Suspension of train services from Rose Hill

[admin]

Stockport Council (that means us). I believe it is expected to cost up to £30,000 to pay West Coast Railways to provide a service from Rose Hill to Guide Bridge for a week. Let’s hope a few people use it........

I'm not sure where you are picking up the £30k cost from @Dave ? I'm not saying it's wrong but I can't find any reference to the actual cost or where the funds are to come from. I don't believe they can take it from the Area Flexibility Funding - which is to support local organisations and groups - so it is probably coming from the Highways Maintenance and Local Initiatives Delegated budget (I have asked a local councillor to clarify).

I do think that this should be explained in these Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.lisasmart.org.uk/rose-hill-faqs

@Malcolm Allan  @Steve Gribbon  @BeckySenior  @Aron Thornley   @ColinMac   @TomDowseMarpleSouth 

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[Dave]

Who pays for it .

Stockport Council (that means us). I believe it is expected to cost up to £30,000 to pay West Coast Railways to provide a service from Rose Hill to Guide Bridge for a week. Let’s hope a few people use it........

[amazon]

Good luck to them.  I have no knowledge of running train services, but it's doing something - far more than our government is doing when it comes to their own railway service.

Who pays for it .

[andrewbowden]

Good luck to them.  I have no knowledge of running train services, but it's doing something - far more than our government is doing when it comes to their own railway service.

[admin]

Here's an update from the LibDems

I think they're very keen to make it work - be a big feather in Lisa Smart's cap come the next elections too:

https://werneth.mycouncillor.org.uk/2020/09/03/local-lib-dems-agree-to-fund-rail-service-which-northern-plan-to-close/

[admin]

Extraordinary conclusion to the Extraordinary Marple Area Committee Meeting on the closure of the Rose Hill Line last night!

Councillors propose to provide their own train service! Will it work?

Watch on catch-up: https://stockport.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/504796/start_time/6744000?force_language_code=en_GB

[admin]

Well! Did you watch it? That was a pretty radical proposal at the end!

You should be able to watch it back via this link later:

http://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=27839&EVT=101&DT=A

[admin]

Save Rose Hill Line!

There is now a new web site on-line about saving the Rose Hill Line: https://saverosehill.co.uk/

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[FoRHS142]

Thanks for the notification Mark.

Also to note that Northern has now issued the replacement shuttle bus timetable during the line closure and the Monday to Friday service is attached for comments.

There is also a special page on Northern's website about travel options at all the stations affected on the Hyde Loop.

www.northernrailway.co.uk/rosehill2020

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[admin]

Update 29 August 2020

An Extraordinary, Marple Area Committee meeting has been called for Wednesday, 2nd September, 2020 6.00pm. regarding the Temporary Withdrawal of the rail service on the on the Rose Hill Line. This will be a webcast remote meeting that can be watched live or on catch-up:

http://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=27839&EVT=101&DT=A

[admin]

Friends of Rose Hill Station are disappointed to report the following update on this issue:

William Wragg MP (Con Hazel Grove) very recently attended a meeting with Northern alongside Andrew Gwynne MP (Lab, Denton and Reddish), Jonathon Reynolds (Lab, Stalybridge and Hyde) and Cllr David Meller from Stockport MBC where they all put the strongest case against the temporary closure of the Rose Hill to Manchester via Hyde line, but unfortunately, as it stands Northern were unable to reverse this decision.

William is in close contact with the Rail Minister to bring pressure to bear and continue to campaign against this proposed closure.

The closure of the line is scheduled from Monday 14 September until Monday 14 December 2020 with alternative travel options including a shuttle bus service Mondays to Saturdays linking Rose Hill, Marple and Romiley stations. In addition the shuttle bus will also serve Woodley during peak times in the morning and afternoons for schoolchildren.

We have not given up the fight yet and are reviewing our options but you can also help by signing one of the following petitions, if you have not already done so.

https://www.williamwragg.org.uk/campaigns/save-rose-hill-marple-service-piccadilly

https://www.lisasmart.org.uk/rose-hill-rail

[admin]

An article has been added to the main site about Friends of Rose Hill Station and other rail user groups' fight to stop train cuts proposed for Rose Hill to Manchester Piccadilly line:

https://www.marple.website/community-projects/fighting-rose-hill-cuts.html

[FoRHS142]

Thanks for the comment and clearly Northern have had problems with staffing levels and insufficient number of staff to meet their agreed service levels for some time. However we are arguing the point that their claim that this service is lightly used is not justified and why us? We have official ORR (Office of Rail and Road) numbers that passenger traffic has increased on this line by  40% in the last 5 years and, on an annual basis, would affect around 250,000 passengers travelling to and from Manchester.

[Dave]

Melancholy writes:

train drivers are no different to other driving professions in that they have to have basic good health, are tested for serious conditions when they enroll, and have regular medicals to test for these things. They are therefore highly unlikely to be classed as vulnerable people. 

Well the regional director of Northern says they have 'a number of colleagues who are classified as vulnerable'. Unless we are calling him a liar (I hope not!), then we have to take him at his word.

In any job, including driving trains, staff can over time develop chronic medical conditions.  Some of these, such as asthma, bronchitis,  type 2 diabetes, are manageable, and don't prevent staff from continuing to do their jobs.  But they do make them vulnerable to covid-19. 

All employers are obliged to make 'reasonable adjustments' to an employee's working conditions in order to accommodate illness or disability, as long as the illness or disability doesn't prevent them from doing their job.  In the case of a train driver, my guess is that they would be OK to continue to drive, because they will normally be alone in the cab and therefore 'socially distanced'. But they would not be able to have anyone else in the cab with them, which would presumably rule out being trained on new trains.

So it does appear that Northern have got a real problem. I wish FoRHS luck with their petition, but it's hard to see what the solution might be.

[FoRHS142]

Hello, the Friends of Rose Hill Station have started discussions with Northern, TfGM and other groups about the temporary cancellation.
Our first Press Release is attached. ITV Granada Reports also filmed at the station last Tuesday 28th July and we are waiting now for it to be broadcast.

Obviously we need all the support to oppose this terrible decision so let me know if you have any questions or require contact details of relevant indiviuals using the email address quoted in the press release.

Thanks





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