Most Mancs already know there is a complex network of underground tunnels and unfinished tube shops hidden beneath their feet.
From the most famous – a Guardian telephone exchange that runs from Chinatown to Ardwick – to the Picc-Vic railway tunnel scheme, an unfinished underground railway first designed for Manchester in the early 70s, the idea of building down is hardly a new one.
But now, Manchester’s new leader Councillor Bev Craig is making the case again as she squares up to the Government and HS2 Ltd – calling on them to consider an underground station for Manchester as part of a ‘once in a lifetime project’.
Council bosses are warning that if the currently proposed new overground station at Manchester Piccadilly goes ahead, huge potential to future-proof the city could be squandered.
“The overground plan is the wrong one,” Bev Craig said.
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“It will be cheaper to build in the short term but in the long term it will cost the region’s economy much more in missed opportunities.
She also told The Manc: “We’re saying to government, listen if you’re going to build something in the 2040s that’s going to take Manchester into 2050s, 60s, 70s, we need something that’s going to work for us in the long term.
“There’s still some negotiation to be had on HS2 and it’s my job to make sure that we’re holding to account government if they’re not sticking to their promises.”
An analysis conducted by the council shows the economic benefits to the city and region of the underground option would be £333m a year greater than those delivered by the existing plan, which would see a second overground station to be built next to the existing Manchester Piccadilly.
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Whilst bosses acknowledge the overground option will still bring benefits, they say it will fail to maximise them – and even create some issues of its own, when compared with the preferred underground option.
They argue an overground station would swallow a great amount of vital land, as well as create the need for unwelcome infrastructure, including huge, unsightly concrete viaducts which would overshadow parts of east Manchester.
Future-proofing transport is also a concern, as modelling commissioned by the Council and TfGM (the Bechtel report) has shown that the overground would be at full capacity from day one.
This means that there would be no scope for increased passengers numbers in the year ahead, compromising both its reliability and resilience.
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By comparison, the underground option would address these issues and create a station designed to support growth and better integrate with surrounding areas and other modes of transport.
The full statement from Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “We welcome the fact that HS2 is still coming to Manchester. We know that we might be perceived as fortunate relative to other northern town and cities which are also pressing cases for rail improvements.
“But that only makes it all the more important that what we maximise the benefits of what is being delivered, not just for the city but for the North as a whole.
“The overground plan is the wrong one. It will be cheaper to build in the short term but in the long term it will cost the region’s economy much more in missed opportunities.
“It will also cause greater disruption while it is constructed and leave a legacy of unsightly viaducts and other overground infrastructure which limits our ability to create new homes or jobs.
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“Restricting the potential of what will be one of the best-connected places in the country makes no sense at all.
“Nor does creating a station with capacity restraints which will undermine its reliability and resilience from day one.
“We urge the Government and HS2 Ltd to reconsider the compelling case for an underground station.
“This would not only solve the problems posed by the overground option but would create a station empowered to support growth, jobs and other opportunities and help realise the Government’s proclaimed levelling up ambitions.
“If they want the option which delivers the greatest benefits for years to come, they need to look below the surface.”
Manchester palaeontologist unearths bones of what may be the largest known marine reptile
Emily Sergeant
A Manchester-based palaeontologist has unearthed the bones of what may be the largest known marine reptile.
This new identification is a crucial part of a fascinating eight-year long discovery journey.
It all started when a seasoned fossil collector named Paul de la Salle found a giant jawbone on Lilstock Beach, near Bridgewater in Somerset, back in May 2016, and then father and daughter, Justin and Ruby Reynolds from Devon, found the first pieces of a second jawbone and another giant bone while searching for fossils on the beach at Blue Anchor, also in Somerset, in May 2020.
And now, a palaeontologist at the University of Manchester (UoM) Dr Dean Lomax, has identified the fossilised remains of the second gigantic jawbone that measures more than two metres long.
Experts have identified these bones as belonging to the jaws of a new species of enormous ichthyosaur – which is a type of prehistoric marine reptile – and astonishing estimations suggest the oceanic titan would have been more than 25-metres long.
Dr Lomax has been working together with Justin and Ruby Reynolds, along with Paul de la Salle and several family members, since the father-daughter duo first contacted them about their groundbreaking discovery in 2020.
A Manchester palaeontologist has unearthed bones of what may be the largest known marine reptile / Credit: UoM
“I was amazed by Justin and Ruby’s find,” Dr Lomax commented.
“In 2018, my team and Paul de la Salle studied and described Paul’s giant jawbone, and we had hoped that one day another would come to light.”
He explained that Justin and Ruby’s new specimen was “more complete and better preserved” than the first find, and that he “became very excited” at the chance to learn more following their discovery.
As mentioned, the Manchester-based research team, led by Dr Lomax, revealed that the jaw bones belong to a new species of giant ichthyosaur that would’ve been about the size of a blue whale, and they have called the new genus and species Ichthyotitan severnensis – which means ‘giant fish lizard of the Severn’.
The bones – which represent the very last of their kind – are around 202 million years old, and date back to the end of the Triassic Period in a time known as the Rhaetian.
During this time, the gigantic ichthyosaurs swam the seas while the dinosaurs walked on land.
The University of Manchester, where Dr Dean Lomax works as a palaeontologist / Credit: UoM
Ichthyotitan is not the world’s first giant ichthyosaur, but the discoveries by Paul, and Justin and Ruby, are said to be “unique among those known to science”, as they appear roughly 13 million years after their latest geologic relatives – including Shonisaurus sikanniensis from British Columbia in Canada, and Himalayasaurus tibetensis from Tibet in China.
Speaking on the confirmation of the bones’ identification this week, Dr Lomax said: “This research has been ongoing for almost eight years.
“It is quite remarkable to think that gigantic, blue whale-sized ichthyosaurs were swimming in the oceans around what was the UK during the Triassic Period.
“These jawbones provide tantalising evidence that perhaps one day a complete skull or skeleton of one of these giants might be found.”
Featured Image – UoM
News
Northern Quarter favourite Pie and Ale has sadly closed down
Danny Jones
Beloved Northern Quarter eatery and pub Pie and Ale has sadly and quietly closed its doors this week in yet another gutting bit of news for the Manc hospitality sector.
Known for its legendary homemade pies, great selections of ales, craft beers and lagers, not to mention a great little pub when it comes to watching live sport, it’s long been considered an NQ institution.
Unfortunately, however, as confirmed by a sign posted in the window, Pie and Ale has now closed for business after more than a decade.
Safe to say, we’re absolutely gutted, as we’re sure everyone else is.
Credit: The Manc Eats
While no official announcement has been made on their social media as yet, which will no doubt receive love and sadness from its loyal following, the sign in the window simply reads: “Pie and Ale has unfortunately ceased trading. Apologies for any inconvenience.”
The local favourite which was always hailed for being great value for money – celebrated especially for its popular pie and a pint for under a tenner deal – also served up great nibbles and light bites as well as dessert specials.
Although the Lever Street spot previously shut down for a short spell back in 2018 due to what they labelled as “unforeseen circumstances” before reopening just two months later, this latest update looks pretty definitive.
Sister-site Bakerie also ceased trading back in April 2019, with husband and wife founders, Alyson Doocey and David Cook, admitting that all independents had been “feeling the squeeze”.
While we have few other details at this stage, it does look like Pie and Ale has indeed closed down for the foreseeable future.
A mainstay on our list of the best pies in Manchester since day dot and just the latest in the list of losses in 2024 so far, they will be sorely missed.
We sincerely hope this is like last time and will keep our fingers crossed that we see the pie pros and expert pourers back in business at some point.
Georgina Pellant -
20th January 2022 
