Altrincham Interchange

[Xenophon PCDGS]

This is an interchange for Manchester Metrolink. buses and heavy rail which is what good transport interchanges should hope to achieve.

Plans for the next stage of the refurbishment of this interchange have now been submitted to Trafford Council.

 

[WestCoast]

Yes, is a model for what could be achieved elsewhere. But, it will benefit very much from redevelopment, as it's not particularly modern.

The standardisation of bus-light rail interchanges was set down by the Tyne & Wear Metro back in the early 80s, Four Lane Ends and Regent Centre being the prime examples.

 

[Midlandman]

I'm afraid that I read, in my local paper, phrases such as 'integrated ticket office' and 'improved links between bus, train and tram' and I just wonder, why didn't we do it properly the first time?

 

[WatcherZero]

Lol their buzzwords, really its just sprucing up the rail station, replacing a old track pedestrian overpass, adding a couple of new station entrances and altering the bus station bays a bit.

 

[WestCoast]

I'm afraid that I read, in my local paper, phrases such as 'integrated ticket office' and 'improved links between bus, train and tram' and I just wonder, why didn't we do it properly the first time?

Money, money, money.

Plus, a lack of forward planning on the Metrolink. I do like the Met. but the original section does look like it was done on the cheap (the Altrincham line looks much better post refresh though).

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Rochdale could be another example, like Altrincham, where Heavy Rail, Metrolink and buses could make on interchange hub, so I heard tell recently, but I feel the position of the existing rail station is too far outside the main town centre for this to be viable.

Ashton station is in the centre of the town and is better placed for such a three-way interchange.

 

[Nym]

And an extention of the line from Ashton Under Lyne to Oldham... Trackbed is still there...

Wouldn't be a direct interchange, but you'd only need to cross a road to get from Ashton Bus/Tram station to the Railway Station. Taking passenger flows away from Victoria & Piccadilly as they will interchange at Ashton Under Lyne

 

[northwichcat]

I'm afraid that I read, in my local paper, phrases such as 'integrated ticket office' and 'improved links between bus, train and tram' and I just wonder, why didn't we do it properly the first time?

The ticket office can sell you Metrolink tickets (although they are printed on orange rail tickets not yellow Metrolink tickets.) In general ticketing for Metrolink services is from ticket machines only.

The one thing that should exist is through ticketing between Northwich, Knutsford, Hale and the Trafford Centre and Manchester Airport.

If you change at Altrincham through tickets exist for journeys between rail and Metrolinkif you start by rail, but not if you start by Metrolink and change on to rail. The same doesn't apply for Eccles or Deansgate (with the exception of Manchester CTLZ tickets within the city centre.)

 

[WatcherZero]

Actually through tickets to rail destinations starting from Metrolink stations are available, so long as the rail station is in Greater Manchester and your not starting your journey in the city centre zone. So for example you could buy a Metrolink ticket in Bury to Stockport.

 

[radamfi]

Rochdale could be another example, like Altrincham, where Heavy Rail, Metrolink and buses could make on interchange hub, so I heard tell recently, but I feel the position of the existing rail station is too far outside the main town centre for this to be viable.

Ashton station is in the centre of the town and is better placed for such a three-way interchange.

Rochdale station is no more 'inconvenient' than many rail stations across Europe. In most comparable situations across Europe, buses terminate at the station but also pass through the town centre. This makes bus/rail interchange easy. The British way is to terminate all routes in the town centre with the rail station only getting routes passing the station, like Rochdale. The 471 just happens to go that way on the way to Bolton. If you are really lucky, like Bristol or Cambridge, you might get a shuttle service to the town centre but that is still worse than the standard European way where the rail station is the focus of bus operation.

 

[Nym]

You mean like at Doncaster, Hull Paragon, errr, Doncaster and Hull Paragon?

Thinking cerously now, I can't think of any others, Manchester Airport maybe, Eccles Tram station, Windermere?

Are there any other intergrated Rail & Bus interchanges that all buses in the CC use?

You could argue Manchester, as rail, at it's two bus 'stations'

 

[WatcherZero]

Bury has one, Bolton under construction, one planned for Stockport but without funding after government cuts, Wigan theres a Council aspiration for one. Cant think of any more off the top of my head, Preston maybe? Ive interchanged at Crewe but that was a 5 min walk.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Rochdale station is no more 'inconvenient' than many rail stations across Europe. In most comparable situations across Europe, buses terminate at the station but also pass through the town centre. This makes bus/rail interchange easy. The British way is to terminate all routes in the town centre with the rail station only getting routes passing the station, like Rochdale.

Manchester Piccadilly station, Bolton station and Stockport station are all served by FREE "shuttle" bus services in Greater Manchester. Rochdale station does not have this facility.

 

[northwichcat]

You could argue Manchester, as rail, at it's two bus 'stations'

Shudehill's the only real bus station. Piccadilly Gardens is another bus interchange. While some bus companies stop buses near the Chorlton Street Coach station e.g. Burnley & Pendle, Lancashire United and Trent & Barton.

 

[radamfi]

It is a sad indictment of the British transport system that we are even discussing where interchanges exist. They should the standard and only locations that don't have an interchange should be noteworthy.

 

[Nym]

If you walk acress tesco car park in Bridlington most bus routes pass by it...

And yeah, I know where the buses terminate in Manchester, theres also a fair few other places in Manchester CC that major bus routes terminate.

Off hand...

Piccadilly Rail (Yes, buses terminate here. 147 being notable, but also a few local services around Ancoats and Bradford)
Victoria Rail
Shudhill Interchange
Piccadilly Gardens Main (Western Side)
Piccadilly Gardens Oldham St (Eastern Side)
Piccadilly Gardens New York St (Some Megabus Routes)
Oldham St Remote (Now mostly abandoned and all terminators pushed into Piccadilly Gardens Oldham St)
Chorlton St Coach Station
Chorlton St
Sackville St (Liverpool Airport Coaches)
Spring Gardens


Technically,

University Plaza is a major interchange
Fallowfeild Bus Station (If you can call it that)
East Didsbury Station

Have I missed any off there, no more than 12 places you can get your bus from in Manchester...

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Manchester Piccadilly , Manchester Victoria, Manchester Oxford Road, Deansgate and Salford Central are all served by the FREE Metroshuttle buses.

 

[Nym]

*Dons his pedantic hat*

Yes, but:

Salford Central isn't in Manchester
Manchester Oxford Road doesn't terminate the Metroshuttle Bus
Deansgate doesn't terminate the metroshuttle bus either.

 

[tbtc]

It is a sad indictment of the British transport system that we are even discussing where interchanges exist. They should the standard and only locations that don't have an interchange should be noteworthy.

I see your point. However there are a lot of places with a significant amount of buses serving the railway station area (such as Sheffield, where the bus station is over the road from the train station, and a tram stop is on the other side of the train station), though in bigger places its rare for *all* bus routes to serve the one place (given the size of city centres).

Bradford is another example of a proper "interchange", though in bigger places (like Leeds) there may be a bus station/ stances outside the station but the city is so big that not all buses serve those stops.

ETA: In fact, regardless of trains, fewer towns/ cities have bus stations that all/most services use these days. Either due to selling off of assets or to avoid paying "departure fees" or to run "cross city" services, the numbers have fallen (e.g. many routes that used to serve the Central Bus Station in Sheffield now serve other bits of the city centre)

 

[radamfi]

Walk out of almost all town centre rail station in the Netherlands or Belgium and you walk straight into the bus station. No crossing busy roads.

Bradford Interchange used to be used by most/all buses (certainly before deregulation) but First (or maybe Yorkshire Rider before them) decided to move them out into streets. As a result, most of the Interchange was closed down and turned into a car park.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

*Dons his pedantic hat*

Yes, but:

Salford Central isn't in Manchester
Manchester Oxford Road doesn't terminate the Metroshuttle Bus
Deansgate doesn't terminate the metroshuttle bus either.

Please look again at what my posting said.....it said that these stations WERE SERVED BY buses. No mention was made of TERMINATING.

All these five stations are recognised as the core stations serving the metroplitan complex and as such, all feature on Metroshuttle bus routes that are FREE to use, irrespective if you are a rail ticket holder or not.

 

[Nym]

yes, but i did say manchester... Not manchester met. Area...

 

[radamfi]

Salford Victoria Bus Station (just west of the Irwell) used to be a major terminus before deregulation, and particularly before SELNEC started as Salford buses used to terminate there. Most of these buses ended up going across the river to the Arndale or Piccadilly after deregulation and the bus station became a car park. It was briefly reinstated before the opening of Shudehill.

Obviously in 2011 the term 'Manchester' is generally used to refer to the whole conurbation, similar to how 'London' is used to mean 'Greater London'.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I see your point. However there are a lot of places with a significant amount of buses serving the railway station area (such as Sheffield, where the bus station is over the road from the train station, and a tram stop is on the other side of the train station), though in bigger places its rare for *all* bus routes to serve the one place (given the size of city centres).

A similar instance to that of your description of Sheffield as shown above, occurred when the new bus and coach joint interchange was constructed at Chorley, where the new town centre relief road bisects the railway station from the new interchange, but at least the new interchange was built diametrically opposite the rail station.

Any person coming into the town or city by rail for the first time can find it bewildering to know where to find a bus to their final destination. This is where the new FREE buses that connect rail and bus stations, when these are some distance apart, are very useful. I speak from listening to comments made from students in Huddersfield in particular.

One anomoly is Blackpool, where Talbot Road bus station, not far from the rail station, was discontinued and the services spread around the neighbouring streets. The matter was made even worse by the Promenade being closed off during the improvements to the tram system in that area, with the subsquent road diversions that were required. However, I have been informed that a new infrastructure project will address this situation in the future, once it is constructed.

 

[tbtc]

Any person coming into the town or city by rail for the first time can find it bewildering to know where to find a bus to their final destination. This is where the new FREE buses that connect rail and bus stations, when these are some distance apart, are very useful. I speak from listening to comments made from students in Huddersfield in particular.

Free buses were a good idea in places like Manchester (significant numbers arriving by train, more than one station, bus services spread out), but when they started in the likes of Dewsbury they became a councillor indulgence, a status symbol for little places that like to "think big".

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

They do have their place as a co-ordinated part of transport in the larger areas. I cannot comment about Dewbury, save that all the First TPE trains I have used have always stopped there. There has always been a good number of passengers embarking or disembarking there.

In Greater Manchester, besides Manchester, both Stockport and Bolton with the stations slightly away from the main core centre, both have these buses which also serve bus stations,markets, main shopping centres, etc, in addition to the rail facility afforded....AND THEY ARE FREE.

Perhaps one day Rochdale may obtain such a service.

 

[Nym]

Nah, Rochdale won't it's getting a tram to the Bus station, so it's going to be that that's used. Hopfully they'll make it so that all tickets starting and ending at Rochdale are valid on the metrolink into Rochdale TC.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Nah, Rochdale won't it's getting a tram to the Bus station, so it's going to be that that's used. Hopfully they'll make it so that all tickets starting and ending at Rochdale are valid on the metrolink into Rochdale TC.

I note that you most carefully omitted to state that the PROJECTED date for the trams to reach Rochdale Town Centre is not until 2014.

That would give a three-year FREE bus service that would link Rochdale train station, Rochdale bus station and other town centre places such as the town hall, as do the current services in Stockport and Bolton.

******************************************************

Please note.....We should be having this debate on the METROLINK OLDHAM thread. This is the ALTRINCHAM thread.

 

[northwichcat]

One anomoly is Blackpool, where Talbot Road bus station, not far from the rail station, was discontinued and the services spread around the neighbouring streets. The matter was made even worse by the Promenade being closed off during the improvements to the tram system in that area, with the subsquent road diversions that were required. However, I have been informed that a new infrastructure project will address this situation in the future, once it is constructed.

Talbot Road bus station in Blackpool needs to be refurbished. National Express have moved out of there. Most services now stop on the road outside the dull, depressing enclosure. I think only the Stagecoach/Megabus service to Manchester stops within the enclosure.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Talbot Road bus station in Blackpool needs to be refurbished. National Express have moved out of there. Most services now stop on the road outside the dull, depressing enclosure. I think only the Stagecoach/Megabus service to Manchester stops within the enclosure.

Thank you for your comments of support. You did mention the Stagecoach bus..was this the one from Manchester Shudehill bus station. If so, that too no longer stops at Talbot Road bus station but at the new National Express coach station that is some walking distance away. There has been a slight renumbering of this service. It is now the X60 from Manchester to Chorley, becoming the X61 from Chorley onwards. I have TfGM to thank for this updated inormation.