Lostock Station Users Sub-Group

Update

"At the open meeting of 26th May 2009 a sub-committee was formed to examine in detail the effect on Lostock passengers of the rail service changes associated with the revised timetable of December12th 2008.The sub committee is formally part of the Lostock Residents Group, but has a representation covering the wider Lostock station catchment area. It was the intention that the new sub-committee would undertake the investigations specified at the meeting and any possible actions resulting. Longer term the sub-committee would attempt to position itself so that it could anticipate proposed changes which might have adverse effects on passengers using Lostock station and make appropriate representations to the relevant organisations ahead of their possible implementation. Changing circumstances have made it imperative that the sub-committee devotes some small amount of effort to this longer term objective immediately.

In late July it was announced in Parliament that the Manchester to Liverpool railway line via Chat Moss was to be electrified with a virtually immediate start. The plan is that the Manchester to Newton-le-Willows section will be in a position to go over to electric traction in four years time. This has three implications for Lostock. The first is that many of the Transpennine services that at present pass through Lostock without topping will no longer use our route at all, at least until such later time that our route itself is electrified. Secondly it will affect the pathing constraints for Lostock to Manchester trains beyond Salford Crescent which could influence future timetable changes. Thirdly, it means that the long promised additional carriages for Northern and Transpennine to provide extra capacity on existing services are very unlikely to be provided until the Manchester to Liverpool electrification is complete.

On August 26th Network Rail published its outline proposals for a new high speed line from London to Scotland via the northwest. The line will serve four north western destinations. They are Liverpool, Manchester, Preston and Warrington. The aim is to provide all four of these towns/cities with a journey time to London of less than one and a quarter hours. The proposal at present appears to be deliberately non specific about just where the city terminii will be in either London or anywhere else. If implemented there may be further ramifications for our services which we need to be aware of in time to make appropriate representations well before planning is finalised. The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that several other proposals for high speed lines to the north are also under development by other organisations.

It seems that our new sub committee is going to be busy".

We have now formed a Lostock Station Users Sub-group who will be working in conjunction with the Residents Group on issues relating to the downgraded train services.

Click the link to the RESULTS of our recent survey

The fight goes on

Just after we thought our journey to work would be stress free, now that we can park our cars much easier at Lostock station, we are now faced with the decimated timetable changes.

No doubt you have seen the latest press release - Your view please

Friday 22/05/2009 Rail users go into battle over train services

Wednesday 18/02/2009 Out of Touch, Hoon is dodging the issue say communters

Wednesday 4/02/ 2009 Minister to address rail concerns

Thursday 29/01/2009 Passengers blast train delays, toilets and staff in new survey

Thursday 29/01/2009 Councillors support Packed trains can't be safe?

Wednesday 28/01/2009 Rail Bosses to meet unhappy passengers

Monday 26/01/2009 Commuter chaos: Ask the Minister

Saturday 24/01/2009 Rail stations in need of sensible upgrades

Monday 19/01/2009 Rail commuter anger grows as misery goes on

Wednesday 7/01/2009 More misery on the trains for North-west passengers

Friday 24/10/ 2008 Rail car park set to expand

Direct trains should not be axed

See below links to correspondence from the main authorities to
The Rt Hon Ruth Kelly MP

Department of Transport 07.02.09

Northern 11.12.08 23.02.09

GMPTE 21.01.09

First 30.12.08 29.01.09

Letter to The Bolton News 2 December 2008

LOSTOCK STATION

Many people were surprised, and pleased, when observing the commencement of work recently at Lostock Station - increased parking spaces, CCTV and the installation of real-time train running information. All are very welcome improvements and in keeping with the wish to encourage an increased use of public transport, thereby reducing both carbon emission and traffic congestion in the Manchester conurbation.

Consequently it is difficult to reconcile the above upgrading of Lostock Station with the downgrading of the train services to be provided when the new timetable commences on 14 December.

Lostock is a residential area with many people using the direct train services to Manchester Piccadilly to connect with long-distance trains to London etc, and to the Airport to connect with flights. The convenience of not having to change trains when carrying cases is a principal factor when planning such journeys. However, after the 7.30 a.m. train from Lostock there will be just one direct train per hour to Manchester Piccadilly and only one train throughout the rest of the day direct to Manchester Airport. At present there is one train each hour from Lostock to the Airport (19 trains a day); but from 14 December this will be cut to just four, with a period of 11 hours during the day without a direct train. (The services in the opposite direction are similarly decimated.) This is all the more difficult to understand when one realises that the existing trains are still running – it’s just that although they are stopping at Horwich Parkway, only 3 of them are scheduled to stop at Lostock also. What logic supports such a decision? Is it time for Vernon Barker, the Managing Director of Trans Pennine Express, to think again and to re-commence, as a matter of urgency, the Lostock stops?

Lostock Resident

NO to congestion charge - Is this our penance

BOLTON will get a new bus interchange, plus improvements to train stations and more frequent services, under plans for the Manchester congestion charge.

Supporters of the controversial proposals have pointed to the benefits a share of the resulting £2.8 billion would bring to Bolton.

Improvements planned as part of the Transport Innovation Fund bid include:

Moor Lane bus station being relocated to create a state-of-the art transport interchange next to Trinity Street railway station, which will also undergo improvements.

Rail stations at Lostock, Hall i'th' Wood, Bromley Cross, Blackrod, Westhoughton and Daisy Hill would be refurbished and new platforms built at Lostock station, providing a direct link to Wigan.

More carriages would be introduced on peak-time trains to increase capacity. The Horwich Parkway park and ride facility would be extended, creating an extra 90 spaces. There would be a new bus service linking Bolton, Farnworth, Kearsley and Manchester, running every eight minutes.
Local bus services would be improved across Bolton, including improved services to the Middlebrook area.

Across Greater Manchester, one of the major schemes backed by the Fund would be the extension of the Metrolink network, with up to 35 kilometres of new lines