News

Manchester trains replaced with buses over Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend

Rail bosses said they "know that people will be travelling across the country to celebrate" and they are "sorry if [the] work impacts their plans."

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 24th May 2022

‘Severe disruption’ is being forecast for those using public transport over the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend, as Network Rail plans to replace trains with buses whilst it carries out major signalling work.

Network Rail will complete a ‘major signalling overhaul’ in Manchester over the Jubilee weekend, seeing a large number of Manchester trains replaced by buses in order to help our trains ‘run on time’.

As part of these upgrades, a 132-year-old signal box near Philips Park will be removed. Network Rail will also replace nearly 4km of track and secure over 2.8km of overhead wires.

As a result, passengers travelling between Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Victoria, and Stalybridge over the weekend will likely suffer delays as services are re-directed and/or replaced with buses.

Customers are being urged to check their routes ahead of travelling,

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Neil Holm, Transpennine Route Upgrade Director for Network Rail, said: “This major investment will unlock more reliable journeys for rail passengers in Manchester, as well as the potential for faster trains in the future.

“I know that people will be travelling across the country to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, so I’m sorry if our work impacts their plans. We’ve worked with our train operating partners to plan alternative routes and bus replacements to keep disruption to a minimum.”

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Chris Nutton, Major Projects Director for TransPennine Express, said: “This is another key step for the rail industry towards delivering a railway fit for the 21st Century and the work over the Jubilee Bank Holiday will help deliver better reliability for our customers.

“Due to the major engineering work taking place, there will be a number of service alterations for TransPennine Express services.

“Our customers are advised to allow for additional time for journeys and to check carefully for the latest advice before they travel. Ongoing strike action by the RMT union will also affect services on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 June, and we are urging people to avoid travelling on our services on those dates and to travel either side of the weekend instead.”

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Service alterations planned in and around Manchester over the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend:

Thursday, 2nd June

  • Buses replace trains between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge.
  • TPE services to Leeds will be diverted to Manchester Piccadilly.
  • Services to Liverpool Lime Street will be diverted to run from Manchester Airport via Manchester Piccadilly.

Friday, 3rd June

  • Services to Liverpool Lime Street will be diverted to run to Manchester Airport via Manchester Piccadilly.
  • between 0001 and 0700 there will be no train services running to or from Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Airport, and limited rail replacement buses will run.

Friday, 3rd, and Saturday, 4th June

  • There will be no trains from Manchester Victoria to Chester via Warrington Bank Quay.
  • There will be no peak-time services between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria.

Saturday, 4th, and Sunday, 5th June

  • Industrial action by the RMT Union will affect TransPennine Express Services.
  • There will be a much-reduced service between Manchester Piccadilly, Leeds, and York only.

Friday, 3rd until Sunday, 5th June

  • There will be no trains to or from Manchester Victoria on any route.
  • Buses will replace trains between Manchester Victoria and Ashton-under-Lyne, Stalybridge, Rochdale, and Salford Central, which is a short walk from Manchester’s central shopping area.
  • TransPennine Express services to and from Leeds will be diverted to run to Manchester Piccadilly.

Feature image – Wikimedia Commons

News

Woman who protested alone outside Chanel show labelled ‘a queen’

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson A woman staged a lone protest outside the Chanel show

A woman who staged a lone protest outside the Chanel show in Manchester last week has been inundated with praise from locals.

The woman was positioned on High Street, mere metres from where a-list celebrities and high-fashion models were parading for the fashion giant.

The fact that the exclusive event took place in Manchester has been considered a huge coup for the city, and one which will have had a significant economic impact.

But the woman outside the Chanel show chose the opportunity to highlight the stark contrast between the luxurious fashion show and the harsh reality of many living in poverty in our city.

She held a sign that read: “Over 250,000 children living in poverty in Manchester. Higher than UK average.

“Manchester has one of the highest level of homelessness. 1 in 74 people. 7407 and rising!

“Where have you hidden the homeless Andy??”

Speaking about Chanel, she told photographer Project Certi: “No one was consulted about this. It’s not for the people of Manchester. You can come here if you want a celebrity spot but that’s not for you.

“This sort of thing moves around the world, they’ll have it somewhere weird and wonderful every year, and this is kind of like, capitalising on the working class history of Manchester.

“The poster’s got, ironically, the suffragettes on it, you know, people fighting for rights. They’re using images from the Hacienda, they’re using music of Joy Division and New Order, all of that what made Manchester on the music map all came out working class struggle. It all came during Thatcher and the attack on the working class, which is exactly what we’re seeing now with 12 years of austerity.”

@projectcerti

There was one woman on her own amongst the public. She was one person with a sign and i felt it was only right to amplify her voice. She makes some good points. #manchester #chanel #chanelshow #fyp #trending #people

♬ original sound – ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛ ᴄᴇʀᴛɪ

She also highlighted the man who died on the street in the Gay Village on a night where temperatures dropped, and the ‘cr*ppy B&Bs’ that homeless people find themselves housed in.

Speaking of the impact of Chanel on Manchester though, Deputy Leader Luthfur Rahman OBE said: “The impact of the decision by CHANEL to hold its prestigious Métiers d’Art show here in Manchester is something that is already resonating with people around the globe and is going to continue to be felt by the city for quite some time.

“It speaks volumes about the regard in which Manchester is already held across the world, but more importantly it also sends a clear signal to international businesses and the international visitor economy that Manchester is the place to be.

“It’s impossible at this stage to even begin to quantify the economic impact hosting the event has had on the city, or to put a figure on it. The true impact will involve not just the direct spend and income generated within the city over these last few weeks leading up to and during the event, but also the longer-term benefits that will come from the massive boost to Manchester’s profile that CHANEL has given the city, that in turn translates into more visitors coming to see what Manchester has to offer, and more businesses choosing to invest here.

“It has been without doubt quite a moment for Manchester, not least coming as it does off the back of many other significant moments for the city this year, that together place Manchester in absolute pole position on the world’s stage for the years ahead.”

In the comments on Project Certi’s video, one person wrote: “Thank you for giving this woman a platform.”

Another wrote: “Whoever this woman is, she’s a legend. As are you for capturing it.”

Someone else posted: “I have so much respect for this woman, I’d love to meet her and let her know she’s not alone in her feelings towards this.”

One comment said: “She is such a queen, bang on with everything she’s saying.”

And someone else called for ‘This lady for PM’.

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Featured image: TikTok, Project Certi

News

Unexpected Manchester city centre street named ‘one of the most polluted’ in the UK

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

A new fieldwork study has revealed the worst air polluted city centre streets in the UK, and a popular Manchester thoroughfare has been named one of the worst.

Except, it’s really not the street you’d expect it to be.

For some bizarre reason, despite the fact it’s a pedestrianised commercial shopping street in the heart of Manchester city centre, Market Street has been named one of the most polluted streets in the country.

Recordings were taken at high streets in the 25 largest towns and cities in the country over a two-week period, and the results found that 76% are exceeding the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended annual level of air pollution, The Hoot reports.

The study enlisted a planning consultancy to collect samples using an air quality monitoring device at 11am on either a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday to ensure as much comparability as possible between the locations.

Market Street has been named one of the ‘most polluted’ streets in the UK / David Dixon (via Geograph)

The study comes after a poll of 2,000 adults found that 36% have concerns over the health of the community due to air pollution, or the health of their family (26%) or themselves (25%).

Speaking on the shocking findings from the new study, Sam Clarke, who is the chief vehicle officer at the sustainable energy business, said: “With millions set to hit the high street this festive period, we wanted to look at the state of the nation’s air quality in the locations people will be doing most of their Christmas shopping.

“It’s shocking to see that so many were above the World Health Organisation’s annual recommendations for air pollution, and that one in 10 shoppers are even planning on foregoing the highstreets altogether due to air quality.”

20 streets in the UK were over the recommended World Health Organisation recommended levels of 5 µg/m3).

The Most-Polluted Streets in the UK

  1. Stoke-On-Trent (Parliament Street) – 11.7
  2. Newcastle (Northumberland Street) – 11.5
  3. Leicester (Gallowtree Gate) – 11.2
  4. Coventry (West Orchards Way) – 11.1
  5. Hull (Jameston Street) – 10.7
  6. Bradford (Broadway) – 10.6
  7. Southampton (Above Bar Street) – 8.8
  8. Nottingham (High Street) – 7.7
  9. Luton (George Street) – 7.6
  10. Manchester (Market Street) – 7.6
  11. Northampton (Abington Street) – 7.3
  12. Birmingham New Street – 7.3
  13. Liverpool (Church Street) – 7.1
  14. Derby (St Peter’s Street) – 6.9
  15. London (Oxford Street) – 6.8
  16. Sheffield (Fargate) – 6.3
  17. Brighton (Western Road) – 5.6
  18. Leeds (Briggate) – 5.3
  19. Portsmouth (Commercial Road) – 5.1

“If we’re to reach the World Health Organisation’s annual target of 5 µg/m3 of PM2.5 in our air, collectively we need to change our behaviours,” Sam Clarke added.

Read more:

“With vehicle emissions being a key contributor, anything we can do to travel more greenly, from walking more to cycling, and including electric vehicles, is a very valuable set forward to improve the air we breathe daily.”

Featured Image – Matt Taylor (via Flickr)

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