Rochdale MP criticises government for axing railway plans

The now scrapped plans were for a rail line from Bury to Rochdale via Heywood

An MP has criticised the government for scrapping rail funding plans.

The £500m Restoring Your Railway Fund aimed to reinstate axed local services at stations across the UK, including the Bury to Rochdale via Heywood rail line.

Ministers confirmed the scheme would not be going ahead due to "cost and wider capacity challenges".

The government said Greater Manchester had received over £1bn in funding to support its transport network.

Rochdale's Labour MP, Tony Lloyd, said in a statement the news had come as a "bitter blow".

The MP said: "Tram and rail services from Rochdale to Manchester provide transport to the city centre but it doesn't provide the kind of connections we need to get around the city region, and in particular, from Rochdale and Heywood to Bury."

The scheme had been successful in the first round of funding.

At the time Mr Lloyd welcomed the opportunity to work up a business plan which would see the service back in action for the first time since 1970.

Mr Lloyd continued: "Whilst there are future plans for tram-train services between Oldham, Rochdale, Heywood and Bury, these are way down the line and Transport for Greater Manchester are still looking at ways on how to fund this which will only be made more difficult with the withdrawal of this support."

Tony Lloyd has been the MP for Rochdale since 2017

He accused the government of "talking big" on economic growth and levelling up, but failing to deliver.

"At the end of the day, it's businesses and communities across Rochdale, and Heywood to Bury, which will lose out, not to mention the now-missed opportunities in reducing carbon emissions," he said.

Mr Lloyd urged the government to look at the decision again.

However, the government said the scheme would be "best considered" as part of Greater Manchester's Region Sustainable Transport (CRSTS) programme.

The CRSTS programme is a £5.7bn investment into local transport networks in eight regions across the country.

Councillor John Blundell told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We are sad to hear that the government isn't funding rail schemes.

"However, we want them to fund our priorities which are a tram-train in between Heywood and Rochdale, a new station at Heywood that would allow heavy rail services to run from Heywood to Victoria."

According to official papers the tram-train is expected to open in 2029 under the CRSTS funding.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "Greater Manchester has received over £1bn from the government to support its transport network, including plans to develop proposals for a tram-train route between Oldham, Rochdale and Heywood."