretty good rail service to Manchester and Liverpool already (as long as you try and avoid the Nottingham "service" provided by East Midlands Trains). And the new bus interchange is handy for Central Station. You can already get bus+train season tickets (see PlusBus), now if only there was a better tie-in to the GM and Merseyside ticket ranges.

[observer]

Basically, Warrington (especially the New Town additions) were designed for the car, which means that key venues wern't built along main route corridors, that could easily be serviced by buses - this needs to be reversed.

[AdrianR]

small problem. major part of the track bed has been lost when they widened thelwall.

 

Cannot see it happening. A busway throught to Altrincham on the track bed may be better use (cheaper!!)

[squirgle]

In the meantime, Warrington has a pretty good rail service to Manchester and Liverpool already (as long as you try and avoid the Nottingham "service" provided by East Midlands Trains).

The trains are great if you want to go straight to Lime Street or Piccadilly. You can hop on one of the lovely long distance First Transpennine trains and be there in 20 minutes. If you miss that though, or you want to go to one of the smaller stops then prepare for the MerseyRail 'service', where complimentary chewing gum can be found stuck to your backside.

[inky pete]

The editor of the G**rd**n had a bit of a bee in his bonnet a couple of years ago about extending the Metrolink from Altrincham to Lymm and onwards to Warrington..

 

Can't be done using the old railway line I'm afraid. Since it was converted into the Trans-Pennine Trail much of the land forming sufficient width for two lines has been sold off. This meant that there were three seperate freeholds forming my property when I bought it, which are now amalgamated into one. So I have a chunk of the old line and a bit of what was Lymm station now forming the bottom 15 feet of my garden. Many of the properties backing onto the trail are the same so to reopen it would require a large number of CPO's all along the length of the line.

 

Plus, as has been noted, a major problem at the motorway viaduct, rebuilding the ship canal bridge, taking trams straight through the Atlantic Street Industrial area at the Altrincham end, and that still would only serve parts of Lymm, Thelwall, Grappenhall and Latchford before you get to Bank Quay.

 

No real place to put a large park and ride on the route either, so only people living close to the stops would use it.

 

Better and easier to extend the Eccles branch north of the ship canal to Irlam, Cadishead, Glazebrook, Birchwood, Fearnhead, Woolston and Padgate - or even down through Flixton and Urmston to meet the Trafford Centre extension and serve the large employment areas around Trafford Park.

[Bazj]

..... then we could all get the train to the Trafford Centre and not have to worry about Warringtons extortionate parking charges ever again!! I'll vote or that. Unfortunately most of the councillors wouldn't because it would reduce the revenue streams from the car parks.

 

nice idea though

[inky pete]

Vote, now there's an idea!!!

 

Of course, the only people who get to vote on any of this, as part of the congestion charging scheme, are residents of Greater Manchester. So Wigan residents, for example, get a say but many people living much nearer to the city don't. Also, the huge number of GM residents who live within the two zones will get a vote even though most of them will never have to pay the charge.

 

Aint democracy wonderful when polls can be rigged just by carefully choosing who you ask!!

[observer]

Are ZanuPF acting as consultants?!