Ordsall Chord

Ordsall Chord, also known as the Castlefield Curve, is a short railway line in Ordsall, Salford, England, which links Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road to Manchester Victoria, designed to increase capacity and reduce journey times into and through Manchester. It allows trains to run from Leeds, Newcastle and Middlesbrough direct to Manchester Airport and stations on the main line to London Euston.

"Ordsall Lane Chord" redirects here. For the former railway station whose site was nearby, see Ordsall Lane railway station.

Ordsall Chord
Schematic map showing the Ordsall Chord (also known as the Castlefield Curve) marked in red
Overview
StatusComplete
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleGreater Manchester
Stations0
Service
TypeHeavy rail
SystemNational Rail
History
Opened10 December 2017
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Ordsall Chord
To Leeds
 Manchester Victoria
Salford Central
To Bolton
Salford Crescent
To Liverpool
Ordsall Chord
To Warrington
Deansgate
Manchester Oxford Road
 Manchester Piccadilly
To Stockport and Mcr Airport

A chord was proposed in the late-1970s and parliamentary powers for its construction were received in 1979, but the project was cancelled. Network Rail revived the proposal in 2010 as part of its Northern Hub proposal. Funding for its construction totalling £85 million was announced in the 2011 United Kingdom budget and construction commenced in 2016. It became operational on 10 December 2017.[1]

However its use since becoming operational has been limited as no additional capacity at Victoria, Oxford Road and Piccadilly has been built to cope with more through services.[2]

Background

By the late 20th century, the rail network in Manchester could not support demand. The main stations at Piccadilly and Victoria were not linked and many trains terminated at Victoria taking up excessive platform space.[3] One solution, the Picc-Vic tunnel between the stations, was proposed in the 1970s but rejected on cost grounds in 1977.[4][5]

A curve at Ordsall linking Piccadilly to Victoria was proposed in the late 1970s when it was known as the Castlefield Curve after the nearby district.[6] A bill relating to its proposed construction was debated in the House of Commons in June 1979, receiving some support but it was opposed on the grounds that a tunnel would provide a better alternative.[7] By the end of the year, British Rail had received parliamentary powers to construct the line.[8] It was estimated to cost around £10 million but following opposition from local politicians and a shortage of funding, the project was never started.[9] By 1985 it had been abandoned.[10]

The proposal was included in a draft Network Rail report in 2005 as a solution to overcrowding in the region, at an expected cost of £44 million.[9] In February 2010, the project was revived by Network Rail as part of the Manchester Hub Study, with the intention of receiving government funding by around 2014.[3] On 23 March 2011 George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced £85 million funding for the scheme in the 2011 budget.[11] The announcement was unexpected and was welcomed by the Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority.[12]

Proposal

The Ordsall Chord provides a direct link between Piccadilly and Victoria stations, allowing trains from Manchester Victoria and the east to continue to Piccadilly. Following completion of the chord, in theory four trains per hour will travel between Manchester Airport/Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria in each direction, and associated reorganisation of train paths and retimetabling will provide eight trains per hour from Manchester Victoria towards the west via Chat Moss, and six trains per hour from Manchester Piccadilly towards either Chat Moss or Bolton and Preston (trains from both Victoria and Piccadilly stations to the west and north west (Chat Moss, Liverpool, Bolton, Preston, etc.) do not actually pass over the Ordsall Chord, both ends of which lead eastwards, but travel over pre-existing track).[13]

The chord is part of the larger Northern Hub project, proposed by Network Rail in the Manchester Hub Study of 2010. The complete scheme would cost around £530 million to implement. The Ordsall Chord will cost £85 million and will allow around 700 extra trains per day to operate into Manchester.[14] Most through trains on TransPennine Express (TPE) routes to Leeds, Newcastle and Liverpool Lime Street will be re-routed via Victoria rather than Piccadilly but some TPE services to Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle will continue to run via Piccadilly and will stop at Ashburys and/or Gorton and Guide Bridge. The current fast North TransPennine services will operate via Victoria reducing journey times.

The full scheme includes new through platforms at Piccadilly and track improvements outside Manchester to allow fast expresses to overtake slower stopping trains, reducing journey times to Leeds by 14 minutes on average and to Liverpool by 17. Railfreight access to yards in the Trafford Park area will be improved.[3]

Construction of the Ordsall Chord in October 2016

The chord will preserve connectivity between the relocated East-West services and the city's main rail interchange at Manchester Piccadilly. It will improve access to Manchester Airport which cannot be reached easily from Victoria.[15] Without the chord, such operations would require trains to be run to Salford Crescent and then reverse.

Concern was raised about the impact the scheme will have on the historic Grade I listed 1830 railway bridge over the River Irwell, part of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway's original approach to Manchester Liverpool Road railway station, (now the site of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester (MOSI)), which lies in the path of construction.[16][17]

Detailed designs were presented by Network Rail in November 2012,[18] followed in May by the intended planning application, for submission at the end of August 2013.[19] The plan proposed avoiding the Stephenson Bridge to cross the river on a network arch bridge but severing the museum's main-line rail connection immediately to the east of the bridge, ending the museum's out-and-back live steam trips using a replica of one of Stephenson's 1830 Planet-class locomotives. According to Network Rail, "The removal of this connection is not something that Network Rail takes lightly, and we have explored many alternative solutions before reaching the conclusion that the connection would need to be removed to make way for the chord."[20] The museum opposed the alignment, claiming that it would have "a damaging effect on MOSI visitors, volunteers and income."[21][22][23]

Construction
Ordsall Chord under construction in April 2017

Network Rail submitted the Transport and Works Act application to construct the Ordsall Chord in September 2013.[24] The statutory instrument authorising construction was made on 31 March 2015,[25] and preparatory works began in October 2015. In January 2016, Network Rail began work on the foundations with a planned completion date of late 2017.[26] In November 2016, Network Rail announced they expected services to run to Manchester Airport from December 2017 and electric trains to run between Manchester and Preston via Bolton with new connections into Manchester from the Calder Valley. 2018 will see the introduction of an hourly direct service from Newcastle to Manchester Airport, which will also mean an extra hourly service between Leeds and Newcastle, and six trains an hour between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale.[27]

Mark Whitby, civil engineer and former President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, appealed against the decision to approve its construction in the High Court. On 14 October 2015, the High Court rejected his appeal and denied Whitby the right to appeal the decision. Whitby did appeal and on 11 January 2016, the Court of Appeal granted Leave to Appeal saying "The grounds of appeal raise important points and have real prospects of success".[28] Whitby wanted an alternative that would not sever the main-line rail connection to the Museum of Science and Industry nor destroy heritage structures.[29] The case was heard in March 2016 but Whitby's appeal was rejected.[30]

The 600-tonne (660-ton) network arch was lifted into place on 21 February 2017.[31]

Operation

The first passenger service was at 08:40 on 10 December 2017: Manchester Victoria to Manchester Oxford Road followed by the return service continuing to Leeds.[32]

It was envisaged that congestion at Manchester Piccadilly would reduce by a quarter, in part due to the reduced need for trains to cross the throat of the station, blocking other services.[33][34][35] It was hoped there would be more frequent train services through Manchester.[36]

However this has not yet materialised, particularly after the May 2018 timetable which created widespread disruption around Manchester. The Ordsall Chord's lack of use in comparison to its £100 million cost has been attributed to a lack of capacity at Piccadilly, Oxford Road and Victoria to cope with increased 'through' services that the Chord generates.[37]

Andrew Haines, appointed Chief Executive of Network Rail in August 2018, remarked upon the inadequacies of the infrastructure to support the Ordsall Chord as part of a review in Network Rail's operations:

"The Ordsall Chord is a classic example of a fantastic piece of infrastructure which has unlocked great new journey opportunities ... but where the new infrastructure was not supported by a sufficiently rigorous operating plan. Nobody really looked at how we would reliably operate 15 trains an hour, across six flat junctions in the space of a few miles, with disparate rolling stock, much of which will have travelled for several hours picking up potential delay on the way"[38]

In January 2021, the UK government published proposals to deal with congestion on the "Castlefield Corridor" through Manchester Oxford Road and Piccadilly, and one option would reduce the use of the Ordsall Chord to one train each way every hour, effectively casting doubt on the rationale for and cost of building the Chord.[39]

See also

References
  1. "Network Rail – Enhancements Delivery Plan" (PDF). Network Rail. September 2016. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  2. Sharp, Chris (6 June 2018). "So why is Northern Rail in chaos? Here are 11 reasons". City Metric.
  3. Wright, Robert (17 February 2010). "Extra track suggested to ease Manchester's rail bottlenecks". Financial Times.
  4. Salter, Alan (12 February 2008). "Rail tunnel vision revived". Manchester Evening News.
  5. Donald T. Cross; M. Roger Bristow (1983). English Structure Planning. Routledge. p. 45. ISBN 0-85086-094-6.
  6. Appleton, Dave (20 February 2010). "Multi-million pound bid to improve Rochdale station". Manchester Evening News.
  7. "BRITISH RAILWAYS (No. 2) BILL (By Order)". theyworkforyou.com. 26 June 1979.
  8. "Summary of Events: 1974 to 1985". gmts.co.uk. Greater Manchester's Museum of Transport. 2010. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013.
  9. Broadbent, Steve (24 February 2010). "How do you solve a problem like Manchester?". Rail (638).
  10. "British Railways Bill (By Order)". Hansard. 19 March 1985.
  11. Rentoul, John (24 March 2011). "The speech: What Osborne said – and what he really meant". The Independent.
  12. "Budget boost for Northern Hub rail plans". gmpte.com. Greater Manchester PTE. 23 March 2011.
  13. Ordsall Chord Project Scoping Report, Network Rail, February 2012. Section 2.2.8, page 6
  14. "George Osborne confirms £85m Piccadilly – Victoria rail link in Budget". Manchester Evening News. 23 March 2011.
  15. "£200 million boost for rail in Budget proposals". Railnews.co.uk. 23 March 2011.
  16. Merrick, Jay (11 May 2014). "'Oldest railway station in the world' threatened by Network Rail plans". The Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  17. Ordsall Chord Initial Environmental Information, page 6, Ordsall Chord project page, Network Rail. Accessed 17 July 2012
    Ordsall Chord Project Scoping Report, Network Rail, February 2012. Sections 4.1 to 4.8 (pages 20 to 22) and 2.2.3 (page 6). Via Ordsall Chord project page, Infrastructure Unit, The Planning Directorate. Accessed 17 July 2012
    Ordsall Chord Scoping Opinion, Infrastructure Planning Commission, March 2012. See e.g. comment at section 3.31, page 16, and comments by English Heritage on sheets 45–47 of the pdf.
  18. Ordsall Chord plans revealed, Global Rail News, 21 November 2012
    Irwell bridge plan to link Piccadilly and Victoria rail stations, Manchester Evening News, 15 November 2012
  19. Designing the Ordsall Chord, Network Rail Ordsall Chord website. Accessed 22 June 2013
    Ordsall Chord, Network Rail main website. Accessed 22 June 2013
    Ordsall Chord project page, Infrastructure Unit, The Planning Inspectorate. Accessed 17 July 2012
  20. The Importance of Heritage, Network Rail Ordsall Chord website. Accessed 22 June 2013
  21. MOSI bitter about Ordsall Chord, Manchester Confidential, 14 December 2012
  22. 'Ordsall chord' to sever historic MOSI line, The Business Desk, 14 December 2012
  23. Ministers asked to intervene over £85m rail link bridge that could cut access to former Liverpool Road station, Manchester Evening News, 20 December 2012
  24. "Network Rail seeks Ordsall Chord approval". Global Rail News. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  25. "The Network Rail (Ordsall Chord) Order 2015". Legislation.gov.uk. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  26. "Projects in 2016 set to boost railway capacity and performance in northern England". Network Rail.
  27. "NR promises Manchester airport services via Ordsall Chord by end of 2017". Rail Technology Magazine. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  28. "Whitby issues new challenge to Ordsall Chord". Rail Magazine. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  29. "Ordsall Chord linking Manchester Piccadilly with Victoria delayed over plans to demolish historic buildings". Manchester Evening News. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  30. Cox, Charlotte (23 March 2016). "One man battle to derail Ordsall Chord finally comes to an end as Judge dismisses appeal". Manchester Evening News.
  31. "TfN: Ordsall Chord success 'an example of what NR can achieve with time and money'". www.railtechnologymagazine.com. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  32. Cox, Charlotte (10 December 2017). "First train crosses the Ordsall Chord and makes railway history". Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  33. "Ordsall Chord – Network Rail". www.networkrail.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  34. "Rail link for main city stations complete". BBC News. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  35. David Frankal (10 December 2017), The Ordsall Chord Opens!, retrieved 30 December 2017
  36. "Spotlight on Easter: Ordsall Chord – Network Rail". www.networkrail.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  37. Sharp, Chris (6 June 2018). "So why is Northern Rail in chaos? Here are 11 reasons". City Metric.
  38. Harris, Nigel. "COMMENT FROM THE ARCHIVES: R872 - Stakes could not be higher". Rail Magazine. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  39. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/951401/manchester-recovery-task-force-public-consultation.pdf

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