The business case for the proposed rail link from Rawtenstall to Manchester has been submitted to the Department for Transport.
Rail consultants Systra who were appointed by Rossendale Council and Lancashire County Council to produce the report and explore a number of potential solutions, are confident the options suggested provide a strong economic case for the new rail link, which would deliver real benefits to residents across Rossendale, Ramsbottom, Bury and Heywood.
Rossendale is the only authority in Lancashire without a rail link and suffers from high levels of road congestion especially in terms of travelling into Greater Manchester.
Rossendale Council Leader Alyson Barnes said: “The rail link is vital to our continued sustainable growth which is why we as a council have driven this forward over a number of years – hopefully we are now seeing the fruits of this strategy. We are the only borough in Lancashire without a rail link and we cannot afford to miss out any longer.”
A resident and business survey undertaken to gauge views on the project in May and June 2022, delivered a resounding show of support with eighty-six per cent of those who completed the survey supportive of the potential new link that is predicted to reduce car journeys on the M66/A56 by up to one million trips.
A key part of the brief was to ensure that the existing East Lancashire Railway (ELR) heritage services can continue to operate alongside any regular passenger service, and that traditional features including stations and signalling systems would also be maintained.
A substantial part of the work on the business case was focussed on understanding how the proposed service options could be overlaid on the existing ELR operation without diminishing the quality and viability of the operation. And they have solved this challenge which is a major step forward.
The scheme will see a passenger rail service from Rawtenstall via Ramsbottom, Bury and Heywood into Manchester Victoria. Meaning a 44-minute journey from Rawtenstall to Manchester and only a 14-minute journey from Heywood.
County Councillor Charlie Edwards, Lancashire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We fully support the new rail link. Rossendale’s natural geography is one of its greatest features, but also places constraints on what is viable and affordable in terms of creating better transport links.
“There is a limit to the amount of traffic which the valley roads can cope with, and the creation of a regular rail service to Manchester has great potential to ensure our residents can access new opportunities for employment, education and leisure.
“There is clearly a worthwhile case for the rail link and, with the strong local support for this scheme from MPs, councils and residents, I look forward to it continuing to make good progress.”
The preferred option would see a journey from Rawtenstall to a new Bury Market Street station with a pedestrian link to Bury Interchange for connections to Manchester. This option avoids impact at Buckley Wells where ELR have plans for to develop an engine shed and would deliver a journey time of around 56 minutes.
The route would continue from Bury via Heywood and the Calder Valley Line. This delivers a faster total journey time of just 44 minutes and would not require an interchange but would require a new station at Heywood to cope with forecasted demand.
Eamonn O’Brien, Leader of Bury Council said: “It’s great to see so many stakeholders working together on this project. We have said from the start that we want to see plans that are viable and protect the existing heritage offer on the line. This latest development shows there is great potential to deliver this and I’m confident it can bring positive impacts along the route of the proposed line, within Bury and beyond.”
A funding bid has now been submitted to the new Government and the councils await a decision on funding for the next stage hopefully by the Spring.
You can find a brief overview of the concept, an assessment of its viability, a technical summary of the key infrastructure issues and a summary of the detailed business case here https://bit.ly/rbcraillink
Photo credit: Transport Design International
