New talks over line

SUPPORT for a Piccadilly direct line from Oldham is wide

OLDHAM and Rochdale Councils have secured talks about a direct tram link to Manchester Piccadilly station.

The Oldham-Rochdale line is now the only branch of the regional Metrolink network without an uninterrupted link to Manchester's key station.

Jean Stretton and Richard Farnell, the respective leaders of Oldham and Rochdale Councils, say trams on the line should go direct to Piccadilly, as they believe was originally envisaged.

After a move to secure the Piccadilly link failed at a recent meeting of Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) the matter was again raised at last week's meeting of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).

Talks are now set to take place between Councillors Stretton and Farnell with Tony Lloyd, interim mayor, and Andrew Fender, Chairman of the TfGM committee.