Burton Road Metrolink station
Encyclopedia
Burton Road Metrolink Station is a future station which is to be constructed on one of the new lines on the Manchester Metrolink
light rail
public transport system in Manchester, England
, UK
.
The station is part of Phase 3B of the "Big Bang" extension project which will increase the Metrolink network size by 47 miles (75.6 km). Among other proposals, this project plans to re-open a disused railway through the suburbs of south Manchester to operate a light rail service into Manchester City Centre.
Located on the west side of Burton Road in Withington, the new stop on this stretch of line will be in a cutting.
In 1880 the Midland Railway
opened the new Manchester South District line which ran from Manchester Central Station
. The line was later operated by the Cheshire Lines Committee
. Under British Rail
operation, the line closed in 1967 as part of the Beeching Axe
.
Plans to re-open the line for light rail use have been proposed since the early 1980s, but these proposals failed several times due to problems securing funding. Revised plans put forward in 2006 only allowed for the line to be opened as far as St Werburgh's Road in Chorlton.
In 2009, following the failure of the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund, revised transport funding was announced by the Government which would facilitate a major expansion of the Metrolink network, including the re-opening of the former Midland line and stations as far as East Didsbury
.
at Trafford Bar
, and to run a light rail service from East Didsbury, through Burton Road, into Manchester.
Burton Road station will be a newly-constructed stop on the South Manchester line, rather than a re-opened station. Passengers will be able to travel by rail between Manchester and East Didsbury for the first time since the line was closed in 1967.
The new station is scheduled to open in the summer of 2013.
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
public transport system in Manchester, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The station is part of Phase 3B of the "Big Bang" extension project which will increase the Metrolink network size by 47 miles (75.6 km). Among other proposals, this project plans to re-open a disused railway through the suburbs of south Manchester to operate a light rail service into Manchester City Centre.
Located on the west side of Burton Road in Withington, the new stop on this stretch of line will be in a cutting.
History
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
opened the new Manchester South District line which ran from Manchester Central Station
Manchester Central railway station
Manchester Central railway station is a former railway station in Manchester City Centre, England. One of Manchester's main railway terminals between 1880 and 1969, it now houses an exhibition and conference centre named Manchester Central.-History:...
. The line was later operated by the Cheshire Lines Committee
Cheshire Lines Committee
The Cheshire Lines Committee was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain, with 143 route miles. Despite its name, approximately 55% of its system was in Lancashire. In its publicity material it was often styled as the Cheshire Lines Railway...
. Under British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
operation, the line closed in 1967 as part of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
.
Plans to re-open the line for light rail use have been proposed since the early 1980s, but these proposals failed several times due to problems securing funding. Revised plans put forward in 2006 only allowed for the line to be opened as far as St Werburgh's Road in Chorlton.
In 2009, following the failure of the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund, revised transport funding was announced by the Government which would facilitate a major expansion of the Metrolink network, including the re-opening of the former Midland line and stations as far as East Didsbury
East Didsbury railway station
East Didsbury is a suburban railway station in the south of the city of Manchester, England.It stands on the Styal Line, between Longsight and Wilmslow...
.
Metrolink extension
It is now planned to re-open the former CLC line after the junction with the Altrincham lineManchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway was a suburban railway which operated a 13.7 km route between Altrincham in Cheshire and London Road Station in Manchester....
at Trafford Bar
Trafford Bar Metrolink station
Trafford Bar Metrolink Station serves the areas of Old Trafford and Whalley Range in Greater Manchester and lies at the junction of Talbot Road and Seymour Grove, it is also one of several stops used for Old Trafford Stadium and thus one of the busier on the line. Once the current construction of...
, and to run a light rail service from East Didsbury, through Burton Road, into Manchester.
Burton Road station will be a newly-constructed stop on the South Manchester line, rather than a re-opened station. Passengers will be able to travel by rail between Manchester and East Didsbury for the first time since the line was closed in 1967.
The new station is scheduled to open in the summer of 2013.
External links
- http://www.lrta.org/Manchester/City_South.html
- Metrolink Future Network - map of the planned extensions (GMPTE, 2009)