Fresh push for faster trains between Burnley and Manchester (From Burnley and Pendle Citizen)

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Fresh push for faster trains between Burnley and Manchester

10:29pm Wednesday 12th March 2008

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By Peter Magill »

A FRESH study has been commissioned as part of a bid to establish faster rail links between Burnley and Manchester.

Town leaders believe that reducing the journey time between Burnley Manchester Road, and Manchester Victoria train stations will improve the economic and social outlook for Burnley residents.

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Should the Todmorden Curve be reinstated? Add your comments below.

And a new attempt to convince Network Rail of the benefits of reinstating the Todmorden Curve, allowing a 38-minute service between Burnley and Manchester, has now been launched by consultants.

Currently it can take between 75 minutes and an hour-and-a-half to travel to the city, with commuters being forced to switch trains at Hebden Bridge - or Blackburn in the opposite direction.

A Burnley Council spokesman said: "They are working up the social and economic benefits of the scheme, as part of work to convince Network Rail that this is a vital and much-needed proposition."

Campaigners from the Independent Railway and Transport Executive are championing the reinstatement of the Todmorden Curve, which closed to trains just more than 40 years ago.

Last year consultants Faber Maunsell were asked to come up with a number of options for improving rail links to Manchester.

They said that the Todmorden Curve alternative - where an old line offering a "turnback" facility for trains would be reopened - was the most cost-effective choice at £8.2million.

Council officials met with Network Rail bosses in the wake of the Faber Maunsell findings, to argue that the Burnley scheme deserved to be considered as a priority.

Consultants insisted that the Todmorden Curve plan was more plausible than proposals to upgrade the Blackburn line, the other option which could offer improved services to Burnley.

New consultants - London-based Colin Buchanan - have now been employed by the borough council to revamp the Burnley bid.

Rail users say that only 400yards of extra track and three points would be needed to complete the regeneration works.

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Caz, Burnley says...
9:31am Thu 13 Mar 08

I am very sad that yet another study has to be paid for. This exercise has been gone through on so many occasions! The benefits are self evident - the money would be better spent by just getting on with the job now!
And, if the study, is really so necessary, why do we need a London firm to carry this out - no local talent that we could have turned to????

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C Ward, says...
3:54pm Thu 13 Mar 08

Another unecessary and costly study by some expensive professional group which , these days, has to be done to give legitamacy to any case being put to the powers that be, even though to the rest of us it is just plain common sense. The rail connection and signalling is already in place at the Burnley end of the Curve as it was put in for banking locomotives to wait there to assist heavy freight trains over Copy Pit Summit. Unfortunately, it is now somewhat overgrown but would be easy to rejuvenate.If the Curve was to be rebuilt it would be possible to run the Blackpool - York service into Todmorden Station and then reverse there with Manchester bound passengers changing trains. There would be obvious time penalties in such a move as well as the inconvenience of changing trains. Likewise introducing a new circular service via Blackburn and Rochdale would jeopardise aspirations to increase the Clitheroe service to half hourly and starting/terminating a Burnley - Manchester service at Rose Grove, where runround facilities already exist, would probably be uneconomic and require a subsidy. Having said that just look how the Blackpool - York service has grown in popularity in the past twenty years with the train recently having a third carriage added to cope with increasing usage.

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ian, from Burnley says...
4:48pm Thu 13 Mar 08

Why in this country does the tax payer have to spend thousands for private consultants to carry out pointless studies just for another private company, in this case Network Rail to decide whether it is worth considering or not. Common sense! There is no risk, just build the thing and give Burnley the opportunity to tap in on the prosperity of Manchester before we have another recession!

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MIKEOXLONG, says...
10:29pm Fri 14 Mar 08

CHOOO CHOOO

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Burnley Taxpayer, Burnley says...
4:15pm Mon 28 Apr 08

8.2 million quid - hardly enough to pay MP's families for a week!

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David, Walsden says...
12:33pm Thu 19 Jun 08

People in Todmorden have been campaigning for the reinstatement of the Stansfield Hall curve for twenty years or more, to allow direct access to Blackpool trains. Requests have always fallen on deaf ears, usually on the grounds of cost. (The alternative was to re-build Stansfield Hall station.)
It is a very complex issue, involving three PTAs, Network Rail, and numerous local and regional authorities, development agencies, train operating companies and so on and so forth.
Three major issues stand out to me - I'm only an interested passenger, not an expert. Firstly, the track through Todmorden station is cambered (the train leans) because it's on a long curve. This would need to be altered so the track was level for the junction. Levelling the track would mean altering the platforms to maintain the train to platform distance criteria.
Secondly, various signals would need to be modified or moved and others added, depending on the chosen track layout - I would prefer double track.
Thirdly, the journey from Manchester to Burnley involves three Passenger Transport Executives/Authoriti

es. Whilst brilliantly effective in cutting travel costs within their own areas, travel between areas can be very expensive, e.g. Walsden (West Yorks. Metro) to Manchester (Greater Manchester PTE) three years or so ago set me back £20-25 (return) for two adults and a child, whereas Littleborough to Manchester would have cost £7.50. Add another PTA and there are serious cost implications for Burnley to Manchester via Todmorden.
It's far cheeaper to take the family by car!
I for one would like to see the curve re-instated, but bringing all the necessary parties together and hammering out a common sense, affordable solution won't be an easy task, and it would be so much cheaper without all the various consultants' reports.
The social and economic benefits are enormous, and we have to try and get cars off the roads, so never mind the cost, just do it!

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