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Mumps interchange a ‘winning option’
Date published: 11 March 2010
TRANSPORT chiefs have welcomed plans for a tram, bus and car interchange at Mumps when Metrolink comes to Oldham town centre.
Councillor Richard Knowles, chairman of GMPTE’s capital projects committee, said: “This option is the best solution for local businesses and passengers.
“The creation of the park and ride area, with room for up to 200 spaces, will make the new stop an integrated transport hub and will free up the land at the previously proposed site next to Mumps station, which will further support the regeneration of the town centre.
“This represents a real boost for Oldham and I now look forward to the development of the final designs.”
The section of Oldham Loop Line from Freehold to Mumps will be closed once the town centre route is complete in 2014.
GMPTE is keen to keep costs to a minimum and will recycle sections of track where possible.
Philip Purdy, GMPTE’s Metrolink director, said: “Rather than laying entirely new track through the section between Featherstone Road and Oldham Mumps, we will be reusing as much of the existing heavy rail track, sleepers and ballast as possible. When the town centre line opens, we will decommission the section from Werneth to Mumps and then reuse and recycle as much of the equipment, fixtures and infrastructure as possible on other sections of the network.”
Comments
Godd grief!! The station at Mumps should be the hub of any park and ride. The existing line to Mumps should be the only one in Oldham. Running trams down Union St is a waste of money. There's nowhere on the proposed route that does not already have easy access to the town centre by bus or car. Give people a reason to come to Oldham and they will. A tram is not the answer to regeneration!!
Richard Knowles said it's the best solution? In that case the town should do the exact opposite! We have suffered for years with poor transport planning, Knowles has been a councillor during those years.
I'm dreading the introduction of the metrolink, it's slow unreliable & expensive, it's also uncomfortable and unlikely that there will be any seating from the Oldham leg of the journey. Now it's too late to go back, but please Oldham remember whose idea this was.
if the mumps interchange is the same one that was shown off in the failed congestion charge roadshows we had then everyone be prepared for on of the biggest bottleknecks in history to be coming to oldham.
its just one big juction with more dreaded traffic lights! very similar to ones that rochdale council seem to have adopted. and they dont work at all! i try to bypass going through rochdale at all now.
also the engineering nightmare of union street will almost destroy it. this is not progress
When the tram runs down Union Street, where will all the cars that, at present, park illeglly outside the take aways then park ? Hmmmm
Hands up all those who remember the massive and popular campaign a couple of years ago when we thought we wouldn't be getting Metrolink
Knowless says, 'This option is the best solution for local businesses and passengers.' Is it?? Sez who?? More wishful thinking from the 'professor of transport.' Has anyone from his gang of cloth eared self publicists actually asked any local businesses and/or would be passengers? I very much doubt it. Judging by the response in these columns to the harebrained scheme, very few seem to be in favour of it. How will freeing up the land next to Mumps station, aid regeneration of the town centre??
JMTS this paper and the council plus others did a massive publicity job promoting the Metrolink, dissenting voices were stifled.
Having had to use the thing everyday in Manchester I think I have a bit of experience, and it hasn't been good.
You should know that at the heart of this decision is the council will take a percentage of any profits made, and that counts for more than any benefits for the town.
anyway it really goes to show how much knowles really knows.
how long has he been a councillor around here! many many years! now how good is public transport around here? rubbish! for many many years!
and it doesnt actually look as if its going to improve!
so from experience i wouldnt believe a word he says really! he knows nowt!
Have Your Say
Reading between the lines , this could be the beginning of a tale of , how the metro link will not be coming to Shaw as "we have a wonderful interchange in Oldham , just catch a bus to it , and then the Metro to Manchester".
By MyNamesUnavailable @ 11/03/2010 12:15:23