Thursday 22 Feb 2024
Mossley to welcome fully accessible rail station for first time
- Region & Route:
- Eastern
For the first time since its opening in 1849, passengers are set to have a fully accessible rail station in Mossley, Greater Manchester.
The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) has outlined its proposal to relocate Mossley station. The proposals include an accessible footbridge with lifts, extended platforms to support longer trains allowing more seats for passengers, and full electrification of the route through the town for cleaner, faster journeys.
Located around 300m east of its current site, the relocated Mossley station is set to be completed by the end of the decade as part of the multi-billion-pound TRU project between Manchester and York, bringing cleaner, greener and better travel along the route.
Jonathan Reynolds MP said: “I am delighted we are finally getting the new Mossley station we deserve. Alongside the Mossley councillors, I have long campaigned for an accessible station, and I am thrilled that it is coming to fruition at last.
“These plans represent not a piecemeal solution but a transformative one, which will see Mossley thrive as a place that people can more reliably and inclusively rely on the rail network for work, study and leisure.
“Naturally there may be some local disruption whilst works take place, but please bear with this. The long-term economic benefits will be considerable and help make Mossley a brilliant place to live.”
The existing Mossley Station site will have historical elements retained, including the station building. The car park will remain in operation to tackle potential overflow from the new station.
TRU will engage with local residents and businesses through a public consultation later in the year to discuss plans for both the existing site and the new station.
Transpennine Route Upgrade Managing Director, Neil Holm, said:
“The construction of a new, fully accessible station in Mossley tackles the obvious challenges facing those with mobility needs and those travelling with prams, luggage or who have other access requirements.
“The new Mossley station and wider work underway now across TRU will provide greater access to the railway for more people and cleaner, greener and more reliable journeys for passengers. We look forward to working with the community on our plans.”
Public consultation and further details of Transpennine Route Upgrade plans at Mossley will be available later this year.
Notes to Editors
TRU will bring passengers:
• More trains to choose from and more seats. Our improvements will enable more
trains to run between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York with up to six fast
services every hour between Leeds and Manchester and up to two stopping
services for local connectivity.
• Faster journeys so you can travel to your favourite towns and cities more quickly.
Our fastest journey times are forecast to be 63-66 minutes between Manchester
and York and 41-42 minutes between Manchester and Leeds.
• More reliable journeys with trains that run on-time
• Better stations across the Transpennine route, bringing passengers a better travel
experience through improved, more accessible stations
• Greener travel, reducing our carbon footprint and improving air quality. Our plans
aim to save up to 87,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year – supporting the
government’s Net Zero objectives. We’re also developing a proposal to move more
goods by rail (up to 15 more freight trains each day.)
• Together, these freight trains are expected to remove over 1,000 lorries off the road each day.
TRU will bring local communities:
• Jobs for local people. Our workforce will be local, with 80% employment from
within a 40-mile radius of the route, and 60% employment from within a 25-mile
radius. With a current workforce of around 2000 people, we estimate that could
double over the course of the programme. We’ll employ an apprentice for every
£4million spent.
• Improved natural environments near the railway through 10% biodiversity net
gain across the route. This will create or enhance habitats for wildlife.
The multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) will bring this line into the
21st century with 70-miles of fully electric, digital railway. Our plans include:
• Electrifying the whole route between Manchester and York via Huddersfield and
Leeds
• Installing a new digital signalling system along the Transpennine route
• Doubling the number of tracks from two to four between Huddersfield and
Westtown in Dewsbury.
• Station improvements along the route to enhance customer experience, comfort
and accessibility
• Improving the railway on diversionary routes to allow more trains to run, to help
keep passengers and freight moving while the core Transpennine route is closed to
deliver essential upgrades. This will provide capacity and reliability improvements
for future too.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Ewan Bayliss
Communications Executive
Network Rail
ewan.bayliss@networkrail.co.uk
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