Cheadle and Gatley Lib Dems are moving
Graham, Tom and Ian
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What were the local issues four decades ago?
Cheadle and Gatley Lib Dems are moving
Cheadle and Gatley Lib Dems are moving
What were the local issues four decades ago?
Cheadle and Gatley Lib Dems are moving
Lib Dems build support for Cheadle and Gatley Metrolink
by Lib Dem team on 4 March, 2015
Local MP Mark Hunter and the Lib Dem team are working to build support for a new Metrolink service to Cheadle and Gatley.
Cheadle & Gatley Lib Dem Council candidate Graham Greenhalgh said “The joint report from Stockport Council and TfGM proposes a Metrolink service running along the Stockport-Altrincham train line with new stops in Cheadle and Gatley. That’s the first stage but we need to do a lot more if we’re going to deliver. We need local residents to show your support for the scheme and we need to get others to support it too.”
Cllr Iain Roberts said “We are already out there building support for the proposals. We think an orbital tram route connecting Altrincham, Stockport and potentially Tameside and Oldham to Manchester Airport and Airport City will benefit all those areas. The more support we can get, the better.”
Please show your support for a Metrolink service to Cheadle and Gatley by signing Mark Hunter’s petition.
21 Comments
Having the Stockport – Altringham route as part of a wider tram-train orbital route would be pretty good. You could do something like the design in this link for minimal cost as it’d follow already established lines for the most part: http://imgur.com/uzeOoRy
Great idea but slightly confused and concerned about the proposed location of the Gatley metrolink station. Are there any proposed sites?
End of Belmont Road makes the most sense. But I’d extend Belmont road and loop it round to join up to Saville Road via a new bridge and the current old bridge (renovated of course). This would provide car parking too.
It’d be close to the existing Gatley train station to allow an interchange of sorts. It’d be a far walk I know, but the need to swap between the east-west and the north-south services is a must.
This link has a crude drawing to show what I mean: http://imgur.com/Pvk5DNt
Seems a long way from the centre of GATLEY and surely having a metro look should not mean more parking for it.
There isn’t a train line going through the CENTRE OF GATLEY is there though? This proposal is to open up the Stockport-Altringham line so there are more stations along it, be it for tram-train or traditional train services. To have a station in the centre of Gatley would mean building an entire new line rather than improving an existing one. That won’t happen for a long time as there are other places in Greater Manchester with a higher priority.
Well of course you’d need some parking because some people like to park and ride. I’m sure the residents around the proposed site would not like a load of commuters parking all around their road. My idea provides some parking space by developing an empty plot of land, as well as connecting Saville Road to Belmont Road.
No proposed sites yet – the most likely to me seems to be the end of Belmont Road or somewhere along Savile Road, and I would expect it to be like most tram stops across GM – without significant parking.
Don’t hold your breath. New rail stations at Cheadle, Adswood, Stepping Hill Hospital and Simpsons Corner/ High Lane were adopted as part of the Stockport Core Strategy DPD in March 2011 (ref: Stockport-Rail-Strategy-Jan2015)
We will have to wait for electrification of the line. The Chester to Stockport is a “Tier One” line which should be considered for the next funding cycle of 2019-2024.
Absolutely John – all our experience from across the country is that these things don’t happen quickly, but if you don’t fight for them they won’t happen at all.
2019-2014? Are you having a laugh at as all? We need a Cheadle station NOW, not in a decades time! There is opportunity to get this a done deal with the impending closure of Travis Perkins in Cheadle village centre, this is a prime site and a once in a lifetime opportunity. We don’t want to hear long term ideas, get this sorted now!
Rather than wait an age for a tram-train project (with all its attendant issues), please press for simple station halts to be re-constructed at Cheadle, Gatley/Northenden, Baguley and possibly other locations on the Stockport – Altrincham line. These are long overdue since this line carried passenger trains after Oxford Road to Altrincham was converted to Metrolink. These could be provided at minimal cost and within a short time. Its quite rediculous that these trains do not stop on this commuter route.
We’re pressing for halts as a stepping-stone to Metrolink – we’ve got a meeting with the train companies in the next couple of weeks to make the case. Whether we’re successful is another matter, of course, but we’ll continue to fight for it.
Its slow to happen because the line is not electrified and commuters who use this line to commute into central Manchester and Stockport from Knutsford, Northwich and other parts of Cheshire already have a slow service to commute on. They don’t want the service further slowed down. The line needs to be improved first to improve service speed so the additional stops do not further slow down an already slow route.
However to the rail company, surely the additional passenger numbers from these new stops would be worth the additional revenue? Well seems they have misjudged demand for local stops along the Stockport-Altringham route in Cheadle and the like, or the losses from Cheshire commuters is seen to be greater than the gain from Greater Manchester commuters. Lack of demand seems to be the prime reason, as losing demand to the old tram system is why this train service was cancelled in the first place.
Halts as a stepping-stone to the Metrolink is the perfect stepping stone. Whether the metrolink or the heavy rail services is first to begin operations along this line in Cheadle is however up for debate. Based on metrolink’s current successes compared to Northern Rail, I think metrolink is more likely. Specially if metrolink ever want to create an orbital route around Manchester (see this link for my earlier idea http://imgur.com/uzeOoRy ) this would be a brilliant choice of line to form part of it.
To be honest I don’t care if its a train, tram-train or metrolink station or whatever in Cheadle; just as long as I have a rail-based public transport option rather than me being so reliant on buses. Hopefully the new Devo-Manc deal will lead to a more unified system of public transport in Greater Manchester like they have in London, Hong Kong or any other big city. How I miss my Octopus card and the MTR…
YES i fully support CHEADLE GATLEY METRO.
surely, must have big car parking, which ever the site
Good Luck;
let us see it happen in our life time !!
Afzal Chaudhri
Sorry talk of a station on belmont/saville rd means no x in mr hunters voting slip. Residents have already had a belly full of traffic for the current station. out of interest who would use it for stockport and altincham. sorry final stray lib dems
Hi Phil,
I’m sorry you feel we can’t have an open discussion without losing your vote – where would you prefer a stop to be? Very early days at the moment, we’re not pushing for any particular solution.
I would note that Metrolink stations elsewhere don’t generally attract lots more traffic, but they do substantially increase house prices. The research suggests being close to a Metrolink stop adds an average of £12,000 to the value of property.
I doubt very much that my house will increase in value close to a metrolink station. I have no alternative other than dont bother as will be hardly used as long walk fron the village
Fair enough, Phil. The research on house prices across GM does suggest an average increase of £12,000 for people living near to a Metrolink stop though and I can’t think of any reason why Gatley houses would be the exception. After all, a lot of Metrolink stops are in residential areas rather than town/village centres.
Good points.
I would have thought the logical thing would be to re-instate the original Northenden station stop on the original site adjacent to Longley Lane and so attract Northenden passengers as well as Gatley passengers.
good idea
I signed the petition because i think it would be a very positive asset for us Gatley residents. None of us wants even more cars parked outside our house or in our road, of course. That’s the big one to solve. The Tatton plot seems the obvious place to consider – so keep the front and building but develop it into …. perhaps an arts, crafts and music centre (just how many square feet/meters are there in there i wonder). The Northern Quarter has a place like this … i think. And have a multi-story cp behind, perhaps incl below ground. It would have little visual impact. Yes, access in and out off the main road wouldn’t be ideal. But what are the alternatives? Concrete The Carrs? We are going to have to consider and put value on such things. Otherwise, it’s just more parking across our driveways, isn’t it? Like this recent experience – ” Hello. You are parked right across my driveway so i can’t get my car out. Huh. Yes you – i cannot get my car out. I wanted to go out at 3:15, but you are blocking me. Well, i was just picking up the kids at the school, sorry. But i’ve been waiting for 15 minutes for you to return and remove your car from blocking me going out. How can you do that? So sorry, It’s ok now isn’t it, you can get out now ” This is how it is around Lumm Head School two times a day. I don’t want our community to be in stress like that.
Tatton Metro.
Why not?