HS2: Cutting Tameside tram link for two years 'would be disastrous'

There will be no trams between Manchester Piccadilly and Ashton-under-Lyne for two years while the HS2 route is built

A plan to cut Tameside's tram link to Manchester for two years while part of the HS2 railway is built would be "disastrous", an MP has said.

Labour's Andrew Gwynne said removing the service from Ashton-under-Lyne to Piccadilly Gardens in the second phase of the rail project was unacceptable.

The MP for Denton and Reddish said the line was "a crucial piece of public transport infrastructure to Tameside".

An HS2 spokesman said construction work would be "phased to limit disruption".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said that as part of the work to take HS2 from Crewe to Manchester, Metrolink services along the Ashton-under-Lyne to Eccles route would be suspended to allow realignment works to be carried out from 2024 at the earliest.

'Not an unreasonable ask'

A temporary track would be needed and a "turn back" would be created at Manchester Piccadilly railway station until the new tram stop there became fully functional.

As a result, a replacement bus service would be put on between Ashton-under-Lyne and Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester.

Mr Gwynne said while he understood the work around Piccadilly would be "massively disruptive for years to come, we can't have a situation where this line is mothballed and replaced by a bus replacement service".

"The Metrolink line to Ashton is a crucial piece of public transport infrastructure to Tameside," he added.

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He said he would be tabling amendments to the new HS2 bill going through Parliament to ensure Transport for Greater Manchester's "preferred option of at least running trams between New Islington and Ashton becomes the preferred option".

"This would require a new depot building at Ashton Moss to park the trams when not in use, but in the big scheme of bringing HS2 to Manchester, it's not an unreasonable ask for the people who rely on this vital transport link," he said.

The spokesman for HS2 said the project was "committed to minimising disruption for Metrolink passengers".

"Construction works will be phased to limit disruption, with single line operation and/or replacement bus services put in place to ensure that passengers retain access to Metrolink routes," he said.