News

Series of Greater Manchester railway upgrades to bring disruption over next few weekends

Passengers are being urged to "plan ahead".

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 10th January 2024

Passengers are being urged to check before they travel while several “essential” upgrades take place on major Greater Manchester railway lines.

In a bid to reduce the future risk of flooding, and also to improve the reliability of the railway link between the Greater Manchester borough of Bolton, and in and around Manchester city centre, a series of maintenance works have now got underway, and will continue to take place over the next four weekends.

This means that, every weekend from now up until Sunday 4 February, bus replacement services will be in place at all railway stations between Bolton, Salford Crescent, Salford Central, Manchester Piccadilly, and Manchester Victoria.

The bus replacement services will remain in place while vital drainage upgrades are completed in response to the recent storms, Network Rail has confirmed.

Because of this, anyone looking to travel by train between these stations is advised to “plan ahead”.

Some of the “essential upgrades” being carried out include a total of 1,404 metres of new drainage pipes being laid, and six-foot trenches being dug to help better manage water levels, and “keep passengers and freight on the move”.

During the weekend closures of the line, Northern has been put in charge of organising the bus replacement services between Bolton and Manchester Piccadilly.

Trains from Blackpool North and Preston will divert via Wigan, and services from Windermere and Barrow-in-Furness will start and terminate at Bolton, while TransPennine Express services between Scotland and Manchester Airport will start and end at Preston.

Network Rail has apologised to affected passengers for “inconvenience to their journeys”.

Series of Greater Manchester railway upgrades to bring disruption over next few weekends / Credit: Network Rail

Speaking as the railway upgrades got underway this past weekend, Tom Carrington, who is the Project Manager at Network Rail, said: “We are very sorry to weekend passengers travelling between Bolton and Manchester for the inconvenience to their journeys while we put in a better drainage system to future proof the railway from heavy rainfall experienced during recent storm events.

“While journeys can still take place between Bolton and Manchester via bus replacement services, and from Preston and Blackpool with train services diverting through Wigan, it’s important passengers know their travel options first.”

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Passengers are urged to check before they travel by heading to the National Rail website here.

Featured Image – Network Rail

News

Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.

Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.

Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.

Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.

First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.

The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)

Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.

The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times. 

Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road. 

Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained. 

As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)

These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.

The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.

“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.

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“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”

You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.

Featured Image – Pix4Free

News

Manchester Storm ban supporter and condemn discriminatory behaviour after online comments

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester Storm call out fan and issue stadium ban after online comments

Ice hockey side Manchester Storm have come out to vocally condemn any and all forms of discrimination following recent concerns raised online and, more importantly, putting words into action after issuing a stadium ban to a match-going fan.

Writing a lengthy, passionate and defiant post on Wednesday, 6 August, Manchester Storm informed supporters that they had been made aware of multiple “derogatory and discriminatory comments” earlier this week.

The remarks in question were made across various social media platforms, as well as fan forums over the past few days, but thankfully were quickly identified and removed by admins.

Nevertheless, Storm recognised the importance of cracking down on this kind of behaviour as swiftly and firmly as possible, penning this pitch-perfect reply in terms of tone and practical action.

The official statement reads: “These comments are deeply concerning and go against everything our club stands for. Let us be absolutely clear: racism, homophobia, and any form of discriminatory or hateful behaviour will not be tolerated – online or at the [Planet Ice] Arena.

“We are proud to be a diverse and inclusive club that welcomes players, staff, and fans from all backgrounds. Anyone found engaging in racist, homophobic, or otherwise abusive behaviour will be banned and will not be permitted entry to The [Storm] Shelter.”

Storm also went on to detail that the individual in question regarding multiple related incidents has not only been issued with a ban, but that their season ticket has been revoked and will be denied all entry to their home ground in Altrincham.

They also assured that the matter has been reported to Greater Manchester Police, adding that the club “will continue to cooperate fully with their investigations” and”will not hesitate to pursue further legal action where necessary.

Proud to see such quick and decisive action from the local sporting organisation, which should help serve as a real deterrent for similar potential trouble in the future.

The response from the right-minded fans in the comments was great to see as well.

Regardless of the offensive remarks made on the forum, most Manchester Storm supporters welcome the statement fan ban. (Credit: IG)

One user on X wrote: “The storm is for everyone; we don’t need these people anywhere near the Storm Shelter. Thank you for acting so quickly.” Another on Instagram added, “Absolutely, hockey is for everyone, correct and firm stance/action. Well done, from a Belfast Giants fan.”

The club signed off by saying: “Manchester Storm remains committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all. Hate has no place in hockey – or anywhere else.

“We thank our community for standing with us in upholding these values.

Sadly, they’re not the only team from the Greater Manchester region that has had to call out inappropriate and discriminatory conduct of late, with Stockport County having to public distance themselves from unsanctioned political propaganda using their badge.

Manchester Storm announce signing of ‘proven goalscorer’ Brandon Cutler ahead of new season
Despite the outlying cloud surrounding the Manchester Storm fan ban, the sky above the Shelter is looking bright.

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Featured Images — Naqi32 (via Wikimedia Commons)/Manchester Storm (via Facebook)

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