The Leigh Guided Busway construction project

[Firesprite]

Did work in November though when it was patrolling to remove ice from the road and prevented any closures. But anyway if the snow was bad enough to close rail lines what hope a road?

Had no trouble with the train from March to Cambridge over the weekend.
As for November it was a warmer than average. So no ice to remove.

 

[jon0844]

As much as I don't like Beverley Bell, for previously picking only on the little operators and easy targets, she has redeemed herself and really gone to town on FirstGroup here.

It's pretty bad that not only are First running buses late, but early too! An early bus is usually worse than a late one.

It's also quite funny that a specially adapted vehicle to remove snow was never tested and doesn't actually work. Can it be returned to the company that modified it as 'not fit for purpose'?

 

[Firesprite]

It's pretty bad that not only are First running buses late, but early too! An early bus is usually worse than a late one.

It's also quite funny that a specially adapted vehicle to remove snow was never tested and doesn't actually work. Can it be returned to the company that modified it as 'not fit for purpose'?

Built in-house by the council, Basically a standard small truck with a couple guide wheels bolted on to the front wheels, Tank and pump on the back connected to a group of nozzles mounted at the front. Can only go forwards when on the busway.

 

[WatcherZero]

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/Car-parks-and-bin-rounds-hit-but-planes-are-flying-07022012.htm

Bus services across the county were running as normal yesterday, including on the guided busway, which was treated using the “guided gritter”.

 

[jopsuk]

Bit of snow on Saturday Night and Sunday resulted in the Cambridgeshire Misguided
busway being closed. Council unable to keep busway clear of snow between buses.

This isn't true. Whippet cancelled thier hourly service, but Stagecoach maintained theiir normal Sunday service.

 

[Firesprite]

This isn't true. Whippet cancelled thier hourly service, but Stagecoach maintained theiir normal Sunday service.

The busway was closed, No Buses passed my office which is next to the busway
all day.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Matters have moved on with this project and January 2012 has seen the commencement of the tree clearance programme along the route of the old railway line from Leigh to Ellenbrook as part of the works that are required to be made for the Leigh Guided Busway project.

TfGM had written a letter on 12th December 2011 to all those residents affected by this work and enclosed full details of the project with each letter sent.

The current train of thought appears to give 2015 as the operational commencement time for this project.

The tree clearance referred to in my earlier posting above was of a 7km length from Leigh to Ellenbrook and was carried out at that time to ensure no disruption would be caused to nesting birds. Those works will now allow further ground investigation works to be carried out later this year. Construction is scheduled to commence in 2013.

 

[WatcherZero]

They already did some of the road alterations to stop the planning permission lapsing.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

July 2012 will see that start of ground sampling testing along the 7km of the actual Guided Busway route.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

TfGM have written to all residents in a geographical area of 200 metres either side of the current 7km ground sampling testing on the line of the actual Guided Busway section of this project, with full information on the works that will be effected in this current preliminary matter.

 

[Cliveblackpool]

Leigh needs a guided busway.

It would have:
Metal Guide Rails
Leyland National Buses
err With.... train wheels.
I'm hoping that's how we can sell it to the idiots at TGfMZQPLOPTE

Sounds like description of a Pacer! - Ideal vehicle for the job.

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Park & Ride at Glazebury, anyone, once Chat Moss is electrified? Or is that too obvious for GNUMPTE...

 

[WatcherZero]

Park & Ride at Glazebury, anyone, once Chat Moss is electrified? Or is that too obvious for GNUMPTE...

Yes they thought of that, worked up the business case Option 4 in the study. BCR of just 1.25 though.

http://www.wigan.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/DD06A339-F532-4AAA-A059-DDE5111998B1/0/LARSReport.pdf

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Park & Ride at Glazebury, anyone, once Chat Moss is electrified? Or is that too obvious for GNUMPTE...

Oh dear...another case of geographical misunderstanding has again occured.

Culceth and Glazebury is a civil parish within the Borough of Warrington. It is EXTERNAL to the area administered by TfGM, the successor body to GMPTE.

 

[D841 Roebuck]

IoExcellent. If Glazebury is outwith GNUMPTE's bailiwick presumably provision of a station there could be included in the Chat Moss electrification without their permission. Is the flat pack kit from Workington North still in existence?

 

[WatcherZero]

It wont happen, theres just not the paths into Manchester (though theres some spare capacity into Liverpool) and it would slow the express services on the line too much.

 

[mobat]

I used to travel at least once a week to Manchester and all over the place like York etc from Leigh old railway station now we are the largest town in the UK without a Railway station you can find pee holes all around us that have a station and they are half the size of Leigh. The other day we went to Liverpool and had to travel to Newton in the car, park up and then go on by train, Disgusting.
Now these plonkers want to give us a bus root I think they should all get jobs in the EU and think up things like straight Bananas and straight Cucumbers they need more people with that quality of Brains.

 

[krisk]

Here here, get some reopened railways. I couldn't live in Leigh because of the lack of rail and poor bus services

 

[snail]

now we are the largest town in the UK without a Railway station

Now there's a subject for a thread! I don't think the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme (pop 74000) would agree with you.

Interesting observation about Brains. Needs no further comment from me.

 

[185]

Now there's a subject for a thread! I don't think the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme (pop 74000) would agree with you.

Interesting observation about Brains. Needs no further comment from me.

While it would be nice to have a station in Newcastle UL, it does have a major rail West Coast-served railway station just 2.4km away from the centre of the town.

Maybe a deal with the devil is due.... Metrolink the Atherton/Wigan line from Manchester and stick on a spur to Leigh at Swinton.

As for a Leigh Railway station on the Chat Moss rail line, the key selling point to gain funding could be a passing place for express services. The platforms could be placed on two new 'slow' lines built around the existing line which would become the fast lines.

 

[WatcherZero]

While it would be nice to have a station in Newcastle UL, it does have a major rail West Coast-served railway station just 2.4km away from the centre of the town.

Maybe a deal with the devil is due.... Metrolink the Atherton/Wigan line from Manchester and stick on a spur to Leigh at Swinton.

As for a Leigh Railway station on the Chat Moss rail line, the key selling point to gain funding could be a passing place for express services. The platforms could be placed on two new 'slow' lines built around the existing line which would become the fast lines.

Would be ridiculously expensive, remember the Chat Moss line is built on a floating raft, if they wanted to build extra lines they would have to widen the raft or more likely replace it entirely to increase its weight capacity.

 

[PR1Berske]

And that's why it's so frustrating being an "ideal world" dreamer!

It's frankly beyond a joke that Leigh is only going to be warranted a bus route over trains OR trams.

 

[John55]

Would be ridiculously expensive, remember the Chat Moss line is built on a floating raft, if they wanted to build extra lines they would have to widen the raft or more likely replace it entirely to increase its weight capacity.

Isn't Glaze Brook which runs east of Glazebury the end of the Mosses as well as the county boundary between Greater Manchester and "Cheshire". There are some fairly large industrial premises next to the railway which have not sunk into oblivion.

 

[radamfi]

It is possible to build a busway that is very attractive to use, arguably better than many train services. The example I always give is the 300 route (formerly known as Zuidtangent) that runs between Haarlem, Schiphol and South East Amsterdam. It has to be seen to be believed. It is not guided, but is a feat of civil engineering, encompassing tunnels, viaduct, tram style platforms and barrier controlled level crossings. I would strongly recommend any visitor to Amsterdam to try it. I would rather go on it than go to the Rijksmuseum.

 

[dggar]

It is possible to build a busway that is very attractive to use, arguably better than many train services. The example I always give is the 300 route (formerly known as Zuidtangent) that runs between Haarlem, Schiphol and South East Amsterdam. It has to be seen to be believed. It is not guided, but is a feat of civil engineering, encompassing tunnels, viaduct, tram style platforms and barrier controlled level crossings. I would strongly recommend any visitor to Amsterdam to try it. I would rather go on it than go to the Rijksmuseum.

Is that why all the stag parties go there?

 

[WatcherZero]

Isn't Glaze Brook which runs east of Glazebury the end of the Mosses as well as the county boundary between Greater Manchester and "Cheshire". There are some fairly large industrial premises next to the railway which have not sunk into oblivion.

I would imagine its similar to the Miry Lane industrial estate in Wigan which is undermined by coal mines, theres a ban on buildings higher than one storey.

 

[mobat]

I agree if it wasn’t for Chat moss and the first guy to get killed by a train the first train ever then all the rest would not ever had a train never mind a station lol

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Maybe a deal with the devil is due.... Metrolink the Atherton/Wigan line from Manchester and stick on a spur to Leigh at Swinton.

I wonder if the Atherton line is a recognised diversion route if Manchester-Bolton-Hindley services are unable to carry their normal services because of engineering works. If the Atherton line is converted to Metrolink, this will surely not then be possible.

The final mention above, regarding Swinton, would not be possible as heavy rail and Metrolink cannot use the same track, unless you were envisaging a short heavy rail shuttle service from a separate bay platform at Swinton to Leigh, but you would then need units that were cut off from the normal rail network to do this.

 

[WatcherZero]

Theres three lines between Wigan and Manchester, take one out and you still have two left.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Theres three lines between Wigan and Manchester, take one out and you still have two left.

Of course you are most correct with your assertion, but the other line via Chat Moss is rather further south than the other two lines and I had in mind:-

A)...There are public transport links from the Atherton line stations to Bolton and to Westhoughton for passengers affected by diversionary engineering works, whereas the public transport links from the Chat Moss line after Patricroft and before the next station at Newton-le-Willows, to those two areas on a similar basis, are few and far between with a much greater travelling distance involved.

B)...I must confess to thinking ahead and wondered how many spare pathways will exist on the Chat Moss line once the electrification of the line has been completed and the new service pattern is fully running.

Had you any thoughts on the final part of my previous posting with regard to the heavy-rail link from Swinton to Leigh mentioned by a previous poster, where I mentioned the incompatibility of heavy rail and Metrolink units using the same track. The cost of this project to full heavy rail standards surely must be prohibitive for the amount of an annual financial return from fares. The words "cost" and "benefit" do indeed spring to mind here.