Sowerby Bridge to Cardiff, during Castleton bridge replacement

[CHA 81C]

I'm travelling from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester during the bridge replacement and want to avoid the road transport provided between Rochdale and Manchester. The journey time is also showing as a ridiculous 103 minutes.

Will I be able to find a short distance return to Manchester Piccadilly via Brighouse or Mirfield? I'll be going to Cardiff so Piccadilly will be better for me anyway.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I'm travelling from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester during the bridge replacement and want to avoid the road transport provided between Rochdale and Manchester. The journey time is also showing as a ridiculous 103 minutes.
Will I be able to find a short distance return to Manchester Piccadilly via Brighouse or Mirfield? I'll be going to Cardiff so Piccadilly will be better for me anyway.

Not sure what ticketing easements will be in place, if any, but you could certainly get from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester Piccadilly by rail via Brighouse/Huddersfield. Might need split tickets though, as Sowerby Bridge->Manchester through tickets are normally only available route "via Hebden Bridge". Or do you possibly have through tickets from Sowerby Bridge to Cardiff (or somewhere else)?

 

[CHA 81C]

I remember there were easements following the Arena bombing, but that was an exceptional case. I'll have an advance from Manchester to Cardiff, as 1st class isn't that much extra.

 

[Par]

Also, the option of Metrolink tram between Rochdale and Manchester, if you want to stay on the rails. Not particularly quick though.

 

[yorkie]

I'm travelling from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester during the bridge replacement and want to avoid the road transport provided between Rochdale and Manchester. The journey time is also showing as a ridiculous 103 minutes.
Will I be able to find a short distance return to Manchester Piccadilly via Brighouse or Mirfield? I'll be going to Cardiff so Piccadilly will be better for me anyway.

I strongly recommend booking this as a through journey; if you use the forum's ticketing site, you can go to advanced mode and choose to avoid buses (or alternatively specify via: Brighouse)

 

[TUC]

Also, the option of Metrolink tram between Rochdale and Manchester, if you want to stay on the rails. Not particularly quick though.

Even allowing for the multiple stops, I have always found the Metrolink trams journey times extraordinarily long.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Even allowing for the multiple stops, I have always found the Metrolink trams journey times extraordinarily long.

Usually three times as long to travel by Metrolink than by Northern, this between Rochdale and Victoria, noting however that the route distance by tram is less direct, being approximately some four miles longer. Similar disparity if travelling from the Airport into Manchester.

 

[Par]

Even allowing for the multiple stops, I have always found the Metrolink trams journey times extraordinarily long.

Quite.

My local stop is Shaw and we lost the 23 minute “express” trains to Manchester when the line was converted to tram. More like 35 minutes now.

Some upsides though, 10tph in the peak Monday to Saturday and earlier and later operation, which is particularly noticeable on Sundays.