Political leaders in Tameside are urging the government to reconsider plans to close a vital Metrolink line for two years during the construction of High Speed 2 (HS2).
Angela Rayner, MP for Ashton-Under-Lyne, Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish and Jonathan Reynolds, MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, have co-authored a petition calling for a rethink. The current plans as part of the construction of the Crewe-Manchester route will see the Ashton line shut down for 24 months - a move which has been branded 'totally unacceptable' by Manchester Council.
This closure would effect passengers going to Etihad stadium and the new Co-op live Arena, as well as negatively impacting jobs, and economic development across Tameside, local leaders have warned.
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In the petition, the three Tameside MPs state that "the full closure of the Ashton Metrolink Line for a period of at least two years - and the Promoter's proposal to mitigate this with a replacement bus service - will undermine local, national and environmental strategies, cause unnecessary widespread travel disruption, and impact the socio-economic prospects of Tameside."
It comes as Manchester Council submitted their formal petitions calling on the Government to build an HS2 that will truly work for the region and its passengers for the next 120 years.
Manchester Council's petition will include calls for Piccadilly station to be built underground rather than being a surface terminus, a rethink on plans for 2,000 car parking spaces in the city centre which clash with a policy to reduce car journeys, and to include powers to enable transport bosses to build a new Piccadilly Metrolink stop and a new depot at Ashton Moss so the line can remain open.
These calls have been echoed by Tameside MPs, who are petitioning for the provision of a depot facility at Ashton Moss combined with a cross over and bus turning facilities at New Islington - allowing a tram shuttle service to operate along the majority of the line with a much shorter bus replacement service for customers unable to walk or cycle into the city centre.
In a joint statement, Angela Rayner, Andrew Gwynne and Jonathan Reynolds said: "We sincerely hope that this intervention from all three Tameside MPs will reinforce to the Government the serious impact that the suspension of the Ashton Metrolink Line will have for people across Tameside.
"We desperately need rail investment across Greater Manchester, and we support improved connectivity with regions. However, the Government's current proposals are just not up to scratch. They'll sever a vital transport connection, and waste taxpayers' money in the process. It's a botch job and it won't wash.
"We urge the Government to meet with Transport for Greater Manchester and implement sensible and cost-effective proposals which will ensure that the Ashton Metrolink line can remain open for business during this period of HS2 construction."
Coun Bev Craig, leader of Manchester council, said: "HS2 is a once-in-a-century opportunity and we will keep fighting to ensure we get the best possible version of it for Manchester, the region and the country as a whole. It’s a huge public investment which has the potential to deliver enormous positive results.
"Any infrastructure project on this scale is very complex and will involve some measure of disruption during its construction in order to deliver wider benefits. We have consistently supportedHS2, which will bring vital capacity to our clogged railway network and has the potential to create huge opportunities.
"But we want to ensure that is delivered in the best way possible which maximises the benefits for Manchester people and businesses, minimises disruption and futureproofs the plans."
The Department for Transport have been approached for comment.
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