CAMPAIGN BUSINESS CASE AND UPDATE ON RAILWAY CONSULTANCY REPORT

Transcription

1 CAMPAIGN BUSINESS CASE AND UPDATE ON RAILWAY CONSULTANCY REPORT V1.0, 31 AUGUST 2016 REOPENING THE SANDBACH TO NORTHWICH RAILWAY LINE TO PASSENGER TRAFFIC, INCLUDING REOPENING MIDDLEWICH STATION AND CREATING A NEW STATION AT GADBROOK PARK, NORTHWICH.

2 FOREWORD The Mid Cheshire Rail Link Campaign (formerly the Middlewich Rail Link Campaign) is a dedicated group of people who wish to see a passenger service returned on the Sandbach to Northwich Railway line. Members of the group include representatives of Knutsford, Northwich and Middlewich Town Councils, Cheshire East Councillors, the Mid Cheshire Rail Users Association, the railway industry and residents and businesses from towns which would benefit from the project, including Crewe. The campaign has existed for over 24 years and during that time has maintained awareness of the benefits of a passenger rail service linking the towns. This report is not intended as a technical report and is purely aimed to highlight the up to date economic and social case for having a passenger service. It does not suggest any railway timetable as this is not within the area of expertise of the authors and this was discussed in the report in 2009 by the Railway Consultancy. It does, however, provide an update of certain issues contained in that report and defines the project s relevance to the Northern Gateway Development Zone, Northern Powerhouse, Midland Engine and HS2. Stephen H Dent Chairman, Mid Cheshire Rail Link Campaign (MCRL Campaign) Virgin Train travels down Croxton Lane, credit: Peter Cross

3 CONTENTS 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A SHORT HISTORY OF THE RAIL LINK CAMPAIGN THE CHAPMAN REPORT AND THE RAILWAY CONSULTANCY REPORT CAMPAIGN DIAGRAM UPDATE IN THINKING SINCE THE RAILWAY CONSULTANCY REPORT ECONOMIC BENEFITS TO THE REGION GADBROOK PARK AND MIDDLEWICH STATIONS POPULATION EXPLOSIONS AND BUSINESS EXPANSIONS THE NORTHERN GATEWAY, NORTHERN POWERHOUSE AND HS MANCHESTER AIRPORT THE WESTERN LINK ROAD TRAFFIC FINANCE OPTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS HOW TO GET INVOLVED APPENDICES Acknowledgements... 37

4 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1. There is a railway line that runs from the Crewe/Manchester line near Sandbach via Middlewich to meet up with the Chester to Manchester Mid Cheshire line in a triangular junction near to Northwich Station. This is currently maintained and is in daily use as a freight line and a bypass route which enables work to be carried out to the West Coast Main Line. Timetabled passenger services along this line stopping at Middlewich station ceased in 1960, principally due to the opening of the M6 motorway and increased ownership of the family car. This was before Beeching The Chapman Report of 2000 and The Railway Consultancy report of 2009 each identified that there was a good business case for resuming a passenger service on this line from Crewe to Manchester via Sandbach, Middlewich, and Northwich then down the Mid Cheshire Line via Altrincham and Stockport to Manchester Piccadilly. The benefit to cost ratio was 5: The above reports were aimed at creating a new station at the expanding town of Middlewich and did not take into consideration the positive impact on other towns, villages and business parks along the line, which will boost the benefit to cost ratio immensely. Those reports also did not consider the future growth in house building and new business centres in towns along the line and, at the time of the reports, new Government initiatives such as HS2 and Northern Powerhouse were not known The Mid Cheshire Rail Link Campaign (MCRL campaign) has entered into dialogue with various authorities and business organisations outside of Middlewich and has found evidence to suggest that the provision of a passenger service will have a measureable economic benefit to Manchester City centre, Altrincham, Hale, Knutsford, Northwich, Sandbach and Crewe, as well as Middlewich. We also now consider that a service to Chester via Sandbach and Northwich would have similar benefits The MCRL campaign considers that there is an urgent need to provide a passenger rail service for Gadbrook Park, which is a business park situated at the side of the railway line between Middlewich and Northwich. The park presently employs nearly 5,000 people and this figure is set to nearly double in the future due to plans to extend the park by a further 40 hectares. The park is adjacent to the A556 trunk road and at peak hours already causes severe congestion. A station at this point would relieve this congestion thus reducing the need to undertake very expensive highway works As well as Gadbrook Park, there are new business areas being developed, particularly in Middlewich and Northwich, and these are in need of a passenger rail link to Crewe where there is rail access to the rest of the country. Whilst there is no direct alternative in 1

5 Middlewich, the other towns along the Mid Cheshire Line presently have to travel north to Manchester in order to go south by rail. The bottlenecks of the rail route into Manchester, particularly from Stockport, are well documented elsewhere The emerging local plans of the two Cheshire Boroughs show very large increases in house building, increasing the populations in some cases by a third since the Railway Consultancy report. Middlewich is expanding rapidly but has very poor public transport and is thus very congested as there is no realistic alternative to the car. The local plan now shows an area in Middlewich for the construction of a station The Government has several very large initiatives costing billions of pounds aimed at boosting the economy of the north of England and improving connectivity between the towns and cities. These include HS2 and the Northern Powerhouse. There is also the potential for a western link into Manchester Airport and the Northern Gateway project, which sees a massive boost to the economies of Crewe and Middlewich. Our little project is likely to cost under 10m and is the missing piece in that jigsaw. It provides a feeder route to the new Crewe Hub station, opening up rail access to Crewe to the whole population of north and mid Cheshire. It provides an alternative rail link between the Northern Powerhouse and the Midlands Engine. It provides easy access to Manchester for businesspeople living in Cheshire. If the Airport Western Gateway project is implemented, it will allow an alternative access route from Crewe to Manchester Airport, giving the possibility of quicker journeys to the city and a circular rail route running through the airport Traffic Congestion is a massive problem on the A54 in Middlewich, on the A556 at Gadbrook and further along the A556 corridor. Whilst this project will not cure all those problems, it will add considerably to the other initiatives already underway and being contemplated by taking thousands of car journeys away from those areas Our project ticks all the boxes in that it relieves road traffic congestion, helps boost the regional economy, fits well with all the Government initiatives, is virtually ready to go now and will cost very little compared to other rail reopening projects. Regardless of all of those Government initiatives, MCRL campaign considers that our case is good enough to stand on its own and that efforts should be made to implement it as soon as possible. 2

6 2. A SHORT HISTORY OF T HE RAIL LINK CAMPAIGN BY DAVID ROBERTS, CAMPAIGN PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN Middlewich Station, credit: Dave Roberts In 1992, when the Middlewich Rail Link Campaign (MRLC) began, the reopening of the Middlewich line to passenger trains was already an aspiration of the Mid Cheshire Rail Users Association (MCRUA), the user group for the Manchester to Chester (via Northwich) line. The suggestion that passenger services should be re-introduced on the line had been made twice before: once in the 1960s by Middlewich signalman David Myles and again in the 1970s by Cheshire County Councillor Dorothy Roberts. Both of these suggestions fell on deaf ears because, quite simply, the time wasn't yet right. Twenty years later though in 1992, the attitude to railways generally, and the transport situation in this area, had changed sufficiently to enable the idea to be given serious consideration. MCRUA's interest in the line primarily came about because reopening would give passengers east of Northwich access to Crewe without them having to first travel to Manchester or Chester. The Middlewich Rail Link Campaign, which was originally a sub-committee of MCRUA (the Middlewich & West Cheshire Committee), was started in order to give the association a voice in Middlewich itself and to campaign for a new station in the town. People in Middlewich were, on the whole, keen to see a new passenger train service for the town and initial objections were muted and easily overcome. As is to be expected, opposition mostly came from people living near the line who feared an increase in noise from the new trains, but the

7 Middlewich campaign's response was always quite simple: if you don't like the noise of trains, don't live near a railway. Meetings in Middlewich were originally chaired by the then Chairman of MCRUA, Andrew Macfarlane, and focussed on trying to get the then transport authority, the Cheshire County Council, to 'set the ball rolling'. It was to no avail. The County Council sent a representative to Middlewich once a year to express the County's support for the scheme, but that was always as far as it went. The Middlewich Rail Link Campaign also, of course, tried to talk with the railway authorities: British Rail, then Railtrack and latterly Network Rail. Until fairly recent years, these overtures had also met with indifferent results. With the advent of the new authority, Cheshire East, things began to look up a little. In 2009, building on favourable reaction from the Chapman Report of 2000 (see 3.1 below), we were able to commission the Railway Consultancy Report (see 3.2 below), which once again gave a resounding YES to our proposals. The difficulty then became one of getting someone to act on the findings of the report.the Middlewich Rail Link Campaign enlisted the aid of Congleton MP Fiona Bruce, who presented the campaign's petition to Parliament and has never missed an opportunity to bring up the scheme with the powers-that-be both at Cheshire East and Westminster. Things have moved on apace in the last few years, with Cheshire East making it clear that it considers the best hope for a new passenger service for Middlewich to be a 'feeder service' for the proposed HS2 hub station at Crewe. However, the Middlewich Rail Link Campaign decided to put pressure on the council to consider the Middlewich scheme on its own merits rather than merely as an adjunct to HS2 and to revitalise the campaign, stressing the benefits of the new service not only to Middlewich but also to a much wider area of Cheshire and the North-West. The Middlewich Rail Link Campaign became the Mid Cheshire Rail Link Campaign in November

8 3. THE CHAPMAN REPORT AND THE RAILWAY CONSULTANCY REPORT 3.1. The Chapman Report The Chapman Report was commissioned in 2000 by the Middlewich Rail Link Campaign and funded by Middlewich Town Council and the Mid Cheshire Rail Users Association. Railway consultant Roy Chapman was given a brief which was very simple: to prove the viability, or otherwise, of a new rail service between Crewe and Manchester via a new station at Middlewich Campaigners had long ago noticed that there was a great deal of housing development going on in the vicinity of Holmes Chapel Road, the area in which the original Middlewich Station was situated. The reasoning was that many of the people living in these new houses would be likely to make use of a new station, if it could be shown that the majority of them were working in Manchester and surrounding area A survey was carried out of residents living within the proposed station's catchment area. The aim was to find out the percentage of those surveyed who worked in the area to be served by the new service and to ask those people if they would use trains to get to work if they were available. The results of this survey were conclusive, fully bore out what campaigners had been surmising, and gave an impetus to reopen the campaign which has lasted to the present day It was found that the majority of residents living within walking distance of the proposed new station were indeed working along the A556 corridor and in Manchester itself, and the vast majority of those surveyed said they would use a new train service if it was available. Although a proportion of the people surveyed used the stations at Holmes Chapel, and to a lesser degree Sandbach, on the Crewe-Manchester line, most of them used cars to get into Manchester along the A556 corridor, adding to the congestion on that road. They did this because, as they saw it, they had no alternative It was found that the number of commuters using the train service from a new Middlewich Station would potentially equal the number using Knutsford Station at that time, and possibly exceed it The Chapman Report also took into account the fact that the proposed new station was within easy walking distance of Middlewich Town Centre and could thus expect additional passengers either walking into town or coming in by bus from the Cledford end of the town. It also envisaged additional buses from Cledford and other districts direct to the new station. Roy also recognised the potential of the Middlewich line to help boost tourism in the Weaver Valley what he always referred to as 'the icing on the cake' Roy's approach to the feasibility study was interactive and he attended many Middlewich Rail Link Campaign meetings to explain his methodology, as well as organising meetings at Northwich and Sandbach to explain the advantages of the new service to people living in those towns. 5

9 In many ways, the Chapman Report paved the way for the later (2009) Railway Consultancy Report. It was, for example, the Chapman Report which first suggested the use of the alternative station site south of the Holmes Chapel Road railway bridge, in order to simplify and reduce the cost of the new station The Chapman Report's favourable conclusions enabled Roy and members of the then campaign to give a presentation to the Middlewich Town Council, explaining the options for the new station and its implications for the town. The report was widely circulated; copies went to, among others, the then Cheshire County and Congleton Borough Councils and Railtrack The Chapman Report was invaluable to the Rail Link Campaign and it settled the question, once and for all, of whether there was a demand for a train service for Middlewich The Railway Consultancy Report In 2008, at the instigation of Middlewich Town Council, a new Railway Steering Group was established to investigate the feasibility of using the Sandbach to Northwich line for passenger traffic and reopening Middlewich Station. The Steering Group comprised representatives of Congleton and Vale Royal Borough Councils, Cheshire County Council, Middlewich, Sandbach, Northwich and Winsford Town Councils, MCRUA, Middlewich Rail Link Campaign, ASLEF, CPRE, Network Rail and local transport groups The local authorities provided finance to enable the commissioning of railway consultants to examine and report back on the feasibility of the project and The Railway Consultancy was appointed following a tendering and interview procedure The Executive Summary of the report of the Railway Consultancy issued in 2009 is attached as an Appendix. This concluded that the project was eminently viable with a benefit/cost ratio of 5.1. The Steering Group circulated this document very widely to all national and local government agencies, Network Rail, media organisations and the rail industry but, although most supported it, no agency would take on responsibility for the project Network Rail would not accept the findings of The Railway Consultancy and wanted to charge a fee many times that charged by the consultants merely to validate their findings. They insisted that it would cost up to 500,000 in their fees to work up the project to GRIP stage 3. The GRIP process is the Guide to Rail Investment Process covering the following eight stages: 1. Output definition 2. Feasibility 3. Option selection 4. Single option development 5. Detailed design 6. Construction test and commission 7. Scheme hand back 8. Project close out 6

10 The Steering Group was of the opinion that the Consultant s report went beyond GRIP 2 but this would not be accepted by Network Rail without payment of a large validation fee, which was totally out of proportion to the then estimated 2m required to complete and manage the entire project The then relatively new unitary authorities, Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council, as transport authorities, had and still have the responsibility for local rail but whilst they both said they supported the project, neither could give it sufficient priority in their tight budgets to enable it to proceed. This remains the case today. 7

11 4. CAMPAIGN DIAGRAM Campaign diagram and key. Credit: James Harwood The above campaign diagram is intended to demonstrate the simplicity of the MCRL campaign and just how better connected Mid Cheshire would be, to so many other UK destinations, if the passenger line and service was re-instated. Please refer to the diagram, when needed, throughout the document. 8

12 5. UPDATE IN THINKING S INCE THE RAILWAY CON SULTANCY REPORT 5.1. In the 7 years since the Consultant s report, there has been a gradual change in thinking and it is now clear that the Middlewich Station should be thought of as a byproduct of what is agreed to be a vital scheme for the current and future economies of the whole of Cheshire, Manchester City Centre and parts of south Trafford. See Section The Consultant s report excluded the possibility of providing a new railway station at Gadbrook Park, a large and growing business park which accommodates national and international businesses, is adjacent to the railway and adjacent to the heavily congested A556. This was considered to be wrongly omitted from the instructions given to The Railway Consultancy. See Section The report also did not consider the possibility of trains running to and from Chester via Middlewich, an aspect which will further enhance the patronage of the proposed two new stations. This prospect had also not been included in their instructions At the time of the Consultant s report, national and regional projects such as HS2 and Northern Powerhouse had not been announced and the western link to Manchester Airport, which is now under active discussion, was considered to be no more than a pipe dream In 2009, increases in house building in Middlewich, Sandbach and Northwich could not have been envisaged in the current magnitude and this is causing an increase in the population and squeezing the already inadequate road network to the point that the area is now gridlocked at peak periods The revitalisation of the economy since 2009, both locally and nationally, has seen considerable growth in business along the route of the Mid Cheshire Line, and along the route of the rail link to Sandbach. See Section 8. 9

13 6. ECONOMIC BENEFITS TO THE REGION Manchester City Centre has many attractions and opportunities 6.1. Manchester City Centre Manchester is considered to be the commercial capital of the North West. Greater Manchester s economic growth has been driven by the large-scale and rapid expansion of the service sector, particularly financial & professional services. This sector accounts for a sixth of employment, a fifth of GVA and businesses, and it contributed 45% of all GVA growth across Greater Manchester between 1998 and More than 50% of Middlewich s working population commute out of town daily by car and most of them travel to Manchester, with many working in the service sector (source Middlewich Vision Healthcheck document). Some drive to stations at Northwich, Holmes Chapel or Sandbach but the majority drive up the M6 and/or A556 and down the A56 corridor to the city centre. This is not an easy journey. The station car parks at Northwich, Holmes Chapel and Sandbach are frequently at capacity and there is peak hour traffic congestion at Northwich and at routes into the town. Routes into and out of Middlewich can be gridlocked at any time of day, thus increasing journey times to stations in other towns The success of the city relies very much on its ability to attract a highly qualified, experienced workforce. By having a reliable rail transport system into and out of the city to attractive Cheshire towns where house prices are relatively low (compared to south Trafford for example) Manchester has a distinct advantage over other areas, London in particular. The rail link with a station in Middlewich, which has a population approaching 14,000, will add to this advantage. 10

14 Tatton Park, Knutsford 6.2. South Trafford and Knutsford Many of the region s top businesspeople live in the Altrincham/Hale/Bowdon area of Trafford or in Knutsford. In order to travel by rail south to London and other areas, they have first to go north to the city centre via car, rail and Metrolink or via Stockport. The Mid Cheshire Rail Link would give them a direct route to Crewe and from there they could travel anywhere in the country. Using the rail link as a passenger route would increase the convenience and save time for businesspeople living in South Trafford and Knutsford Discussions have been held with Tatton Estate Management, who are the largest private landowners in east Cheshire. They are fully supportive of this project and see it as an important contributor to the future economic growth of the sub-region Support from the former Chancellor, George Osborne In a recent article covered by The Northwich Guardian, former Chancellor and Tatton MP, George Osborne stated his support for the MCRL campaign explicitly; 11

15 To quote the article: Mr Osborne, who has campaigned for more and better transport in Cheshire says that one of his main priorities is to continue to push for improved infrastructure, including the Mid Cheshire Rail Link Campaign and HS2. George Osborne, Tatton MP If you are reading this document online, to read the full article, hold the CTRL key and click the image below: Credit: 12

16 Northwich Marina Northwich and Gadbrook Park Northwich has become recognised as a key town for regeneration within the North West region. Its regeneration became possible in 2007, when the mines were filled underneath the town, thus creating stable building ground. Many industry experts foresaw that the renaissance of the former salt mining town would be the next big investment and regeneration opportunity to happen in the North-West. Consequently, the economy of Northwich is undergoing a major revival with many substantial areas of new commercial and retail development, including Baron s Quay and a proposed extension of the industrial estate at Gadbrook Park The town centre serves not only the local Northwich community but also a large rural catchment area. Northwich is also well connected to neighbouring towns including Winsford, Altrincham, Knutsford, Frodsham, Nantwich, Crewe, Middlewich and Macclesfield Significant areas of new housing are also proposed for the Northwich area (see Section 8) The reinstatement of a passenger service on the existing line between Northwich and Crewe via a new stop at Gadbrook Park, Middlewich and the existing Sandbach station at Elworth, will have a significant impact on the local economy and is the missing link in the town s transport system. A direct link to Crewe and eventually to the HS2 station will enable the town to join in the considerable benefits of HS2. 13

17 6.5. Middlewich Middlewich is set to be one of the towns which will benefit from HS2 with its economy expanding in an unprecedented way. A detailed case of why it needs a station is set out in Section 7.2. The Railway Consultancy report also proves the case, but that was before HS2 and the Northern Powerhouse Mid-Point 18 in the town is one of the largest developments of its kind in the North West. It is a mixed use site offering distribution, manufacturing and office facilities. The built phase provides 1.3 million sq. ft. of accommodation ranging from 500 sq. ft. workspace units up to 369,560 sq. ft. units. The estate is expected to expand rapidly in future years but is subject to the completion of the Middlewich Eastern Bypass. Whilst the railway line runs along the boundary of the estate, there is no passenger facility in Middlewich to serve the workforce, many of whom are travelling into Middlewich by car along very congested roads Sandbach Sandbach is one of the larger settlements within Cheshire East. It is located approximately 5km north east of Crewe, about 9km west of Congleton and is less than 1km from junction 17 of the M6. The town is classed as one of 9 Key Service Centres within the Cheshire East Settlement Study. It has a good range of employment, retail and education opportunities and services, with relatively good public transport Out of a total of 164,400 jobs in Cheshire East, Sandbach provides approximately 5,300; this is 3.2% of the jobs available in the Borough. The majority of these jobs are within the 'Distribution, hotels and restaurants' sector and the 'Public administration, education and health' sector. Key employers in the town include Cheshire East Council, the Health Authority and Flowcrete According to the local plan, the number of jobs available within Sandbach is low but despite this there is lower than average unemployment, which indicates that many residents travel to work outside of the local area. Additionally, people from outside the town travel in for employment, particularly to Cheshire East Council s offices Whilst Sandbach already has good transport links, particularly to Manchester and Crewe by virtue of Sandbach Railway Station, it is felt that the town s economy would benefit from an additional passenger services to Middlewich, Gadbrook Park and Northwich to assist the two-way flow of employees and to avoid the bottleneck of Middlewich whilst travelling by road. 14

18 HS2 super hub station will be built in Crewe. Credit: Crewe An HS2 super hub in Crewe would help deliver more than 120,000 new jobs and more than 100,000 new homes across the Northern Gateway partnership by It is expected to bring 10 billion of GVA a year to the Northern Gateway area. Cheshire East Council is working with Department for Transport and Network Rail to finalise the location of the new HS2 hub station at Crewe, which is not known at the time of writing this report No matter what the outcome of the station location is, it is clear that the future economic prospects for Crewe are about to be given a major boost. Essential to this is connectivity, bringing people to jobs and jobs to people. The rail link from Crewe through to Northwich and beyond to Altrincham s connection with Metrolink is a missing link in Crewe s connectivity in an otherwise excellent network. HS2 super hub station will be built in Crewe. Credit: 15

19 6.8. Winsford Winsford sits on the main Crewe/Liverpool line but, similar to Middlewich, it has a high proportion of its working population travelling to Manchester daily. Manchester is also equal to Liverpool in its attraction to Winsford residents for employment, social and entertainment purposes. Winsford people are very keen to see a service running from Middlewich to Manchester, which will complement their service to Liverpool. Two stations working together with possibly park and ride and/ or a shuttle bus running for the 2.8 miles between them would be a massive benefit to the two towns. It is unusual, yet not surprising, that Winsford has listed support of a Middlewich Station as a priority in its new local plan Chester and the Tourism Economy Weir on River Dee in the City of Chester Chester is the tourism capital of the County but the County has much more to offer than just the City itself. The area around Northwich and Middlewich is already an important tourism attraction, adding to what is provided in Chester and elsewhere in the County. Roman, Norman and salt and canal heritage are the catalysts for bringing in tourism, especially when the famous festivals are held. The canal boat hire industry and the Middlewich FAB Festival (formerly Folk and Boat Festival) bring people flocking to the area in their thousands from all over the world. There are two narrow boat hire companies in Middlewich which would benefit considerably from a local station. Scandinavian, American and Japanese tourists are frequent users of this facility but have difficulty finding their way to Middlewich from Crewe Station unless they go by taxi. Both of these companies are within walking distance from the allocated Middlewich station site. 16

20 MCRL campaign considers that the proposal in this report to link Chester to Middlewich by rail will be a considerable boost to the tourism economy of the County Additionally, Chester is a centre for several public service organisations and private corporations with employees who reside in Middlewich. The A556 is also congested at peak hours heading towards Chester because employees have no bus or rail service, thus they have to use private cars. Crowded Chester City centre attracting lots of visitors Student and Apprentice Travel Across Mid Cheshire There are several travel difficulties facing Middlewich students wishing to attend their education establishment of choice. Middlewich has no sixth form, further education college or Roman Catholic high school. Pupils of St Mary s RC Primary School in Middlewich move up for secondary education to St Nicholas RC High in Hartford, which is the nearest Catholic high school. The independent school bus service is rigid in its timings, over-crowded and costs 580 per child per year. Parents have to drive children home from after school clubs and activities as public buses are irregular and not direct, which is unsuitable for most students Additionally, students leaving Middlewich High School wishing to go to further education colleges have to travel to Northwich or Crewe, either end of the Middlewich line, and again there are rigidly timed private buses and poor public services, taking at times 2 hours each way for students. Students are very limited 17

21 without the use of a car if they want to move away from the core hours of college life. If they live in Middlewich and have no other form of transport available, they have severe difficulties. The Government is presently investing heavily in apprenticeships. The MCRL campaign recognises that people in the age group who can t drive rely heavily on public transport MCRL campaign is of the view that a passenger rail service taking students and apprentices either to Crewe or to Northwich and Hartford or onwards will be very popular as is the case at Knutsford station (Knutsford, population 13,100 with a footfall in excess of 500,000). This will open up a better choice of education to apprentices and students across mid Cheshire and allow them to take part in after school or college activities. Public buses are not the best option, for students to get further afield to college. 18

22 7. GADBROOK PARK AND MIDDLEWICH STATIONS 7.1. Gadbrook Park Railway Station Image highlighting parking issue at Gadbrook Park, and how the new station will assist, credit: Google Earth Gadbrook Park is a 100-acre business park employing 4,829 staff. Plans propose to extend the area by nearly doubling it in size, giving it the potential to employ towards 9,000 people. This is equivalent to more than the whole working population of Middlewich Traffic on the A556 is severely disrupted at peak times and Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council has the dilemma of creating a highway scheme not only to alleviate this but also to cope with traffic to the park, which may nearly double in size. The Northwich to Sandbach line runs right alongside the business park and the situation is ripe for the construction of a new station to serve the development Discussions have been held with both the management of the park and employees and they are all in favour of the construction of a station and passenger train service, which they think will benefit and would be used by many employees The prospect of there being a halt at Gadbrook was not part of the commission given in 2008 to The Railway Consultancy, as that study was about Middlewich Station alone. The Consultants did mention it as a possibility, however, but commented that this would extend the journey time from Middlewich. However, MCRL campaign feels that there is overwhelming evidence that the benefit/cost ratio of a new halt at Gadbrook would be even higher than the 5.1 given for Middlewich Station In conclusion, MCRL campaign feels that a station at Gadbrook Park is now considered to be an essential part of the business case for returning passenger 19

23 traffic to the line and that this is crucial to the success of the proposed doubling of this important employment site Middlewich Station MCRL campaign does not intend to repeat here all of the evidence found in The Chapman and The Railway Consultancy reports. We consider that the cost benefit ratio of 5:1 will have now been exceeded by a large margin due to the increase in population of Middlewich since 2009 (see Section 8), the growth in road traffic through Middlewich and the increase in businesses Detailed discussions have been held with Cheshire East Council and the site of the new station and car park has now been allocated on the new Local Plan. The general opinion of all the local public bodies is no longer whether Middlewich needs a station but how soon can it be built and where is the finance coming from The addition of a station at Gadbrook Park will in itself have increased the viability of Middlewich Station as many Middlewich residents work on that estate and will use the railway, thus easing congestion on the A556 at the Gadbrook Park Entrance (see comments in Appendix 2) Middlewich s MP, Fiona Bruce, is fully behind the reopening of the station and has commented as follows: "If Middlewich and the surrounding area are to reach their full - and currently greatly unrealised - potential, it is critical that the station at Middlewich is reopened to passengers and that appropriate investment is made in the line to facilitate this, and I shall continue to support and champion this both locally and in Parliament for as long as it takes to achieve it." Fiona Bruce, Middlewich MP 20

24 8. POPULATION EXPLOSIONS AND BUSINESS EXPANSIONS 8.1. Cheshire East Area House Building Programme All of the towns along the line from Sandbach to Knutsford show considerable actual or proposed increases in new house building (hence increases in the potential numbers of rail users since the issue of the Railway Consultancy s report in 2009). The following table illustrates this: Town Expected level of housing development by Town Housing Completions 01/04/10-30/09/15 Housing Commitments 30/09/15 Local Plan Strategy Strategic Sites Middlewich Sandbach Knutsford Site Allocations Taking Middlewich as an example, this equates to a population increase of 4,465 people (or a rise of one third of the current population). This is based on information from the 2011 Census of population, which shows that the average household size in Cheshire East is around 2.29 people. On the same basis, Sandbach s population will increase by 6,297 and Knutsford s by 2,175. The Northern Gateway project envisages 100,000 new homes, many of which will fall within the rail corridor of Crewe, Sandbach, Middlewich and Northwich (see Section 9) Business Expansions The Northern Gateway new growth zone is estimated to provide 100,000 new jobs, many of which will also be along the rail corridor mentioned above. Midpoint 18 is the main employment area that will be affected in Middlewich. This site has changed in the Local Plan revision from a Strategic Location to a Strategic Site covering the whole Midpoint 18 area. The Brooks Lane development site is also located very close to the site being protected in the Local Plan for Middlewich Station, and has also become a strategic site. Ideally, any future development at Brooks Lane will incorporate the Middlewich Station as part of the design. 21

25 8.2. Cheshire West and Chester Area Numerous housing developments are underway in the area House building Programme Northwich s largest area of new housing under construction is at Winnington Works, which is some distance from Northwich Station and will have little or no impact on the proposed station at Gadbrook Park. However, new housing comprising 74 dwellings is under construction at Cookes Meadow, Rudheath. This is within walking distance of the proposed Gadbrook Park station. A further 950 dwellings are proposed at Wincham, which is within the Mid Cheshire Line catchment area The following table shows house building completions and commitments and proposed future site allocations since the publication of The Railway Consultancy s report: 22

26 Housing completions and commitments in Northwich Town Northwich Urban Area (as defined by the Local Plan Part 1) *Site allocations Net housing requirement (over the Plan period to 2030) Net Housing Completions (1 st April 2010 to 31 st March 2015) Housing Commitments (sites with planning permission) (as of 31 st March 2015) Local Plan Strategic Sites (already counted in committed housing supply) 4, ,561 Winnington Urban Village 1200 units Wincham Urban Village 950 units Site Allocations *see note below The Local Plan (Part Two) will review and replace the retained policies and land allocations from the extant local plans in the Borough and identify new allocations that are in accordance with the overall strategy of the Local Plan (Part One). This review and the selection of the new site allocations will take account of evidence-based reports prepared to inform the preparation of the Plan, primarily the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA). Work on the production of the HELAA and site identification is underway (April 2016). Site identification will also be informed by the Council's growth and regeneration priorities, relevant evidence-based studies and a consideration of whether there are any suitable and reasonable alternative sites to meet the strategic development requirements Business Expansions Section 6 and Section 7 already refer to the proposed large extensions at Gadbrook Park. Other new developments in the Northwich area since the 2009 report include the Baron s Quay development presently under construction and the Lostock Triangle, 5 minutes walk from Lostock Gralam Station. Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council inform us that the Local Plan (Part One) identifies the need to provide an additional 30 hectares of land for business and industrial development over the Plan period to Key sites for business and industrial developments are: Gadbrook Park will be retained and protected for continued employment purposes. Any expansion of the employment park will be assessed through the Local Plan (Part Two) Land Allocations and Detailed Policies Plan. A site will be identified through the Local Plan (Part Two) Land Allocations and Detailed Policies Plan to meet the need for logistics/warehousing and distribution. 23

27 Our research shows that the 30 ha additional land for business and industrial developments will be exceeded in light of the proposed 40 ha proposed by Gadbrook Park management. 9. THE NORTHERN GATEWAY, NORTHERN POWERHOUS E AND HS The Northern Gateway Partnership is a collaboration between the local authorities and aims to unlock major new growth and investment opportunities which could deliver more than 100,000 new homes and 120,000 jobs by creating a new growth zone at the gateway to the north, dubbed the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine The Gateway recognises that high-quality local transport enables businesses to link to each other and people to get to work and access the exceptional education, training, leisure, recreation and cultural opportunities available in the north. Local connectivity relies on a combination of modes, including road, rail, tram, bus, walking and cycling. In the Northern Powerhouse these different forms of transport will be seamlessly linked Local authority leaders have indicated that mid-cheshire towns, including Northwich, Winsford and Middlewich, will see significant economic gains from improved connectivity The restoration of passenger rail services to Middlewich will be supported by all of the Northern Gateway opportunities. The station will be a traffic generator and benefit from the Eastern By-Pass, which could potentially provide an access route to the new station. MCRL campaign believes that the use again of the Northwich to Sandbach line for passenger services will be a vital component of the Northern Gateway Northern Powerhouse The Mid Cheshire Rail Link will be an important asset to the Northern Powerhouse initiative. The link will be bringing commuters for Central Manchester in by rail, 24

28 thereby reducing congestion on the major feeder roads into the city. Manchester needs to attract top businesspeople and easy access from home to work is one of the biggest factors when people decide where to locate Connectivity is key in terms of economic growth. The Mid Cheshire Rail Link will provide this in an area where connectivity is currently poor, as well as providing an additional connection route between the Northern Powerhouse and the Midlands Engine. Credit: 25

29 9.3. A feeder route to HS2 High Speed Rail 2 proposal, credit: The benefits of HS2 to the economy of the region are well documented. The nearest proposed HS2 stations to Mid-Cheshire are to be Crewe and Manchester Airport. In terms of rail accessibility from mid and north Cheshire and south Trafford, Crewe is difficult to access by rail, as is Manchester Airport The Mid Cheshire Rail Link through Middlewich changes this dramatically for access to/from not only Middlewich, but also Northwich, Knutsford and the Hale and Altrincham area. Passengers to/from these areas would have connections with HS2 at Crewe with Northwich less than 30 minutes away and Knutsford little over 45 minutes away. Without the Mid Cheshire Rail Link, getting by rail from Northwich and Knutsford to Crewe takes well over an hour. Otherwise the nearest rail accessible HS2 station from Mid Cheshire will be Manchester Piccadilly (i.e. travelling north for up to an hour in order to go south), as Manchester Airport is not currently easily accessible by rail from Mid Cheshire MCRL campaign firmly believes for the above reasons that the rail link will provide a vital feeder route for north and mid Cheshire to the HS2 station at Crewe, wherever that is sited. 26

30 10. MANCHESTER AIRPORT THE WESTERN LINK The Western Rail Link is crucial in many ways, not just to Mid Cheshire, but also in aiding the reduction of congestion on the heavily trafficked lines around the south of Manchester and through Piccadilly and Oxford Road Once the Western Link is open, faster trains from Mid Cheshire will turn off northeastwards north of Knutsford over the 3.5 mile link to Manchester Airport station, and thence directly on to Piccadilly via the Styal Line, potentially minutes faster than the current route via Altrincham and Stockport and with less conflicting moves For Northwich, the Western Link potentially provides a 40-minute link for the 20 miles to Manchester, compared to the 60 minutes currently taken. Currently, those from the area working at the airport have very limited and poor public transport options available to them. The Western Link will open up employment opportunities for many more in Mid- Cheshire. Manchester Airport would be more widely accessible by rail. 27

31 11. ROAD TRAFFIC The A54 from the M6 through Middlewich is gridlocked for most of the day and it frequently takes 30 minutes to make the two-mile journey. The A533 Sandbach to Middlewich road frequently has a half mile of standing traffic coming to the A54 junction At Peak hours there is severe congestion on the A556 in the vicinity of Gadbrook Park. The following graphs showing the vehicles entering and leaving the park, based on a survey in July 2015, illustrate why (see Figure 1 and Figure 2). Figure 1: Gadbrook Park Vehicle Movements: Early Morning am am 6.30am am 7.00am am 7.30am am 8.00am am 8.30am am am am Cars Lorries Other Figure 2: Gadbrook Park Vehicles Movements: Early Evening 28

32 11.3. The A556 bypass and the M6 smart motorway presently under construction will do nothing to relieve the local traffic problems in Middlewich and Gadbrook, but the removal of several thousand car journeys to Manchester and back to Middlewich will have the effect of reducing some traffic on the M6, A556, A56 and M56 - adding to the future benefits of those projects The severe traffic congestion being experienced in north and central Cheshire is causing excessive pollution and inhibiting economic growth in the area. Traffic travelling from the M6 through Middlewich to Winsford, for example, suffers serious delays which make it not conducive to expanding business or creating new business in those areas. Serious delays on the roads in Middlewich 29

33 12. FINANCE It has previously been stated that due to austerity measures, the two Borough Councils have been unable to provide financial support for this scheme and the only other way it can happen is for it to be linked to a Government initiative such as HS2 or the Northern Powerhouse The cost of implementing a basic passenger service on the line as suggested by The Railway Consultancy and taking into account inflation is likely to be around 5m. This would retain single track running and utilise existing rolling stock, and it includes design alterations required at Northwich and Crewe Stations. Additional costs of providing a station at Gadbrook Park could be financed as part of the development cost of the extension to the park The Mid Cheshire Rail Link is in place but is an underused asset being used currently only for freight. In the event that the Mid Cheshire Line is electrified (the Mid Cheshire Line currently has the 4th best economic case for electrification out of 32 lines in Northern England in the March 2015 Sparks report), it would also be necessary to electrify the Mid Cheshire Rail Link. It might also be considered to be prudent in the future, in view of the likely increase in traffic due to the line being a feeder route to the HS2 hub station, to dual the line as it is mostly single track at present, though with a track bed allowing provision of a second track. This would clearly add considerably to the cost MCRL campaign suggest that this line should open for passenger services by whatever means possible as it is an important addition to the Northern Powerhouse proposals in light of its contribution to connecting to the Midlands Engine. Rather than improving the line in incremental stages from a single track to dual track, MCRL campaign feels that in the long term it would be financially preferable to undertake the full dualling from the outset and that the Middlewich station should be a quality station with shop and ticket office in keeping with the size of the town and number of users. 30

34 13. OPTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS The options are: OPTION SUMMARY COMMENTARY OPTION A Do nothing This will have a considerable effect on the future expansion of local economies and populations, will result in unacceptable traffic problems in Middlewich and Gadbrook and will needlessly delay an important opportunity to provide a feeder route to Crewe. OPTION B Implement a passenger service with a station at Middlewich This option is as suggested by The Railway Consultancy. However, MCRL campaign considers this to be a poor option in view of the new evidence provided regarding Gadbrook Park. OPTION C As option B) but with a station being provided at Gadbrook Park. It is now considered to be essential that the Gadbrook Park station is added to the project. This will increase the already high benefit:cost ratio of 5:1 which consultants estimated for the Middlewich station. OPTION D Dual and electrify the line and have new stations at Middlewich and Gadbrook Park. This would be with the aim to provide a fast feeder route to the Crewe HS2 hub station. The Middlewich Station would be a quality station with shop and ticket office. Works would also be undertaken at Northwich Station to provide much needed access for disabled people and a remodelled track layout to accept trains on/off the Middlewich line. This is considered to be the best solution in the long term and would be conditional to there being improvements to the Mid Cheshire Line, including electrification. This full project envisages services to Chester as well as Manchester. The potential exists for the service to travel further than Crewe, maybe into Staffordshire and Shropshire MCRL campaign feels that the case for reopening the line to passenger traffic and the construction of stations at Gadbrook Park and Middlewich has been overwhelmingly made and has now become an urgent issue. Accordingly, it is considered that this should happen as soon as possible Whilst the cheapest option is to retain the exiting single track running, it is concluded that this is not financially preferable in the long term and that the full project set out in OPTION D above of providing dual tracks, a quality Middlewich station and works at Northwich Station, including proper access for disabled people, is the best way forward at the outset. 31

35 14. HOW TO GET INVOLVED To show your support for Mid Cheshire Rail Link Campaign, there are a number of ways you can get involved. Monthly Meeting Each month, we meet at The Boar s Head in Middlewich to discuss campaign progress. Please check out our Facebook page (link below) for updates on the latest meeting dates and events. Social Media Please join us on Facebook and Twitter (click the links below to visit our social media pages): On Facebook, search Mid Cheshire Rail Link Campaign and like our page. Follow for campaign updates. 32