Hundreds turned out to mark the withdrawal of heavy rail services from the Oldham loop on 3rd October. The line, connecting Thorpe Bridge Junction with Rochdale East Junction, is being converted to carry trams as part of an extension to Manchester’s Metrolink network, known as Phase 3A. Work got under way almost immediately.

The first section of the new line from the city centre to Central Park is due to open in spring 2011. The line will reach Oldham Mumps in the autumn and the full route through to Rochdale should be operational by spring 2012. On the southern section, ten trams per hour will run. Phase 3B of the project envisages new branches into both Oldham and Rochdale town centres but this has not yet been approved.

The Loop scheme is part of a £600 million expansion of the Metrolink system which will also take trams to East Manchester and Droylsden, Chorlton and MediaCityUK in Salford. New stops will be built at Monsall, Central Park, South Chadderton, Freehold, Newbold and outside Rochdale Station on Network Rail’s Calder Valley trans-Pennine line.

Article courtesy of the rail engineer magazine.