Ordsall Chord rail link opens

Ordsall Chord Bridge linking Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria stations during construction

 The long-awaited Ordsall Chord rail link officially opened on Sunday 10 December.

The £85m connection has taken two years to build and links Manchester’s three main railway stations – Piccadilly, Victoria and Oxford Road. The first service to operate on the new construction was the 0840 from Manchester Victoria to Oxford Road.

The centrepiece is part of the Great North Rail Project to upgrade the region’s links, a billion-pound team effort to transform train travel in the north of England by Network Rail, Northern, TransPennine Express, Transport for the North and DfT.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/113646/great-north-rail-project-resulting-in-space-for-an-additional-40000-people-into-manchester-and-other-northern-cities-at-peak-times

Richard Greenwood, Chairman of local rail group STORM, said: “This new stretch of railway which was first mooted over a hundred years ago and several times more recently stalled by the opposition of Manchester City Council, duly opened to passenger traffic on 10 December 2017 with the 0840 train from Manchester Victoria to Manchester Oxford Road.

“The steelwork which utilises "Corten" steel, which does not need any painting, and remains a rusty colour more or less for ever without corroding, has been criticised in some quarters for looking drab.”

He continued: “Those who had humorously wondered if the Chord would be opened by a "142" nearly got it right, as it was opened by newly refurbished 150 142 plus a 2car 158. Northern were selling "Golden Tickets" as souvenirs at £5 a throw. There were a lot of passengers on this first train and its return which went on to form the first Leeds via Calder Valley train.

“By the time of the second trains, there was evidence of use by ordinary passengers especially with the opportunity of making a journey from the Airport to Calder valley stations with only one cross platform change.”

STORM members, in collaboration with Network Rail and the police, aim to raise awareness of rail improvements and increased services along local lines.