Site Supporter Tonge moor green jacket Posted December 4, 2019 Site Supporter Share Posted December 4, 2019 https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/18078421.metrolink-trams-will-come-bolton-pledges-grant-shapps/ Will it happen? Is it necessary? What will the route be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Spider Posted December 4, 2019 Site Supporter Share Posted December 4, 2019 Won’t happen its absolutely necessary be ca use the trains are utter fucking cowshit. Route should be horwich to Piccadilly with no stops in between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Carlos Posted December 4, 2019 Moderators Share Posted December 4, 2019 *tramps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 Shouldn’t have got rid of them in the first place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L/H White Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 trams in, everywhere please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mounts Kipper Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 More likely guided bus lanes like they have done in Tyldesley. Surely trams to Manchester would be a waste of time, however a line from Bolton to the Trafford Centre via Eccles and on to Manchester might be a better route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc505 Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 Excellent! Piccadilly - Bolton station - Churchgate Central - Doffcocker Village - Horwich-on-Sea - Middlebrook. £4.60 return. Make it happen, I'll vote for anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiggyStardust Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 Being added onto Bury would be the logical route (as there already is Bolton-Manchester on't train), but them building on the old Bury/Bolton line would probably make that impossible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rudy Posted December 4, 2019 Members Share Posted December 4, 2019 I saw the new interchange today, haven’t been in the town centre for a while, it looks quite impressive. Then I went down Bradshawgate, Fuck me that needs flattening. From Bank St all the way down to where BMW Williams used to be it’s an absolute state. If I was getting the tram into Bolton or the train and I got off and walked down there, I’d turn back round and fuck off home. I’m sure it probably doesn’t work like this but I wish the money could sort out down there first rather than a tram network. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escobarp Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 Chicken and egg scenario mate. Investors won’t plough money in until the infrastructure is right and they know footfall will return or businesses are coming back to the town etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rudy Posted December 4, 2019 Members Share Posted December 4, 2019 Aye it’s what I imagined, looks like the bloody Luftwaffe have had a go at it though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escobarp Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 They would probably take pity on it rather than Bomb it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwfcfan5 Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 Do we need them? Yes. The train service is abysmal. I suspect though that - there are just too many massive feasibility issues. There isn't enough capacity for trains. So surely running trams will be a no go? And I thought parts of the line weren't even suitable? Its why metrolink have plans (released this year) to expand their lines to most GM areas apart from Bolton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rudy Posted December 4, 2019 Members Share Posted December 4, 2019 Have I imagined it as well, that there was a council decision, either change to electric trains between Bolton and Manchester or the trams and they went with the trains? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwfcfan5 Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 1 minute ago, Rudy’s Message said: Have I imagined it as well, that there was a council decision, either change to electric trains between Bolton and Manchester or the trams and they went with the trains? I don't think it was a "council decision" I thought it was TfGM and network rail - but ultimately my understanding was that both options were ridiculously difficult but electrifying the line was orders of magnitude less difficult than converting it to a tram line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank_spencer Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 23 minutes ago, bwfcfan5 said: I don't think it was a "council decision" I thought it was TfGM and network rail - but ultimately my understanding was that both options were ridiculously difficult but electrifying the line was orders of magnitude less difficult than converting it to a tram line. Yup pretty much where it stands. The only currently remotely viable option for metrolink is to bury. Although I read somewhere tfgm are looking at trams that can run on trainlines. This was one of the options for connecting rawtenstall to manc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 Traffic into Manchester is at peak awful at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Tonge moor green jacket Posted December 4, 2019 Author Site Supporter Share Posted December 4, 2019 1 hour ago, ZiggyStardust said: Being added onto Bury would be the logical route (as there already is Bolton-Manchester on't train), but them building on the old Bury/Bolton line would probably make that impossible. No chance of that now. Too much housing. Suppose they could fill the old canal in- can't see that ever being reinstated, irrespective of emotional desires. Mounts suggestion of an alternative route to the trains makes sense. Isn't the gauge the same as for trains? Just thinking back to old railway bits around Whitefield and leading into Victoria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traf Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 25 minutes ago, frank_spencer said: Although I read somewhere tfgm are looking at trams that can run on trainlines. This was one of the options for connecting rawtenstall to manc. A much more viable suggestion than taking the tram to Bolton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Tonge moor green jacket Posted December 4, 2019 Author Site Supporter Share Posted December 4, 2019 2 minutes ago, Traf said: A much more viable suggestion than taking the tram to Bolton. Are there likely to be enough folk using that additional stretch? If there are, begs the question why the rail line doesn't run some commuter trains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter MickyD Posted December 4, 2019 Site Supporter Share Posted December 4, 2019 All that money spent on electrifying the Manchester- Bolton line means this is a non-starter. When asked if there is any money for an expansion the Transport Secretary says there is and it's up to the northern area to decide how to spend any money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leyther_Matt Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 7 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said: Are there likely to be enough folk using that additional stretch? If there are, begs the question why the rail line doesn't run some commuter trains. They won't run anything at the minute because you'd be reliant on people who are commuting to Bury, which I imagine isn't particularly high. However, I expect there are thousands of people commuting to Manchester from Rawtenstall/Ramsbottom to Manchester so it would make a huge difference if there was a full link in to Manchester. As for trams in to Bolton, I don't really see the point given the existing rail link, particularly as it seems they'd run on the existing train lines so in reality not doing much, if anything, to increase capacity. The trams make perfect sense in the city centre and immediate Manchester suburbs, but personally I'm not entirely convinced that they are suitable for doing 10-15 mile stretches. And to go tram-only and therefore removing links to Preston/Lancaster/Scotland/Clitheroe/Blackburn would just be utter madness. If however they fancy extending the trams from Eccles to Leigh - you know, where it would actually make sense - then I am all for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwfcfan5 Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 43 minutes ago, boltondiver said: Traffic into Manchester is at peak awful at the moment You are not kidding. Its never been good. Transport between Bolton and surrounding areas and Manchester in general has to be the absolute worst in the country. Overcrowded cattle shed trains. A ridiculously out of date road network that ensures journeys take 5 times as long as they really should even accounting for rush hour. Its awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Tonge moor green jacket Posted December 4, 2019 Author Site Supporter Share Posted December 4, 2019 1 minute ago, MickyD said: All that money spent on electrifying the Manchester- Bolton line means this is a non-starter. When asked if there is any money for an expansion the Transport Secretary says there is and it's up to the northern area to decide how to spend any money. If there is enough potential footfall to make it financially viable, then it might make sense. Unless there is scope to increase carrying capacity on the trains. Not convinced it will happen though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter MickyD Posted December 4, 2019 Site Supporter Share Posted December 4, 2019 Only way it'll happen is a shared train and tram infrastructure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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