Mid Cheshire line terminating at Altrincham

[Greybeard33]

Isn't Wilmslow - Manchester Airport on that list of pilot schemes? Would be a shame if all services from Crewe could no longer serve the airport and everyone would have to change onto the tram, wouldn't it?

The whole point of tram-trains is that they can share the track with the heavy rail services, not replace them.

Northern services still call at Rotherham Central, as well as the tram-trains.

 

[cle]

What is the train train proposal - just extending the Met from Altrincham?

Hale makes sense. Beyond that isn’t really dense enough to be so viable. Knutsford is underserved but I don’t think this is the solve. Plus the level crossing etc...

Does any freight pass through Navvy Road?

 

[LOL The Irony]

Does any freight pass through Navvy Road?

All of it.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Dec 2020 ==

The whole point of tram-trains is that they can share the track with the heavy rail services, not replace them.

Northern services still call at Rotherham Central, as well as the tram-trains.

Well this poster wanted the trams to replace trains.

 

[backontrack]

To say that Ashley, Mobberley, Mouldsworth and Plumley justify the service level they have is a 1950s view.

That's no justification to reduce the service level at the stations which do deserve it, like Hale, Knutsford, Northwich and Greenbank.

Astounding cognitive dissonance.

 

[Greybeard33]

What is the train train proposal - just extending the Met from Altrincham?

Hale makes sense. Beyond that isn’t really dense enough to be so viable. Knutsford is underserved but I don’t think this is the solve. Plus the level crossing etc...

Does any freight pass through Navvy Road?

TfGM has not yet published any detail on the Hale tram-train "pathfinder" project. My guess is that the main objective is to validate track sharing on a busier line than that through Rotherham, particularly the feasibility of fitting a frequent tram-train service around long, slow freight trains as well as the hourly Northern service.

I imagine that one of the two Metrolink Altrincham services would be extended to Hale - most likely the Altrincham - Piccadilly, to minimise the number of vehicles needed for the pathfinder. That would give Hale a 5tph frequency. The Deansgate Junction track and signalling would probably be reconfigured so that the tram-trains could share the heavy rail single track section through Navigation Road, at least in the southbound direction. That would ease pressure on the parallel Metrolink single track section and improve resilience to disruption.

The Metrolink 750V DC OLE might be extended to Hale, or maybe the vehicles would be equipped with batteries for power on this short section.

There are up to two freight paths per hour per direction through Navigation Road, although many of them are not used. The most frequent flows are Greater Manchester binliners to and from the Runcorn energy from waste plant and, northbound only, biomass trains from Liverpool docks to Drax power station, plus Merseyside binliners from Knowsley to the Wilton energy from waste plant.

The freights take a long time to clear the Navigation Road single track section because of the 15/20mph restrictions around the sharp curve between Deansgate Junction and Skelton Junction. That could make it challenging to timetable the tram-trains around them without causing delays to other Metrolink services.

 

[LOL The Irony]

That's no justification to reduce the service level at the stations which do deserve it, like Hale, Knutsford, Northwich and Greenbank.

Astounding cognitive dissonance.

Indeed, the amount of ignorance needed to kid yourself into thinking this is a good idea is beyond belief.

TfGM has not yet published any detail on the Hale tram-train "pathfinder" project. My guess is that the main objective is to validate track sharing on a busier line than that through Rotherham, particularly the feasibility of fitting a frequent tram-train service around long, slow freight trains as well as the hourly Northern service.

I can tell you right now it's not happening without a service level reduction or some form of ATO/in cab signaling. You can have up to 6tph through the section from Northwich - Northernden, and that's soon to become 8 whenever the semi-fasts start. The only way you could get it to work wouldn't give you the correct results, so for now, it's just a pipe dream.

 

[Greybeard33]

You can have up to 6tph through the section from Northwich - Northenden, and that's soon to might someday become 8 whenever if the semi-fasts ever start.

Fixed that for you!