Rochdale’s MP is backing plans to give the town its first direct rail link to London since 2000.
Labour MP Paul Waugh has thrown his support behind new proposals for the service, which would travel through Manchester Victoria, Eccles, Newton-Le-Willows, and Warrington Bank Quay, before proceeding directly to Euston station. In correspondence with the Office of Rail and Road, he endorsed a bid by the operator Lumo, aiming to establish the link by 2027.
According to the MP’s office, this would offer an alternative to Avanti’s Manchester-London route and eliminate the need to cross the city from Victoria to Piccadilly stations. Mr Waugh said: “The last direct rail link between my constituency and the nation’s capital was in 2000 and its restoration is long overdue.”
He added: “The benefits to Rochdale of the new six service-a-day link would be significant, both in terms of business and leisure travel. The direct link would provide not just new jobs locally in the rail industry but also boost our wider plans for economic, social and cultural regeneration.”
Ambitious plans for a new direct rail service from Rochdale to London Euston, with up to six journeys a day featuring electric trains reaching speeds of 125mph, have been proposed. Pivotal research by Arup, a global firm specialising in sustainable development, suggests that the route could deliver economic benefits valued at around £345m, with much of that coming to Rochdale, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Rochdale’s MP is optimistic that a substantial portion of this windfall would benefit the local economy, particularly supporting the region’s ‘Atom Valley’ vision, which focuses on advanced manufacturing and research, exemplified by facilities such as Kingsway Business Park.
Mr Waugh added: “This new rail link would help our local businesses, many of them family-run, while also attracting outside investors to our ‘Atom Valley’ plans for advanced manufacturing, with Kingsway Business Park hosting cutting edge research facilities.
“The social benefits of a new link would be significant, opening up the horizons of our young people, from all ethnicities, while enhancing the two-way traffic with a capital that can too often feel remote from their daily lives. Our fabulous Rochdale Sixth Form College and Hopwood Hall further education college would benefit from the educational trips to and from London too.
“The environmental benefits of this route speak for themselves too, with Britain’s first long-distance electric battery powered train. It would also reduce air pollution by offering a direct alternative to the many who feel forced to travel by car to and from London for business or leisure.
“Finally, given the cancellation of HS2 between Manchester and London, this service would provide the much-needed extra capacity between the North West and the capital.”
A verdict on this application is anticipated in the forthcoming weeks.
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