Altrincham to Chester track upgrade completes
Network Rail has completed works to a stretch of track between Altrincham and Ashley to boost journey times between Manchester and Chester via Northwich.
The £800,000 investment saw the replacement of old sleepers, railway stone and rail upgraded on the stretch of track known as the Bleeding Wolf in Hale.
Due to the poor condition of the track, trains were only allowed to travel through at 20mph, but with the upgrades, trains can now go through at up to 60mph on the route, which connects Manchester, Stockport, Altrincham, Northwich, Delamere, and Chester.
Work on the project concluded over the weekend of 10-12 August; around 2,500 tonnes of ballast, 700 new sleepers, and 500m of new drainage were installed during the works.
The section of track is named after a folk legend from the 13th century where the Earl of Chester was attacked by an injured wolf, and was saved by local forester Adam De Lauton. The legend also leant its name to a pub on Ashley Road, which has since closed and has been converted into flats.
Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern, said: “Thanks to the Great North Rail Project the track at Altrincham is now future-proofed, improving and protecting the journeys of our customers for years to come.
“I’d like to, again, thank those customers who use the line for their patience whilst this essential work was carried out.”
60mph!!! Wow, nearly as fast as a car
By Salient
New track…but still trains from the 13th Century. Baby steps I suppose…
By Raptor
Can’t believe people still use trains in 2019
By Sotd
The Mid cheshire line is suppose to be in tier one for electrification when we will see it to fruition is anybodys guess! We were promised two trains per hour to Manchester about three years ago!
By Northwich
This “improvement” should have been completed years ago!. Appalling service and with trains that are only fit for a museum. It’s unbelievable that the only public transport in to Manchester is one very slow train per hour (and every two hours on Sunday) Northern Rail are a total disgrace.
By Disappointed from Northwich
When you consider the modest sum involved to complete this work, you wonder what took them so long.
More generally, both lines from Chester (and that means North Wales too) to Manchester are err… disappointing to say the least. For those of us who live and work in West Cheshire it’s not too far an exaggeration to say it’s easier to commute to London than Manchester
By Rich X