Call to restore lifeline bus route

A SADDLEWORTH councillor is calling for the restoration of a bus service scrapped 40 years ago

Parish Councillor Ken Hulme says a regular service from Saddleworth to Newhey train station would provide a vital lifeline for isolated residents in the likes of Denshaw and Delph.

Having contacted Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams, he is now on a mission to gain support for the idea to bring back the route that ground to a halt in 1969.

With the arrival of Metrolink in the Rochdale village set for September, 2012, the councillor thinks that Newhey could become a handy mid-way point for commuters.

He said: “Denshaw has become desperately isolated and a bus service that connected the village to the Metrolink station at Newhey could certainly help those without cars to commute.”

The Metrolink extension project should see trams rolling through Oldham this autumn, with the line connecting to Rochdale opening next year.

Councillor Hulme, who represents Denshaw and Delph, says now is the time to explore the need for such a route, with plans to hand out surveys to village residents.

He suggests solutions such as extending the 451 bus route that currently runs from Rochdale to Peppermint Bridge, or increasing the frequency of the 354 to Denshaw and Newhey.

He said: “The emphasis on Metrolink shouldn’t just be about Oldham town centre. Saddleworth villages could also benefit by better bus links to Metrolink. In France, connecting public transport services like this is common place as well as common sense.”