Analysis undertaken by the RUS working group
has demonstrated that sufficient capacity can
be provided by the appropriate lengthening of
services on the Bolton corridor in the following
three scenarios without the need for significant
infrastructure:
1. After Chat Moss electrification but before full
Lancashire Triangle electrification around 2017.
Assuming that the train in the standard path
of the Anglo-Scottish service will be diverted
via the WCML route from Preston and onto the
Chat Moss route
2. Post Lancashire triangle electrification to the
end of the RUS period in 2023/24. Assuming
that all the current services remain on the
Bolton corridor
3. Post Lancashire triangle electrification to the end
of the RUS period in 2023/24. Assuming that the
train in the standard path of the Anglo-Scottish
service will be diverted via the WCML route from
Preston and onto the Chat Moss route.
In each of these scenarios, lengthening of services
may result in the need for extending the following
platforms:
- Blackrod (lengthening from five to six-car)
- Westhoughton (lengthening from five to six-car)
- Hindley (lengthening from five to six-car)
- Meols Cop (lengthening from five to six-car)
- Parbold (lengthening one platform from five to
six-car)
- Appley Bridge (lengthening from four to six-car).
The analysis of scenarios 2 and 3 indicates that
four-car EMU services may not provide enough
capacity in CP5 and eight-cars may be an overprovision,
depending on the service specification
adopted, and trigger a larger programme of
platform lengthening than outlined above,
including major works at Salford Crescent.
Six-car formations would be ideal but would
require three-car EMUs to be provided when train
lengthening becomes necessary.
Scenarios 1 and 3 provide an improved service from
Wigan to Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester
Piccadilly and Manchester Airport. This has the
potential to abstract passengers from other
services on the Bolton corridor. Analysis of demand
demonstrates that the following issues could arise in
these scenarios:
- a four-car EMU on the Anglo Scottish service
may not provide sufficient capacity between
Preston, Wigan and Manchester Piccadilly. This
issue would be exacerbated in the PM peak, and
particularly on Friday evenings, for passengers
travelling from Manchester to destinations north
of Lancaster. The West Coast Main Line RUS is
considering Friday and weekend crowding on the
Manchester to Scotland trains.
- less capacity may be required on any fast
services between Wigan and Manchester
via Bolton.
On completion of electrification, the service pattern
on the Bolton corridor needs to provide a desirable
spread of services to the north and south sides of
Manchester. Transport for Greater Manchester,
which has taken over the responsibilities of the
former Greater Manchester Passenger Transport
Executive (GMPTE), has a multi-modal model which
can be used to test different service options to help
identify the optimal spread. GMPTE undertook a
study into the ultimate destination of passengers
travelling from stations between Preston and
Manchester on the Bolton corridor using this model
which indicated that the current level of services
to Manchester Victoria needs to be maintained
but the loss of one train in the high-peak hour to
Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly
could be acceptable provided sufficient capacity was
available on the remaining services.
If the service proposition for the Bolton corridor
to deliver sufficient passenger capacity and the
connectivity to the north and south sides of
Manchester requires an additional high-peak
hour service, analysis indicates that this could be
achievable through a recast of the timetable with
alternate stopping patterns and destinations of
some services. For example, diverting the Southport
to Manchester Airport service to Manchester Victoria
and retiming the Blackpool North to Manchester
Airport service provides an additional path from
Preston on this corridor.
