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Row could offer ray of hope for Metrolink

Dave Appleton
6/ 8/2004

A BIT of 'horse-trading' between two of the government's most powerful departments could offer a ray of hope for the future of the Metrolink extension to Rochdale.

That's the view of Peter Dawson, secretary of the rail pressure group, Storm.

He believes there's a big row going on between Alistair Darling's department of transport - which scrapped the £520M 'Big bang' extension - and the office of the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, which is responsible for the regeneration of the regions.

According to Mr Dawson, the Deputy Prime Minister's office is putting pressure on Mr Darling to have a re-think about his decision to withdraw funding for Metrolink.

"If Metrolink does not go ahead it causes a big problem for Mr Prescott's department, which is relying on the private investment Metrolink will bring to boost its regeneraton efforts.

"Up to £56M is being spent in Rochdale and Oldham alone, maybe as much as £300M in Manchester, which is a lot of money," he said. Much of the private money was promised on the back of new business parks, new jobs and improved transport links."

Mr Dawson said if Metrolink was ditched the government's entire regeneration strategy for Manchester would have to be looked at again.

That was why he thought some horse trading might well take place between the two departments in September to rescue at least one of the three planned Metrolink extensions.

The other two are to Ashton-under-Lyne and East Didsbury.

Mr Dawson said the Rochdale extension could be favoured because much of the infrastructure was already in place and therefore it was the cheapest option.

He added that he had been told the government, particularly Mr Darling, had been 'taken aback' by the scale and ferocity of the fight to save Metrolink.