Road, Rail & Access

[Aviador]

The line between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport is to be closed from Saturday 17th January until Sunday 8th February to allow construction workers to complete a fourth platform at the airport station.

It will improve things immensely once it's complete but it's not great for the passenger who are already booked onto services during that period who will have to use a replacement bus service for the remainder of the leg to the airport.

 

[David_itl]

http://www.tfgm.com/Corporate/media_centre/Pages/News.aspx?articleId=902

New tram times from 21st March - will start to run from 3am from Firswood to the Airport, operating every 20 mins till 6am then the route begins at Cornbrook on this schedule: ** 12 minute frequency will operate between 6am – midnight, Mon-Thurs; 6am – 1am Fri&Sat; 9.30am – 5.30pm Sundays & bank holidays. A 15 minute frequency will operate between 6am – 9.30am and 5.30pm – 10.30pm on Sundays and bank holidays.

 

[EGCC_MAN]

David - Thanks for the update on the Airport trams. Just curious ... Firswood seems a very random choice of terminus for night services 03:00-06:00. Presumably there is no onward connection available to the city centre at that time of night (or is there one from East Didsbury?). Do you know what their thinking is on this? Perhaps they feel that is far enough out to serve as a workers' shuttle from Wythenshawe etc.? I hope that an extension to the city is in the medium term plans for this night service.

 

[Aviador]

Trans Pennine Express services between Manchester and Leeds are currently suspended because of bad weather.

 

[David_itl]

One of my work colleagues lives in Stalybridge (only 5 mins from the station) so the flooding in the tunnel had better dissipate overnight!

 

[Aviador]

Services between Manchester and Sheffield are also affected according to the BBC.

 

[Dobbo]

Another example of the transformational effect HS3 will have on access to MAN from this side of the Pennines.

Reliability.

 

[David_itl]

3 or so months in and we have this from EasyBus:

14/11/2016 Telford - Manchester Airport Run by EasyBus. Times are changed.
14/11/2016 Manchester Airport - Manchester Run by EasyBus. Route withdrawn.

Not that surprised at the latter as it only stopped at Owens Park i believe.

 

[User001]

I didn't give them long anyway.

 

[David_itl]

New rail link to Newcastle started yesterday

Mon-Fri
Operates Newcastle to the Airport twice
Operate Airport to Newcastle 4 times (only 3 times on Fridays)
Saturday
5 times each way
Sunday
4 times each way
http://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2...es-from-the-north-east-to-manchester-airport/

 

[Land23R]

Trains leaving the Airport at 06 past the hour sounds like the current York trains being extended. Have to say though that the first direct service from Newcastle Mon-Fri only arriving at the airport at 13.39 is a bit late.

Nevertheless, more direct services must be a plus.

 

[David_itl]

slight change on the buses from St George's Day

103 23/04/2017Manchester Airport – Manchester
Run by Stagecoach. New daily route introduced between Manchester Airport, Woodhouse Park, Peel Hall, Wythenshawe, Northenden, Moss Side and Manchester, partly replacing buses 104 and 105. Buses will run every 30 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes and every hour evenings, Sundays and public holidays. Bus 103 will combine with bus 102 to run every 15 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytime and every 30 minutes evenings, Sundays and public holidays, between Wythenshawe and Manchester.

105 23/04/2017 Manchester Airport – Manchester
Run by Stagecoach. Route withdrawn and replaced by buses 102

Having had a look at the Stagecoach website, the 102 appears to route through Chorlton (good news for me!)

 

[Philbky]

History repeating itself. Manchester Corporation route number 103 used to run from and to the city centre from the opening of the new terminal in 1962, offering an alternative to the 64 via Gatley and Northenden. The old 103 ran via Princess Parkway, Wythenshawe centre and Cornishway and on to the airport

 

[Seasider]

I thought it was 104 that run from the City Centre to the Airport in late 60's.

 

[Aceshigh]

I wasn't quite sure where to put this.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...ter-news/council-signs-deal-far-east-12960065

Another £1bn of note "private investment".

Yet another scraper 41 storeys!

AND all money coming in from far east investment.

Must be good for the airport regardless of how you view the origin of the money!

 

[Dobbo]

Some interesting connectivity priority on the latest TfN aspirational documents for roads in the north (p.56):

"Manchester Airport HS2 to North Wales Arc

An enhanced east-west corridor of movement that capitalises on the major opportunities provided by HS2 at Manchester Airport and Crewe to benefit Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Warrington, the north Midlands and North Wales. Provides enhanced resilience for key components of the SRN by providing alternative routes to the M6 and M56 for sub-regional, yet economically important movement in an area of existing high economic performance and further transformational potential for the North’s economy. Complements Connectivity Priorities 10 [Cheshire Science Corridor and Atlantic Gateway] and 12 [Crewe HS2 Northern Gateway]."


http://www.transportforthenorth.com/wp-content/uploads/TfN-Initial-Major-Roads-Report.pdf

Seems to tie in to the aspiration to open up north wales to MAN.

 

[David_itl]

Going from 2 rail services a day to the Lake District to 4 services a day from May 2018

http://www.in-cumbria.com/Lakes-tra...power-7a31a1b9-0496-443c-84b7-4e0ceb1a3cf7-ds

 

[Dobbo]

Charlie Cornish has reappeared and has some interesting words to say following Chris Grayling's announcement that electrification has been suspended in the trans pennine line:

Charlie Cornish, chief executive of Manchester Airports Group, which owns the UK’s third biggest airport, expressed concern, saying it could impede the hub adding new routes to business destinations.


“It is difficult to see how the Northern Powerhouse can be realised without major rail investment,”.

“If we had [the planned High Speed 2 line] and fast rail connecting the northern cities we could get 25 to 30 new business routes straight away.”

Mr Grayling unveiled Manchester airport’s £1bn investment to expand Terminal 2 and make other improvements.

 

[Land23R]

Afraid it's the same old story Dobbo. Mealy-mouthed words from Government Ministers (of whatever colour) to suit the occasion (Grayling on the importance of Manchester Airport as a growing hub) and then it's back to Westminster and Whitehall and the status quo.

Sorry to be cynical, but given Davies's poor opinion of long haul flights from "regional" airports to seemingly strengthen his support for R3 at LHR in his report, and in view of the apparent determination of the Government to press ahead with the latter (whether successfully remains to be seen), would it be too surprising if Government didn't go out of its way to invest in the regions in a way which would stimulate growth at airports like MAN? Let's face it: they'd want folk in Liverpool, Leeds, Humberside and the NE etc. to catch those new flights (they hope) to LHR to help justify the vast investment on their favoured super-hub.

What happens in the meantime will of course be interesting but I don't think we should be too shocked if Government start to chip away and cut back on what were thought to be promised projects for the Northern Powerhouse.

 

[David_itl]

Southport to the airport link set to be scrapped next year
http://www.champnews.com/newsdetail.aspx?ID=GN4_ART_613350