Public inquiry announced into rail upgrade that could leave villages ‘cut off’ for months

The government has launched a public inquiry into part of a major rail upgrade that is ‘crucial’ – but could leave a thriving Greater Manchester area ‘cut off’ for months.

The Department of Transport has invited representatives to give evidence for and against a section of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, a project aimed at modernising the railway system between York and Manchester.

Part of the update runs between Stalybridge and Diggle, bringing ‘much needed’ changes to Mossley and Greenfield stations, such as improved wheelchair access. There’s just one problem. 

Road closures and land seizures could ‘kill’ the villages of Saddleworth, according to campaign groups and businesses. Local councillors and the parish council are ‘strongly objecting’ to the current plans.

“We’re not trying to stop the Transpennine Route Upgrade itself,” explained coun Helen Bishop. “But we want to make sure it’s delivered in the least disruptive way possible. We want to protect Saddleworth from decisions that could be detrimental and that we’ll have to live with for a long time.” 

The Saddleworth South representative says one of the biggest issues facing the area would be the five-month closure of the A670 at Greenfield to build a new railway bridge. The road is the main route into Uppermill, a flourishing village reliant on visiting walkers and tourists, as well as Diggle and Delph. 

“The impact of that will kill a lot of businesses,” said coun Bishop. 

Business owners in Uppermill previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the closures could destroy the high street if handled incorrectly. 

Felicity Mistry (pictured above), managing director of The Cake Kitchen, worried she’d ‘probably have to close down’. 

Mistry said: “I don’t have five months of savings, this is a small business. And lots of businesses here will be in the same boat.

“It’s going to be horrific. We won’t be able to access the bridge, meaning everyone will have to use the bypass behind Greenfield Station. It’ll make it harder for staff to get in, let alone visitors.

“It does depend on how they do it. It’s when there’s misleading signs and they don’t put in proper diversions that it becomes a real problem.”

Network Rail previously told the LDRS they ‘recognised the need for clearer signage and more proactive communication with businesses’ when the diversion is put in place, and are committed to ‘ensuring access to Uppermill High Street wherever it is safe to do so’. 

“The problem is the small roads that would become diversion routes are not fit for purpose,” Cllr Bishop added. “Carr Lane would become an absolute bottleneck. And it’s already more patch than road at the moment. It’s like driving over a cheese grater.” 

The narrow lane, which runs between Greenfield and Uppermill, would become the main rat-run for parents taking their kids to Saddleworth School, the only secondary school in the area. It’s also difficult to access for emergency vehicles and buses, according to a 10-page document of objections sent to DfT from the Parish Council.  

Another part of the scheme would see residents of Diggle diverted ‘over a field’ next to the Peak District National Park to reach their homes. Other parts of land, many of which are ‘part of Saddleworth’s beautiful landscape – the reason so many tourists come to visit’, could see trees felled to make way for compounds for the storage of equipment and building materials. 

Another local councillor, Sam Al-Hamdani said: “These compounds are being plonked over local facilities, and in one case a Site of Biological Importance, with no guarantees about how that site will be protected, and not enough information – or consultation – on how those local facilities will be impacted. 

“That’s not good enough, and I want this properly addressed before any decision is taken.”

The long list of concerns also include the replacement of Moorgate Crossing – a favourite route for walkers heading to Moorgate Quarry – with a steep and ‘dangerous’ route once used by hardy quarry workers. 

Pictured above: Notice Of Changes To Path, Uppermill, Saddleworth.

Councillor Max Woodvine said: “Alongside Councillors Pam Byrne and Luke Lancaster I wrote to the Secretary of State stating my opposition particularly to the closure of the Public Right of Way at Moorgate.” 

Network Rail have argued the new crossing is the ‘safest and most cost effective’ option. 

But most of all what the people of Saddleworth are demanding, according to local representatives, is ‘more say and more answers’. 

“There simply isn’t enough detail in the plans for us to understand how it will affect us and how to mitigate it. It’s an idea – but the execution hasn’t been thought through,” Cllr Bishop concluded. 

Network Rail did not respond to the specific concerns raised by councillors, but Mark Ashton, Sponsor for Transpennine Route Upgrade said: “Following the submission of our Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) for the Stalybridge to Diggle section of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, the Department for Transport has confirmed that the application will proceed to a public inquiry.

“This is a standard part of the TWAO process and will be led by the Department for Transport. We will continue to support the process where required and provide information to assist the inquiry as it moves forward.”