Re: Manchester Suburbs (was Re: London-Manchester ticketing query)

Charlie Hulme wrote:

matt wrote:

Oddly this struck me last night whilst travelling through the site of the old Droylesden station... In London, suburban development followed the railways, eg. Golders Green station which IIRC was more or less built in the middle of nowhere.

Whereas up north, lines were built between established towns, but the infil development never followed. Droylesden, Park and Miles Platting all closed (and Godley got moved) because they weren't near anywhere. 


I think that there was severe competition from trams on short journeys
like these, because the trams penetrated the city centre better than
trains did. Only the Bury line, electrified very early by the
L & Y, seems to have made a success of fighting this competition
on the north side of the city.

Now it's been invaded and conquered by trams!

It's a good point, you really need at least a 12 if not a 6 minute frequency to make it a true turn-up-and-go commuter service. To save me going up into the loft, what was the frequency like on the old DC electric Bury line ? (frequency of the trains, not the DC :-)

Miles Platting was, I think, surrounded by 'slum' housing which
was all cleared after WW2, but few would have used it to
travel to Manchester as there jobs would have been in
nearby factories.

As for Park, it is certainly 'near somewhere' now - the City
of Manchester Stadium and all its attendant economic regeneration -
and should surely be brought back into use.

There does seem to be some reticence to promoting the use of trains for the City ground, Ashburys is close enough and whilst I notice a lot of on-platform revenue protection on match days, IIRC they won't even let you back on the platform after the match without a (return) ticket for crowd control reasons.

Mind you, I'd imagine the MUFC halt doesn't pay its way. I wonder if MU subsidise it (if only by maintaining the station) ?

Old Trafford Metrolink is madness on match days, with a lot of people actually travelling south after the match then getting back on northbound at Stretford ! And it can get a bit tense sometimes with people using the subway to get beyond the tracks being accused of queue-jumping.

Happily I've only even been to the City ground to watch an England friendly (thr stadium which, if the chanting at the last United/City Derby was to be believed, we United supporters paid for with our Council Tax :-)

South of Manchester, things are different: Levenshulme in
particular is very well-used and even has a
'Friends' group to look after it.

Hmm, "Friends of Flowery Field" has a nice ring to it, (and better alliteration :-)

.

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