Gordon Birtwistle & Burnley Liberal Democrats

Direct rail links between Burnley and Manchester got another boost on Thursday when the Lib Dem shadow Transport Secretary Norman Baker MP called for the re-instatement of the Todmorden Curve.

 

Burnley Council leader Gordon Birtwistle and other Lib Dem leaders from across the North West met party leader Nick Clegg and Baker on Thursday morning to discuss rail links.

 

Mr Baker said, “Passengers across the country and in Burnley deserve a better railway. But instead of investing in re-opening lines and building new stations, this Government is tinkering at the edges with a few extra carriages while cutting funding for the railways and pushing for higher fares.
 
“We propose that longer, rolling franchises are introduced so that it makes obvious financial sense to the rail companies to invest in re-opening lines like the Todmorden Curve instead of the fare payer having to foot the bill.”

 

Progress towards re-establishing the link, just a few hundred yards of abandoned track, was made this summer after cost estimates were revised downwards.

 

Burnley Council leader Gordon Birtwistle said, “We’re convinced that the way forwards for Burnley lies in real jobs – especially better paid, long term jobs in high tech industries.

 

“There are jobs in Manchester that can be done by Burnley people, and there will be jobs in Burnley that will attract people from outside the town.

 

“We believe that re-opening the curve will prove an important part of our jobs strategy and we’re determined to see the plans succeed.”

 

Success will depend on the Lib Dems convincing rail bosses and the Regional Development Agency that the scheme should be backed. Supporters say that the business case shows big returns for a low investment – probably as little as £4m. Journey times to Manchester could be reduced from around 90 minutes to as little as 40 minutes, making it faster than the X.43 and comparable with using a car.