Manchester Rapid Transit Study, volume 3

Manchester rapid transit

Volume 3 The First Priority November, 1968

Reports of the Working Party and the Consultants

Manchester Rapid Transit Study, Volume 2 Study of rapid transit systems and concepts, Aug. 1967 This report has been digitised by Martin Dodge from the Department of Geography, University of Manchester. The digitisation was supported by the Manchester Statistical Society’s Campion Fund.

Permission to digitise and release the report under Creative Commons license was kindly granted by Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council.

(Email: archiveslocalstudies@manchester.gov.uk) This work is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. 20 April 2014.

.n)

1

Manchester rapid transit study

Commissioned jointly by:

Consulting Engineers:

The Corporation of Manchester;

De Leuw, Hennessey,

The Ministry of Transport;

Chadwick, 0 hEocha.

in association with British Railways.

Volume 3 Reports of the Working Party and the Consultants

Copies of the reports of the study are available from: MANCHESTER CITY TRANSPORT, 2 Devonshire Street North, Ardwick, Manchester, M 12 6JS Price Volume 1 £2. 2s. Od .

Volume 2 £3. 3s. Od .

Volume 3 £3 . 3s. Od. Copyright Reserved Printed by Th e William Morris Press Ltd .

Wythenshawe, Manchester, M22 4SL.

Plans based upon Ordnance Survey map reproduced with the sanction of th e Controller of H.M. Stationery Office.

Manchester rapid transit study MEMBERS OF THE WORKING PARTY

CHAIRMAN:

R. F. Bennett (to September, 1968), J. Thompson (from October, 1968), General Manager, Manchester City Transport

MEMBERS:

Lieut. Col. I. K. A. McNaughton-Headquarters D. J . Lyness (to September, 1968)-Headquarters

Ministry of

A.G. Lyall .(from September, 1968)-Headquarters

Transport

J . D. Wallace, Divisional Road Engineer, North West

l

C. P. Millard, Divisional Manager, Manchester

r

F. W. Young (to June, 1968), Assistant Planning Manager

j

J . Hayes, City Engineer & Surveyor

l

Region British Railways

~ Manchester

J.S . Millar, City Planning Officer

Corporation

Sir Harry Page, City Treasurer

HONORARY SECRETARY :

London Midland

1

J

Town Clerk of Manchester G. C. Ogden, C.B.E .

The Working Party wish to thank the very many persons in the Ministry, British Railways, and the Corporation who have contributed to the Study, and in particular the following : City Planning Dept:

City Engineer's Dept :

J . Dea n

City Transport Dept: E. H. Stiff

R. P. Ro ss

H. Gibbon

B. Parnell

G. Watson

K. M . Ledson , M .B.E.

City Treasurer's Dept :C. Phillips British Railways:

Staff of SELNEC Transportation Study (SALTS) Group

F. Mitchell

Ministry of Transport : Staff of M athematical Advisory Unit

11

I'

R~PORT

Ii

OF THE WORKING PARTY

Report of th e W orki ng Party

::

1 INTRODUCTI ON The Working Party was constituted in June, 1966, and its terms of reference were : (a)

to supervise the work of Consultants who had been commissioned by Manchester City Council and the Ministry of Transport to undertake a comparative study of various forms of rapid transit for Manchester ;

(b) to examine ways in which the existing road and rail public passenger transport services in Manchester might be improved.

Th e reports of the Working Party and the Consultants were published as Volumes 1 and 2, respectively, of the Manchester Rapid Transit Study. The Consultants' Report was published in August, 1967 and the Working Party Report in September, 1967.

Ii

Th e latter report stressed that growing traffic congestion in th e peak periods was resulting in a serious deterioration in th e standard of bus services. As car ownership increased, more people would want to use their cars to get to work and th e quality of these services would decline still further.

A pp ropriate traffic management and parking policies could help. But at best, they could be expected to do no more than halt the present trend of deterioration in bus services.

Neit her did the complete solution lie in improvements in ro ad capacity. Even in the long term , public transport would still have to provide for some 70% of th e journeys to work in t he Central Area.

Th e Working Party therefore concluded that there was a strong case for developing a modern rapid transit system on 'reserved track', insulated from the effects of road con gestion and offering a service which for speed, reliability, cost and general attractiveness would afford a much im proved service for large numbers of people who would ot herwise be dependent on the buses. Of the wide range of poss ible systems studied, the Consultants and the Working Party concluded that a modern urban electric railway would be t he most advantageous for adoption in Manchester.

As a consequence of the recommendatio ns made by the Working Party, the City Council and the Ministry decided to retain the Consultants (i) to investigate possible rail rapid t ransit networks ; (ii) to identify the fi rst priority, i.e. t he section which should form the first stage of con stru ction of such a network ; and (iii) to develop a plan of action which would permit services to be introduced at the earliest date which practical considerations would allow.

i

The w ork of the Consultants has continued to be supervised by the Working Party. The Consultants' report on this further work has now been submitted and is appended in this t hird volume of the Study.

2 THE CONSULTAN TS' PRINCIPAL CONCLUSION S AND RECOMMEND ATIONS The Consultants' main conclusions and recommendatio ns are summarised in Section 1 of their report. Of these, the principal one is that the first priority in the development of a rapid transit network in the SELN EC conurbation should be an entirely new rail line extending from Northenden to Higher Blackley at Victoria Avenue with a branch serving East Didsbury, and providing access to a yard at Heaton Mersey, a total of 11 miles, as shown in Figure 1. The central section of this line would pass under the city centre below ground level, with stations provided at Oxford Road (the existing station), St. Peter's Square, Market Street and the existing Victoria Station. Along the rest of the route, the line would be constructed in part underground, by cutand -cover methods, at ground level, or on an elevated structure, to produce the best reconciliation between cost and preservation of amenity. In due course the line might be extended southwards to Wythenshawe and northwards to Middleton, whilst the branch line could be extended to Heald Green .

The Consultants' report also indicates that when improved distribution through the central area is available through interchange with the rapid transit line, there is likely to be a substantially increased demand on British Railways suburban services, provided these can be improved to acceptable standards. The second major recommendatio n is that the case for carryin g out such improvements should be investi gated further as soon as possible.

3 A POSSIBLE NETWORK FOR THE CONURBATIO N A possible overall network of rapid transit and suburban rail services for the conurbation is shown in Figu re 2. This shows a fu rther Central Area link connecting Piccadilly Station, Piccadilly Gardens and Market Street with Victoria Station.

The Consultants have suggested that this route deserves consideration in the future but have stated that it in no way matches the recommended one in terms of proximity to th e major cent res of activity in the Central A rea.

4 OBSERVATIO NS OF TH E W O RKING PARTY The Consultants' findin gs show that the choice for the first rapid transit line lies clearly in favour of a new route between Northenden and High er Blackley. Their recommendatio n for the first priority was arrived at after evaluation of a con siderable number of oth er poss ibilities which would , to a considerabl e extent, have taken advantag e of existing British Railways rights of way.

7

At least a third of all peak period trips to and from the Central Area are generated in this corridor, where there is at present no rail service, and on the basis of traffic and financial esti mates developed so far by the Consultants, th e Working Party are satisfied that the first priority recommended by t he Consultants is the right one.

The benefits would not be restricted to people living along this corridor as the city centre would be made more accessible from many parts of the conurbation by the provision of transfer facili ties for railway passengers at Oxford Road and Victoria stations, so that they could use the rapid transit line as a means of getting closer to their destinations in the Central Area. The potential revealed for increasing the capacity and quality of service on existing railway lines at modest capital cost opens up the possibility of achieving, in combination with the new Central Area facilities, very substantial improvements in public transport facilities for large numbers of people in many parts of the conurbation. The Working Party consider that British Railways' Altrincham and Bury lines in particular merit further study from this point of view.

The estimates of travel demand on which the Consultants' conclu sions are based were derived from data collected for th e purposes of the SELNEC Transportation Study. They are based on present day volumes and do not specifically allow for future growth, though the Consultants took future potential into account in broad terms when drawing up their conclusio ns. The assignment of the demand to the particul ar ro utes which were studied was done by techniques developed by the Consultants. The role of the rapid transit line in a comprehensive transportation plan for the conurbation will have to be substantiated by the results of the SELNEC Transportation Study, expected to be available about April, 1969. The estimates of demand will have to be similarly confirmed. However, an estimate has been made by the SELNEC Study of the number of public passenger transport trips which would have been diverted to the rapid transit line if it had been in existence in 1966 and this has provided some confirmation.

In reac hing a conclusion in favour of the line from Northenden to Higher Blackley as a first priority, the Working Party have taken into account estimates of capital and operating costs prepared by the Consultants. These indicate that the capita l cost is likely to be about ÂŁ50 million and that the line should be viable at realistic fare levels.

While a firm decision on the availability of grant from the Ministry of Transport towards the capital cost would be taken by the Ministry at a later date in the light of more fully developed estimates of capital and operating costs and of social and other benefits, the Working Party note that the project falls into a category which would be considered for grant normally at a rate of 75%.

The ea rliest date on which the recommended first stage could be brought into operation is December, 1973. It would, however, be possible, if financial or other con siderati ons demanded, to phase construction over a longer period. If this should prove necessary, the Consultants recommend that the first section to be constructed should be that from Northenden to Victoria Station (including the branch line to East Didsbury) and that the section from Victoria Station to Higher Blackley should follow as soon as possible thereafter.

5 FEATURES OF THE RECOMMENDED SYSTEM The system would offer a frequent, fast and comfortable service to the city centre and to other points of main activity, including the Higher Education Precinct, and would produce a very substantial improvement by comparison with the present public transport service. Journey times would be reduced considerably.

The large modern lightweight vehicle recommended by the Consultants would provide the fast loading and unloading facilities needed for a rapid transit line and would be economical to clean and maintain. However, a vehicle of the dimensions proposed could not run over British Railways lines without some realignment of track and lineside structures. Whether the cost of carrying out any necessary work to any British Railways lines over which the rapid transit services might operate in future would be outweighed by the advantages of the larger vehicle has not been clearly demonstrated at this stage. The Working Party feel that any final decision, particularly as to the overall dimensions of the vehicle, should be left to a later stage in the study.

The Working Party accept the recommendations of the Consultants regarding the signal system and the traction power system. The signal system recommended, which would enable trains to be operated automatically, is the most up-to-date available, the most economical from the point of view of operation and maintenance, and provides the highest degree of safety and control. The traction power system proposed is 750 volts d.c. third rail. This is the system adopted on the majority of rapid transit systems throughout the world.

The Consultants stress the importance of pleasant surround ings for both the passengers and the adjacent community.

The Working Party agree with this but consider that further work will be necessary to determine a suitable balance between cost and standards to be adopted. First class design of the whole system will in any event be essential, not only for environmental reasons but to ensure its attractiveness to the travelling public. The precise location of stations and the possibility of joint Rapid Transit/ British Railways entrances and redevelopment of the surrounding areas require examination as soon as possible.

It will also be necessary to consider the comprehensive system of feeder bus routes which would be required to provide maximum accessibility to the line.

6 CONCLUSIONS It is clear that the recommended line has the potential to provide greatly improved services, insulated from the effects of growing road congestion and, indeed, offering a check to the growth of such congestion by the attractiveness of the service to those who might otherwise travel by car.

In view of this, the Working Party consider that the next stage of preparation for the construction of the rapid transit system should be pressed forward immediately on the basis proposed by the Consultants so that the recommended line could be brought into operation at the earliest practicable date.

9

7 RECOM ME NDATIONS . The Working Party recommend that Consultants be 1 retained: of alignment, station (a) To carry out functional planning layout and operational methods to the extent necessary to determine land requirements for purposes of a Parliamentary Bill, and to prepare detailed estimates of demand, revenue, capital requirements and operating costs for use in economic analysis and financial evaluation of the project;

2. That any contract entered into with the Consultants as a result of recommendation 1 should be subject 'to review and termination when the results of the SELN EC Transportation Study become available about April, 1969.

3. That work be put in hand by the Ministry of Transport and the City Council jointly, to prepare a full financial and cost benefit appraisal, in order to enable a final decision on construction to be made, and Ministry approval for grant purposes to be sought.

(b) To prepa re specific plans, sections and cost estimates for incorporation in a private Bill seeking Parliamentary powers to construct the rapid transit line ;

4. That the further work in connection with the study be carried out according to a time scale which would permit the Parliamentary Bill to be deposited in the 1969/70 Session.

(c) To carry out functional planning to the extent necessary to identify the line of route which would be followed by any later extension to Wythenshawe, Middleton or Heald Green and to provide local authorities with information necessary to preserve the right-of-way for future rapid transit use.

5. That further consideration be given, in the light of the SELNEC Transportation Study results, to measures which might be taken to improve the standards of rail service for the conurbation, and to enable maximum benefit to be drawn from the first stage of the rapid transit line, by the upgrading of certain existing British Railways services.

11

SPECIAL CONSUL TANTS (

Geological Consultant Dr. F. T. Howell, Ph.D ., M .Sc., A.l.Min.E., F.G.S., (Lecturer, University of Manchester Institute of Science & Technology)

Tunnelling Consultant •

Sir Harold Harding, B.Sc., F.C.G.I., D.l.C., F.l.C.E.

Vehicle Consultant L. W. Bardsley,

B.Sc., B.Eng., S.M .l.E.E.E., P.Eng.

Contents

Contents

Page Section

Section

Section

Section

18

1

2

3

4

Section

Summary-Co nclusions and Recommenda tions

5

Features of Recommende d Service

5.1

Introduction

63

1.1

Background

25

5.2

Vehicle

63

1.2

General Approach

25

5.3

Capacity and Service

65

1.3

The Report

25

5.4

Civil Engineering

67

1.4

Major Conclusions

27

5.5

Signals and Communication s

81

1.5

Recommendations

29

5.6

Power Supply

85

5.7

Stations

89

5.8

Administration

97

Purpose and Scope of Study

2.1

Purpose

33

2.2

The Study Area and Routes Investigated

33

2.3

Scope

33

6.1

Capital Cost

101

2.4

Study Programme

37

6.2

Staged Construction

101

6.3

Annual Debt Charges

101

6.4

Annual Operating and Maintenance Costs 102

6.5

Combined Annual and Capital Costs

Section

6

Travel Demand Studies

Capital and Operating Costs

102

3.1

Introduction

41

3.2

Corridors of Heaviest Flow

41

3.3

The Significant Corridors

41

3.4

Traffic Analysis of Alternative Routes

43

7.1

Revenue

105

3.5

Selected Route

43

7.2

Benefits

105

3.6

Detailed Assignments

43

3.7

Traffic Diversion Technique

45

Selection of Recommende d Route

4.1

Introduction

49

4.2

Alternatives considered

49

4.3

Location through the Central Area

49

4.4

The Ringway Corridor

49

4.5

The Sale-Altrincha m Corridor

53

4.6

Service to Middleton and Langley

54

4.7

Service to Prestwich and Bury

55

4.8

Service to Rochdale

55

4.9

Comparison of Alternatives

55

4.10

The Recommended Lines

57

Section

Section

7

8

Revenue and Other Benefits

Programme for Future Action

8.1

The Overall Programme

109

8.2

Stage Ill

109

8.3

Design and Preparation of Contract Documents

109

8.4

Construction

109

8.5

Metrication

110

19

Tables Index

Figures Index

Page Page

1.1

Principal corridors of movement

27

26

1.2

Comparison of financial results

29

Recommended Route

28

3.1

Principal corridors of movement

41

2.1

Alternative Routes Studied

35

3.2

Preliminary assignment to lines in selected corridors

41

2.2

Study Programme

36

3.3

Traffic estimates-a lternative routes

43

3.1

Peak Hour Passenger Flow Diagram

42

3.4

Traffic assignments

43

3.2

Traffic Demand-Di version Curves

44

3.5

4.1

Recommended Route

48

Station loading- Northenden to Higher Blackley

44

4.2

Alternative Routes Studied

51

Station loading-Nor thenden and East Didsbury to Higher Blackley

44

4.3

Peak Hour Demand Flows

52

4.4

Recommended Route with Bus and Rail Connections

Overall Results-Rin gway to Langley Corridor

45

58

5.1

Montage of Transit Vehicles

62

Comparison of alternative schemes to serve the Altrincham Corridor

54

5.2

Proposed Vehicle Layout

64

4.9.1

Land use developments

55

5.3

Recommended Route Showing Attitude

66

4.9.2

Comparison of demand for rapid transit service to the central area

56

5.4

Soil Borings and Geological Profile

68

5.5

Station Locations In Central Area

70

Comparison of journey times to Royal Exchange Manchester by present modes and by rapid transit

56

5.6

Profile Through Central Area

4.9.4

Cost comparison for rapid transit service

56

5.3.1

Theroretical capacity of rapid transit line

65

5.3.2

Details of services on recommended route

67

5.3.3

Running time in minutes from Market Street

67

5.4.1

Comparison between cut -and - cover and tunnelling methods of construction

71

6.1

Summary of capital costs

101

6.2

Capital cost of staged construct ion

101

6.3

Annuity factors

101

6.4

Annual operating and maintenance costs

102

7.1

Comparison of financial results

105

8.1

Capital expenditure programme

110

1.1

Possible Overall Network-Ra pid Transit and Suburban Rail

1.2

72-73

5.7

Elevated Sections

75

5.8

Cut-and-cov er, and Earthworks

76

5.9

Tunnel Sections

77

5.10

Block Schematic of Automatic Train Operation

82

5.11

Schematic of Telecommunications System

84

5.12

Proposed Primary Power Supply Distribution Scheme

86

5.13 5.14

Schematic Layout of a Cut -and -cover Station

90- 91

Schematic Layout of an Elevated Station

92- 93

5.15

Proposed Administrative Organisation

8.1

Programme for Planning and Construction

20

3.6 3.7 4.5.1

4.9.3

96 108

21

..

SUMM ARY-C ONCLU SIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Section one Summary- Conclusions and Recommendations

1.1 BACKGROUND As a result of the recommendations arising from Stage I of t he Manchester Rapid Transit Study, the Corporation of Manchester and the Ministry of Transport decided to reta in the Consultants to undertake Stage II. Commencing in March 1968, the study-the subject of this report-had the broad objectives of defining the first part of the rapid transit system to be developed, on the basis of demand and ope rational investigations, and to evolve design standards for ra pid transit construction in the Manchester area. A programme for planning and construction to permit operation of t he service to begin by the earliest possible date was also prepared .

In ca rrying out this study the Consultants have drawn upon the results of Stage I* as well as their work in the Rail Planning Study conducted for the South -east Lancashire North-east Cheshire Transportation Study (The region is commonly termed the SELNEC Area). Findings of the rail study are to be published as Technical Working Paper No. 2.

The Working Party for Stage I, consisting of representatives of Manchester Corporation, the Ministry of Transport and British Railways continued supervision of the work of the Consultants in Stage II. The Consultants met with the group at regular intervals to discuss progress and plans for on going work.

1.2 GENERAL APPROACH The study was mainly directed at means of improving public tra nsport between the urban areas in the conurbation and the Central Area, where rapid transit can be of maximum benefit. In defining the first priority for rapid transit service ¡ a number of alternative routes were investigated and a possible overall rapid transit network for the conurbation w as produced . This was based on an ana lysis of present travel demand in the principal corridors of movement in the con urbation as derived from the SELNEC Home Interview Survey conducted in 1966, and a review of the results of the SELNEC Rail Planning Study. The lines in this network vvere then evaluated and compared to determine wh ich part of the network should be developed first as related to land use, present travel demand, public transport service, capita l and operating costs, and physical considerations.

The question of serving the principal corridors of travel demand is an important one, particularly when consideration * Volu me 1 : Report of the Working Part y, September, 1967 . Th e Ministry of Transport, Manchester Corporation, British Railways. Price : ÂŁ2 2s. Od .

Volum e 2 : Study of Rapid Transit System s and Con cepts, August, 1967 . De Leuw Cath er & Partn ers- Hennessey Ch adw ick 0 hEocha & Partn ers. Price: ÂŁ3 3s. Od. Th ese volumes are avai lable from M anchester City Tra nsport.

is given to traffic congestion and the resulting quality of bus operations in these corridors and the very limited possibilities of making service improvements of real significance. As stated in the Report of the Working Party on Stage I of the Manchester Rapid Transit Study: As bus services get less reliable and as more people come to own cars, more will want to use them for the journey to work. But future increases in road capacity over the next few years will be fully taken up by t he anticipated growth of business and industrial traffic.

Even in the long term the space that can be provided for roads and parking, while preserving the character of the city centre, will not allow more than 25-30% of people to commute by car.

As car ownership grows, as industry in the centre is replaced by offices and as new residential areas are developed at greater distances from the centre, the commuter of the future will demand and will deserve public passenger transport services of higher standards of comfort, convenience and speed . If these are not provided the future prosperity of Central Manchester as a regional centre of employment will decline.

Another aspect considered was the ph ilosophy that introduction of a rapid transit operation should provide service of high quality where none exists at present, rather than physically and geographically replacing existing suburban rail lines-particularly since many of these have been sh 0wn in the SELNEC Rail Planning Study to be capable of handling much heavier volumes than they do today with comparatively small injections of capital. Other factors that had to be taken into account are compatibility with present and future land uses in the conurbation, and opportunities for providing adequate pedestrian, feeder bus and parking facilities at stations.

A recommended plan of action was then prepared defining the steps necessary to obtain statutory approvals and carry out design and construction so that operation of the first line could begin at the earliest possible date.

In addition, design criteria were developed so that Stage II I, consisting of functional planning and preparation of a Parliamentary Bill, cou ld start without delay.

1.3 T H E REPORT The balance of the Summary presents the major conclusions and recommendations ari sing out of th e study. Section 2 discusses its purpose and scope and also makes reference to data used and the sources. The estimates of travel demand are contained in Section 3, and the diversion techniqu e employed is described . It is pointed out that the estimates are based on present trip patterns in the conurbation and no

25

forecasts of future trips have been made. Section 4 starts with a description of the lines considered; these are then evaluated and compared on the basis of traffic, cost and various operating considerations, leading to selection of the route recommended as the first priority. In Section 5 aspects of the recommended service for this line are presented, including features of the vehicle, capacity and operation of t he service, civil engineering considerations, stations, signals and communications, and power supply. Section 6 is a detailed description of the capital and operating costs for the service, while revenues and other benefits that will accrue are contained in Section 7. Finally, Section 8 presents a recommended programme of action to be followed in introducing rapid transit service into the conurbation.

1 .4 MAJOR CONCLUSIONS (a) The principal corridors of movement in the Study Area, listed in order of the magnitude of travel volume, are as fo llows : TABLE 1.1 PRINCIPAL CORRIDORS OF MOVEMENT

CORRIDOR

MORNING PEAK PERIOD TRIPS BY ALL MODES TO CENTRAL AREA

Central Area and : 1. Wythenshawe-Ringway 2. Sale-Altrincham 3. Higher Blackley-MiddletonLangley 4. Stockport 5. Ashton - under- Lyne 6. Prestwich-Bury 7. Salford-Eccles 8. Bolton 9. Oldham

26,500 18,500 15,000 14,000 11,500 9,500 6,500 6,000 5,000

The major corridors between the Central Area and Wythen shawe-Ringway and Higher Blackley-Langley are the on ly ones not served by existing railway lines. In the other corridors, most of the existing railway lines can be improved to provide a higher level of public transport service than they do today. However, these improvements would not be effective unless accompanied by improved transfer facilities between the stations in Manchester Central Area and the main shopping, business and commercial areas which, for the most part, are not within acceptable walking distance of the rai lway stations.

A possible overall network of rapid transit and suburban rail services for the conurbation is shown in Figure 1.1 . (b) Clearly the optimum route for a rapid transit line through the Central Area is University Precinct- Oxford Road- St. Peter's Square - Cross Street - Corporation Street Victoria Station. Of all possible alignments through the Centra l Area, this one would best serve th e major existing land use developments and those anticipated in the future.

In add ition, t his route is the best one to complement existing or improved British Railways services in the conurbat ion .

Thus t he Central Area would be made much more accessible to the conurbation as a whole by providing th e opportunity

for railway passengers to transfer at Oxford Road and Victoria stations and to use the rapid transit line as a distribution system within the Central Area. It has been estimated that approximately 5,000 British Railways passengers would transfer to rapid transit at Oxford Road and Victoria stations. The British Railways services which would receive the greatest benefit in this situation would be: Altrincham line Stockport-Wilmslow line Styal line Bury line Other suburban rail services in the conurbation would also benefit. (c) The best route in terms of present and future development, passenger potential and public transport improvements and their costs is the one between Northenden and Higher fJ Blackley with a branch to East Didsbury, a total of 11 miles.

At least one third of all peak period trips to and from the Central Area are generated in this corridor. The other areas in the conurbation would ~lso benefit from this route by virtue of its function as a Central Area distribution system I\ for existing or improved suburban rail services. From Northenden the route would serve Withington, University \ Precinct, Oxford Road Railway Station, St. Peter's Square, Victoria Railway Station, Collyhurst, Harpurhey, and terminate at Victoria Avenue. It would be the priority for a rapid transit network for the conurbation, and is shown in Figure 1 .2.

The branch to East Didsbury is on the service connection • to the yard at Heaton Mersey, the only site so far confirmed as being available for this purpose.

J

!

f

(d) The total capital cost for this first part of a rapid transit network would be of the order of £50,000,000, and annual operating maintenance and debt charges would be about £4,700,000. Total annual traffic, based on present demand only, would be about 76,000,000 trips. If a fare level of threepence per passenger mile is applied, the annual deficit would amount to approximately £600,000. Alternatively a break-even cost situation could be realised at a fare of 3·5d per passenger mile. This, however, assumes no grant from Central Government funds toward the capital cost of the project. If the project qualified for a 75% grant on capital costs from the Ministry of Transport, then an annual surplus of about £1 ,800,000 could be realised at a fare level of threepence per mile. (e) On the basis of traffic and financial estimates so far developed, the rapid transit line proposed appears likely to be financially sound at realistic fare levels and with appro priate grant assistance. The total benefits appear to justify the total investment.

It should be noted that the traffic and revenue estimates could vary by as much as 20% above or below the figures as shown above. This is due · to the degree of statistical reliability of the home interview sampl e size and the possible range in value of the factors used t o derive the proportion of total trips which could be allocated to rapid transit vis -a-vis some other mode. But even if a lower estimate is used, which allows for a 20% reduction in demand, a fare level of about 2d per mile would cover debt charges and operating cost, assuming a 75% grant can be obtained towards the capital cost.

A comparison of fin ancial results is shown in Ta bl e 1.2.

27

(d) Oxford Road station should be built using the cut -andcover method due to its proximity to the West Manchester Fault. (e) On the basis of available information the balance of the underground link through the Central Area of Manchester should be constructed as a bored tunnel rather than by the cut-and-cover method. (f) The design standards for functional planning of rapid transit in the conurbation, as described generally in Section 5 of the report and submitted in detail to the Working Party, should be adopted . (g) Consideration should be given as soon as possible to investigating, with British Railways, the potential for suburban rail service improvements in the conurbation . At the present time it appears that the Altrincham , Bury and Stockport lines are the best prospects in terms of maximum benefit to passengers from construction of the Central Area Rapid Transit Line. The SELN EC Study will report more fully on this question.

(h) To make it practicable for rapid transit to be operating in the conurbation by the end of 1973, functional planning of the route and the preparation of plans and documents for submission of a Parliamentary Bill should begin immediately.

This would allow a decision to be made in mid - 1969, when the SELN EC Study results will be available, on the submission of the Bill in November 1969, with a view to receiving assent in the summer of 1970. This work would form Stage 111 of the Manchester Rapid Transit Study. (i) Functional planning in Stage Ill should include examination of the following promising future extensions to rapid transit service: Northenden to Wythenshawe Higher Blackley to Middleton East Didsbury to Heald Green .

Functional planning carried out at this time will ensure that right-of-way can be protected for these extensions.

PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF STUDY

30

Section two Purpose and Scope of Study

2.1 PURPOSE

2.3.1 Land Use and Travel Demand

The basic purpose of this study has been to define the general location and extent of the first line for a rapid transit system in the SELN EC area. Associated objectives have been:

The data were derived mainly from the SELNEC Trans portation Study inventories of land use and travel patterns and volumes in 1966. Possible patterns of future land use development throughout the conurbation were also taken into account. For example, reference was made to Manchester City Centre Map 1967 (Draft). Basically, however, travel estimates have been based on present trip patterns in the major transportation corridors orientated to the Central Area. These estimates are considered satisfactory for the purposes of this study, where the main requirement has been to obtain an assessment of gross volumes, in terms of potential passengers per hour, to reflect the relative importance and the requirement, if any, for rapid transit service of each corridor.

a.

To determine whether the project is financially viable and would warrant functional planning leading eventually to approval to introduce rapid transit service;

b. To establish planning and design standards to enable functional planning for the recommended route to proceed with a minimum of delay; c.

To prepare an orderly programme of action to enable the first section of route to be approved, designed, constructed and put into operation at the earliest time possible, consistent with sound administrative practices and the financial resources available.

2.3.2 Route Location and Engineering Feasibility 2.2 THE STUDY AREA AND ROUTES INVESTIGATED The area studied is defined as the South-east Lancashire North-east Cheshire (SELNEC) Area . Particular emphasis was placed on the Central Area of Manchester, the scene of greatest traffic congestion now and for the forseeable future, and the location where development of a rapid transit system would bring the greatest transportation benefits to the entire conurbation.

The alternative routes investigated consisted of lines which emerged from the SELNEC Rail Planning Study (Technical Working Paper No. 2) as being the most promising prospects for rapid transit service in the conurbation, considering present land use development and any major changes considered likely in the future. These potential routes were based on the professional opinion and judgment of the Consultants and the senior officials principally concerned with land use and with the planning and operation of transport services in the conurbation . The lines are shown in Figure 2.1 and are described in some detail in Section 4.

2.3 SCOPE Matters investigated in the course of this study include : Land Use and Travel Demand Route Location and Engineering Feasibility Cost and Revenue Estimates Engineering Standards Programme for Future Action Th e basic information used in the investigation and the scope of the analysis is described as follows .

The data used included maps, plans and information available from the local authorities and the SELN EC Transportation Study on present and future road systems, public transport and other public services. A preliminary soils and geological investigation was also undertaken to locate rock and confirm its quality through the Central Area between the University and Collyhurst.

The route location and engineering studies were carried out in sufficient detail to confirm the feasibility of building a rapid transit line through the corridor which, on the basis of present land use and travel demand and of future land use development, was considered to be the best route for the first part of a rapid transit system. These studies were not carried far enough to define property requirements as this would have been premature in the present stage of rapid transit planning. Detailed information on property would be produced as part of the results of Stage 111 of the Manchester Rapid Transit Study, described in Section 8.

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2.3.3 Cost and Revenue Estimates The cost estimates for fixed facilities, property and operating expenses have been derived from unit costs developed in Stage I of the Manchester Rapid Transit Study and the SELNEC Rail Planning Study. The figures have been adjusted to reflect labour and material costs in 1968.

Revenue estimates have been based on the estimate of travel demand, the daily travel figures being converted to annual figures by reference to the operating statistics of Manchester City Transport.

The cost and revenue estimates are sufficiently accurate to reflect differences between alternative routes. They are also realistic in terms of producing order -of -magnitude costs to build and operate the routes evaluated and the likely annual

33

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Key to Figure 2.1

ALTERNATIVE ROUTES STUDIED

Miles

No. Ringway route, as used for systems evaluation in Manchester Rapid Transit Study, Stage I

10·4

2

Ringway route, via British Railways Styal line

12·5

3

Branch to East Didsbury and Heaton Mersey yard

1 ·7

4

Extension to Heald Green

3·2

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Altrincham route, via Moss Side

9·7

6

Middleton- Langley route

5·7

7

Prestwich-Bury route, via existing British Railways line

10·2

8

Rochdale route, via existing British Railways line

10·5

surplu s or deficit at various fare leve ls. Therefore the resu lts can be used to reach co nclusion s as to the first priority for rapi d transit constructio n and the order of economic return on any major investment.

2.2

based on an assessment of current technology and an eva lu ation of modern rapid transit planning and operating practice in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

2.3.5 Programme for Future Action 2.3. 4 Engineering Standards and Criteria These have been evolved in sufficient detail to permit func tional planning of the recommend ed route to proceed imm ediately on approval of Stage 111 of the Manchester Rap id Transit Study. In Stage 111 the standards cou ld then be applied to determine details of property requirements and to develop accurate cost estimates for the entire scheme.

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The information presented is definitive with regard to the next stage of the study programme, which would lead to approval

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TRAVEL DEMAND STUDIES

Section three

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Travel Demand Studies

TABLE 3.1 PRINCIPAL CORRIDORS OF MOVEMENT

3.1 INTRODUCTION The travel estimates have been produced from the results of the SELNEC Transportation Study Home Interview Survey, conducted in 1966. The estimates are preliminary only at this stage, as the full analysis of traffic assignment data, for the SE LNEC area as a whole, will not be available until early in 1969 when alternative broad transportation systems will have been examined from the output of the mathematical model now being developed. Therefore, the estimates presented herein are subject to the findings of the Trans portation Study as a whole. Nevertheless, it is considered that this investigation has produced travel estimates sufficiently sound to provide a firm basis for the conclusions and recommendations contained in this report.

It is emphasised that the estimates are based entirely on trip patterns and volumes that existed in 1966. No attempt has been made to forecast trips in the future, nor has any allowance been made for the fact that construction of a rapid transit line generates additional trips, either new trips not previously made by any mode of travel or trips which before were destined to other parts of the area. In using these estimates the effects of proposed land use changes have been taken into account in evaluating the alte rnative routes for passenger potential. These changes could only be quantified very approximately in the study and more accurate estimates of their effects on travel demand will be produced from the SELN EC Transportation Study in 1969.

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3.2 CORRIDORS OF HEAVIEST FLOW A ra pid transit operation is at its most efficient when serving high -density, peak movements passing daily along travel co rridors orientated to a city centre. The first task, therefore, w as to examine travel patterns in the conurbation and identify the Central Area corridors containing the heaviest flow s in the morning peak period of travel (7 -00 a.m. to 9-00 a.m.) . This was done by reference to the tables showing tota l trips by all modes based on the 36 SELN EC sectors and to sector- centroid network assignments. Table 3.1 shows the principal travel corridors in the conurbation ranked by volume of trips with destinations inside the Central Area .

To explore the situation further the flow plans produced from the analysis were re -plotted using a new set of corridors located midway between those initially identified. This made it possi ble to evaluate what opportunity there might be for a rapid transit line located in a given corridor to attract trips from adjacent ones.

CORRIDOR

MORNING PEAK PERIOD TRIPS

BY ALL MODES TO CENTRAL AREA

Central Area and : 1. Wythenshawe-Ringway 2. Sale- Altrincham 3. Higher Blackley-M iddletonLangley 4. Stockport 5. Ashton - under-Lyne 6. Prestwich-Bury 7. Salford- Eccles 8. Bolton 9. Oldham

26,500 18,500 15,000 14,000 11,500 9,500 6,500 6,000 5,000

3.3 THE SIGNIFICANT CORRIDORS The results of the above assessment were related to the finding of other phases of the study and the SELNEC Rail Planning Study (Technical Working Paper No. 2). It was concluded that six rapid transit alignments should be examined for potential in serving Central Area corridor movements. The lines in question were plotted on the corridor flow maps, and using judgement a preliminary assignment was made to each independently. In this analysis, however, trips moving towards and through the Central Area were taken into consideration, in addition to those ending there. Using factors derived from the pre liminary results of the SELN EC Transportation Study Home Interview Survey, the estimates were converted from the morning peak period to the peak hour of travel. The results are summarised in Table 3.2.

TABLE 3.2 PRELIMINARY ASSIGNMENT TO LINES IN SELECTED CORRIDORS

LINE TO CENTRAL AREA 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Ringway Altrincham Chead le Heath Langley Bury Rochdale

ESTIMATED RAPID TRANSIT TRIPS IN PEAK HOUR 24,000 23,500 21,700 12,400 8,000 4,300

These results ind icate four significant corridors serving the Central Area: from Ringway, Altrincham and Cheadle Heath to the south of it, and from Langley to th e north .

41

However, while the Cheadle Heath line shows a high volume it was found that some 80% of the trips could be attracted to a line in the Ringway corridor. Consequently, the Ringway, Altrincham and Langley corridors were selected for investigation in some detail. When these investigations had been completed the results were combined with data on the Bury and Rochdale lines-as summarised in Table 3.2-and a peak hour passenger flow diagram prepared. This is Figure 3.1.

3 .4 TRAFFIC ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVE ROUTES Using a diversion formula developed for this study (see Section 3.7) detailed traffic assignments were made to these routes: (a)

The alternative routes were also evaluated in other respects in parallel phases of the study. Included were assessments of future changes in land use, presence of other rail facilities, operational and physical feasibility, and capital and annual costs. As a result, the route selected was one located in the Ringway-Langley corridor, with a possibility of its making use of sections of the Styal railway line. This selected route was then studied in depth by analysing: (a)

The effect on travel demand of reducing the length of the rapid transit line {this was to assist in the process of selecting suitable terminals) ;

{b) The pattern of 'on' and 'off' movements at each station .

Ringway to Langley 3.6 DETAILED ASSIGNMENTS

(b) Altrincham to Langley (c)

3.5 SELECTED ROUTE

A combination of (a) and (b)

As a basis for evaluation of the alternatives, estimates were made of total passenger trips, the maximum passenger load in the peak direction of travel (towards the Central Area in the morning) and total trip miles. The maximum load is obtained from inspection of the one-hour passenger volumes moving between all pairs of adjacent stations in the peak direction of travel. The estimates were converted to ann路ual amounts by using statistics of Manchester City Tra nsport. Table 3.3 summarises the results.

Table 3.4 illustrates the effect on traffic of eliminating outlying stations. For example, the maximum peak hour load with terminal stations at Ringway and Langley is 22,000 passengers. If the northern terminal remains at Langley, but the southern terminal moves to Northenden, the maximum load falls to 18,000 passengers. Table 3.5 lists the number of passengers joining and leaving trains at the various stations between Northenden and Higher Blackley during the peak hour. Table 3.6 shows the same for Northenden and Higher Blackley with a branch to East Didsbury.

TABLE 3.3 TRAFFIC ESTIMATES-ALTERNATIVE ROUTES PEAK HOUR PASSENGERS

ROUTE Ringway-Langley Altrincham-Langley Ringway and Altrincham-Langley

Max. Load Peak Direction 22,000 19,200 34,100

Total Trips 48,600 44,000 80,200

ANNUAL PASSENGERS Total Trips 81,700,000 73,900,000 134,600,000

Total Trip Miles 398,000,000 366,000,000 658,000,000

TABLE 3.4 TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENTS Ringway to Langley Route TERMINAL STATION

PEAK HOUR PASSENGERS

ANNUAL PASSENGERS

Max. Load Peak Direction

Total Trips

Total Trips

Total Trip Miles

South

North

Ring way

Langley Higher Blackley Moston Lane Victoria

22,000 21,900 21,800 21,300

48,600 46,800 46,000 32,000

81,700,000 78,600,000 77,300,000 53,800,000

398,000,000 364,000,000 343,000,000 242,000,000

Wythenshawe

Langley Higher Blackley Moston Lane Victoria

20,000 20,000 19,900 19.400

46,200 45,200 44,200 31,000

77,600,000 75,900,000 74,300,000 52,100,000

357,000,000 327,000,000 305,000,000 209,000,000

Northenden

Langley Higher Blackley Moston Lane Victoria

18,000 18,000 17,900 17.400

44,000 42,900 42,200 30,000

73,900,000 72,100,000 71,000,000 50,000,000

333,000,000 310,000,000 291,000,000 194,000,000

Barlow Moor

Langley Higher Blackley Moston Lane Victoria

16,800 16,700 16,600 16, 100

42, 500 40,500 39,000 28,900

71.400,000 68,000,000 65,500,000 47,600,000

285,000,000 256,000,000 235,000,000 162,000,000

Higher Blackley Victoria

20,000 19,400

45,100 32,100

75,800,000 53,500,000

323,000,000 209,000,000

Northenden and East Didsbury

43

3 .7 TRAFFIC DIVERSION TECHNIQUE

TABLE 3.5

TABLE 3 .6

STATION LOADING PEAK HOUR PASSENGERS Northenden to Higher Blackley

STATION LOADING PEAK HOUR PASSENGERS Northenden and East Didsbury to Higher Blackley

The diversion formu la developed for this study is : p

ON

STATION North enden Barlow Moor

OFF

12,450

1,900

14,350

2,500

400

2,900

Withington

2,600

150

2,750

Platt Lane

4,250

400

4,650

Whitworth Park University

1,650

2,200

3,850

550

2,600

3,150

TOTAL

3,000

250

3,250

11,700

1,900

13,600

2,450

350

2,800

ON

STATION

TOTAL

OFF

East Didsbury Northenden Barlow Moor Withington

2,450

350

2,800

Platt Lane

4,250

400

4,650

Whitworth Park

1,650

2,300

3,950

550

2,700

3,250

Oxford Street

1,200

7,500

8,700

St. Peter's Square

1,200

7,700

8,900

Market Street

1,800

11 ,600

13,400

650

3,700

4,350

Collyhurst

1,000

2,550

3,550

University

Oxford Street

1,200

7,250

8,450

St. Peter's Square

1,200

7,150

8,350

Market Street

1,800

10,950

12,750

Vi ctor ia

650

3,600

4,250

Collyhurst

900

2,550

3,450

Queen's Park

2,500

600

3, 100

Queen 's Park

2,500

600

3,100

Maston Lane

2,650

1,550

4,200

Maston Lane

2,700

1,600

4,300

Higher Blackley

8,000

1,600

9,600

Higher Blackley

8,000 - -45,100

1,600

9,600

45,100

90,200

-

42,900

42,900

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85,800

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It was assumed that R would have a value oft for existing public transport trips (bus and suburban rail), and & for trips by motor car. Thus public transport trips would be more likely to be diverted to rapid transit. A family of curves derived from the formula is shown in Figure 3.2 . Taking each mode separately, the formula was applied to interzonal ta bu lations of home to work trips in the morning peak pe riod of travel. The results were factored to obtain the number of trips made for .all purposes by each mode. In

treating car driver trips an additiona l factor was used to account for passengers in the vehicle . The last step in the process was to convert the results from the peak period to peak hour of travel. Al l factors were based on preliminary results of th e SELNEC Transportation Study Home Interview Survey.

Table 3.7 illustrates the overall results obtained within the corridor from applying the diversion technique to a line between Ringway and Langley.

OVERALL

TABLE 3.7 RESULTS- RINGWAY TO

LANGLEY

CORRIDOR

RAIL CAR BUS ALL TRIPS TRIPS TRIPS TRIPS Per cent of Corridor Trips assigned to Line

46

52

33

33

Per cent of Total On-Line Trips

100

76

17

7

It should be noted that the traffic estimate given in this section could vary by as much as 20 per cent because of sampling re li ability in the home interview survey and possible range in values of diversion technique factors.

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SELECTION OF RECOMMENDED ROUTE

Section four Selection of Recomme nded Route

4.1 INTRODUCTION A number of potential rapid transit routes emerged from an inspection of the travel demand information for the study area and from the SELN EC Rail Planning Study. Over the long term these could form a network of new rapid transit servi ces for the conurbation.

Concurrently with the travel demand studies described in the previous section, the potential routes were also being evaluated on the basis of other considerations in order to determine which line should be recommended as the first priority for introducing rapid transit service in the area. The factors taken into account were: Present and future land use; Present travel demand and future potential; Accessibility and convenience for pedestrians, feeder bus passengers and car users; Inter-connection with other transport facilities; The present quality and potential for improvement of bus and rail services; Journey times; Capital and operating costs.

The routes were first assessed against the background of the particular corridors they served to identify the basic elements of a possible rapid transit network for the conurbation. When this network had been described, a study was made to determine which part of it should be considered as the first priority for introduction of rapid transit services.

4.2 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED The principal routes of greatest traffic potential are those between the Central Area and : Ringway, via Wythenshawe; Altrincham, via Sale; Langley, via Middleton.

In corridors of less intensive demand for rapid transit service there is potential for routes between the Central Area and: Bury, via Prestwich; Rochdale; 路 Cheadle Heath or Heald Green.

In other corridors it is evident that improved British Railways services could adequately meet the need for public transport at significantly less cost than construction of rapid transit linys. Such improvements generally would take the form of higher service frequency, new rolling stock, and upgraded station facilities including provision for feeder buses and parking.

The corridors in question, which were not studied for rapid transit operation, are those between the Central Area and: Stockport-Wilmslo w Stockport-Hazel Grove Stockport-Maccles field Marple Hyde Ashton-under- Lyne Oldham .

4.3 LOCATION THROUGH THE CENTRAL AREA The recommended alignment through the Central Area is shown in Figure 4.1. This particular location would bring passengers by rapid transit within convenient walking distance of most of the civic, educational, business, shopping and entertainment concentrations in the Central Area .

Similar benefits would accrue to rail users throughout the conurbation by the use of transfer facilities to rapid transit at the railway stations. The one main area not served, Piccadilly Gardens, could possibly be linked by a shuttle feeder bus service operating from St. Peter's Square station. The recommended alignment is a feasible one from a physical standpoint and the location has been discussed with City officials responsible for planning the Central Area.

Another possible route through the Central Area, developed in the course of the SELNEC Rail Planning Study, would connect Piccadilly Station, Piccadilly Gardens and Market Street with Victoria Station . This route deserves consideration in the future, but it in no way matches the recommended one in terms of proximity to the major centres of activity in the Central Area. It is clear that the recommended route would be the best to serve existing and planned development in the Central Area, and thus would encourage maximum use of rapid transit.

4.4 THE RINGWAY CORRIDOR 4.4.1 The Major Alternatives Referring to Figure 4.2, the Ringway corridor includes two major alternative routes. This is the principal corridor of travel demand in the conurbation and a rapid transit line located here would attract about 30,000 trips in both directions in the peak hour. Alternative 1, the route to the south developed for systems comparison in Stage I of the Manchester Rapid Transit Study, was used for evaluation purposes. This route passes through the University Precinct, Withington, Northenden and Wythenshawe to reach Ringway Airport and lies entirely on new right-of-way. Alternative 2 would

49

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ALTERNATIVE ROUTES STUDIED

No.

50

Miles

1

Ringway route, as used for systems evaluation in Manchester Rapid Transit Study, Stage I

10·4

2

Ringway route, via British Railways Styal line

12·5

3

Branch to East Didsbury, and Heaton Mersey yard

1 ·7

4

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3·2

5

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9·7

6

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5·7

7

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10·2

8

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The peak hour demand flows shown in Figure 4.3 for the Rin gway corridor drop below acceptable rap id transit load ings at Hollyhedge Road , approximately one mile sout h of Northenden. The lower volumes beyond this point could be served by feeder buses operating on the relatively un congested and extensive road network in the area .

How ever, for practical reasons Hollyhedge Road is not a good site for a major bus/rapid transit interchange station.

The extra cost of going on to Wythenshawe, the next station south, would be high (approximately £5,000,000) sin ce the line would be built in expensive cut-and-cover co nstruction. It was concluded that while Wythenshawe stati on would be a satisfactory southern terminal, the poss ibility of one closer to the city centre should be investi gated to keep costs to a minimum. Future land use changes may result in substantial increases in traffic demand from t he Wythenshawe area so that a line in the Ringway corridor shou ld make provision for extension at a later date to Wyt henshawe.

The line must be built as far as Barlow Moor Road in order to provide a service connection via East Didsbury to the proposed yard and workshops at Heaton Mersey, the only acceptable site found so far. However, this would not be a practicable site for the major feeder bus and parking facilities requ ired at the terminus of a rapid transit line, and road access would be restricted from south of the Mersey.

Also, stopping the line here would result in a high cost per passen ger mile of service.

'Pel JOOW MOIJD8

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It is therefore recommended that rapid transit service in the Wyt henshawe-Ringway corridor be planned to follow the new alignment via Withington and Northenden.

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4 .4.2 Service to Cheadle Heath or Heald Green Two possibilities exist for branches from the Withington Northenden alignment. Alternative 3 on Figu re 4.2 refers to a disused portion of the British Railways line from Manchester Central to Ch inl ey which passes throu g h East Didsbury and

intersects the route of Alternative 1 at Lapwing Lane, West Didsbury. This line would provide a service connection to the yard and workshops necessary to operate the Northenden service. Passenger service to East Didsbury could be provided with the relatively small expenditure on fixed facil ities and rolling stock of £1,000,000 in addition to the costs involved in building the service line to the yard at Heaton Mersey.

East Didsbury is an important focal point for road traffic and would have an estimated demand of 3,000 peak hour passengers. It is also a potential interchange point with the Styal line of British Railways . Service to East Didsbury should be considered in conjunction with implementation of the Northenden line.

Consideration was also given to the desirability of con tinuing to Cheadle Heath, where a disused British Railways station exists. Such an extension would cost about £1,300,000 to construct, but it is considered that the relatively low demand figures at this point would not justify such an expenditure.

Another alternative (No. 4) is a connection between East Didsbury and Heald Green, using the existing right-of- way of the British Railways Styal line. Thus, rapid transit trains from the Central Area could operate to East Didsbury, Gatley and Heald Green; beyond Heald Green the present t ~affic demand does not warrant rapid transit service. The Styal line might then be abandoned north of East Didsbury and south of Heald Green, and the traffic from these areas served by feeder bus. To carry out t his proposal would require an expenditure of some £3,250,000 on fixed facilities.

It was concluded that service between East Didsbury and Heald Green was not at present an essential part of rapid t ransit operation since these areas have the benefit of existing British Railways service on the Styal line. A service to Heald Green does hold promise, however, and its merits should be considered for addition to the rapid transit network in the future, coupled with abandonment of the British Railways services on the Styal line.

4.5 TH E SALE -ALTRINCHAM CORRIDOR There are basically two ways of serving this corridor and the Central Area . In both cases the link through the Central A rea between the University Precinct and Victoria station would form an essential common feature . The alternatives are : (a)

Improved service on the existing railway line between Altrincham and Oxford Road stations. Passengers for Central Area points other than Oxford Road could t ransfer to rapid transit at this location .

(b)

Rapid Transit servi ce from Altrincham to the Central Area via Moss Side (Alternative 5 on Figure 4.2).

This line would follow the existing railway righ t -of -way from Altrincham to Warwick Road via Stretford, thence, by means of a new underground line through Moss Side, to connect with the Central Area rapid transit line at the Un iversity Precin ct. Passeng ers would thu s have a direct no -transfer route to Central Area points.

The two sch emes wo uld serve a common area betw een 53

5t

miles.

Altrincham and Warwick Road over a distance of Between Wa rwic k Road and Oxford Road, the existing railway line passes through an area of low demand at present, but serves Central Area destinations in the vicinity of the existing Knott Mill station. The rapid transit route would serve the redevelopment area in Moss Side, and the University Precinct.

The two services are compared in Table 4.5.1 below.

TABLE 4.5 .1 COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVE SCHEMES TO SERVE THE ALTRINCHAM CORRIDOR

ITEM

ALTERNATIVE 2. Rapid Transit Railways Service via Moss Side

1. Improved British Length, Altrincham to Oxford Road

8 miles

9 miles

Running Time, Altrincham to Oxford Road

19 mins.

21 mins.

Central Area Passengers in the Peak Hour

12,000

19,000

Cost for Fixed Facilities excluding Central Area Line

£2,000,000

£13,000,000

Typical Journey Times between Altrincham and Royal Exchange are compared below: (a)

by private car at present

40 minutes

(b) by rail transport at present

40 minutes

by bus transport at present

53 minutes

(c)

{d) by improved British Railways service with transfer to Central Area line at Oxford Road (e)

by rapid transit through Moss Side

32 minutes 27 minutes

It can be seen that a new rapid transit route would handle about 7,000 additional peak hour passengers and save about five minutes journey time but would cost £11 ,000,000 more.

The five minutes saved by rapid transit results from elimination of the transfer from railway to rapid transit at Oxford Road station. Of course, not all the passengers using an improved rail service would need to transfer at Oxford Road since some would have destinations convenient to Knott Mill and Oxford Road stations. It is not expected that the five minutes transfer time and transfer inconvenience would be a major deterrent to passengers on an improved rail service when this is related to the present journey times by public transport.

Most of the additional trips by rapid transit would be generated in the Moss Side area . If rapid transit service is not provided some of these journeys could be made on the Northenden rapid transit line, if built, but most of them would have to be made by bus or car. Since the area is only one and three -quarter miles from Royal Exchange, the potential time savings are not very great and would amount to about nine minutes for a trip to Royal Exchange when compared to the present bus journey during peak periods.

A rapid transit line terminating in Moss Side was also considered, but this is not a sound proposition on its own .

54

Thece ;, no su;table s;te fo, a ya'd and the pasC ge' volumes generated are not adequate on their own to justify th e construction of a line th rou gh the Central Area . In this regard the dema nd estimates used are probably no longer valid .

The area is being redeveloped and the new residents may generate fewer Central Area trips than resid ents in the very crowded housing conditions which prevailed when th e home interview survey was carried out.

It was therefore concluded that rapid trans it serving th e area between Warwick Road and Altrincham need not be considered in view of the quality of service possible at less cost by improving British Railways services, in combinatio n with a Central Area rapid transit line. Consideration was als o given to the possibility of service to Moss Side as a branch service from the Northenden line, an operation felt to have low priority. Further, the implementation at some future date of branch service and junction operation at_this close in location could create serious operating problems on a Northenden line already in existence at that time.

4 .6 SERVICE TO MIDDLETON AND LANGLEY In the area north of Victoria station, the corridor with th e greatest traffic potential is that serving Middleton an d Langley. The line evaluated in this corridor (Alternative 6) is similar to the route developed for systems comparison in Stage I of the Manchester Rapid Transit Study.

The estimated peak hour demand for rapid transit in th is co rridor is 12,400 passengers and therefore by accepted standards such service warrants consideration. As there are no existing rail lines in the corridor, new rapid transit facilities would provide the main opportunity to improve public transport. The advantages of rapid transit over th e existing bus services are exemplified by the journey fro m Maston to Royal Exchange, whi ch takes 31 minutes by bus today ; this would be reduced to 17 minutes with rap id transit.

In establishing a desirable northern terminus for rap id transit in the Langley corridor, the main factors considered were the forecast peak hou r passenger demand along t he line, train operation requirements and the need for a maj or interchange from rail to bus or car. Examination of the peak hour demand indicated that there would be a sharp reducti on in passengers north of Higher Blackley (Rochdale Road at Victoria Avenue) . This is in the centre of an excellent road network and adjacent to the planned Outer Ring Road.

Also space is available to develop a terminal and major transfer facilities for fe eder bus services and parking . A li ne terminating at Victoria Avenue would serve the important new developments at Dam Head Farm and Harpurhey.

Terminals nearer to th e city would force feeder bus servi ces and motorists from areas to th e north on to Rochdale Road, south of Victoria Avenue, which is congested at present.

Vacant space for terminal facilities is not available to develop a major interchange fa cility, except in the Harpurhey redevelopment area. Here, road traffic generated by th e terminal could prove to be undesirable. Any facili ties constru cted initially at a more southerly location would not have th e permanency of a Vi ctoria Avenue site, where a terminal should meet th e tra vel requirements for some time into the future.

4.7 SERVICE TO PRESTWICH AND BURY Service on the Bury line of British Railways could be improved, or the line could be made available for rapid transit service as an extension of the Central Area line.

(See Alternative 7 in Figure 4.2) .

The corridor in which it lies has an estimated peak hour passenger demand for rapid transit of 8,000. More than half of its ten stations have good potential for park -and - ride and feeder bus facilities, but demand would fall off between Prestwich and Bury to an estimated maximum of 2,000 peak hour trips.

To improve the British Railways services and provide fast and frequent trains into Victoria, where convenient passenger interchange with the Central Area line could be provided, would cost £2,200,000 for fixed facilities . Alternatively, it wou ld be possible to connect the southern end of the line to the Central Area line. This would require an expenditure of about £5,200,000 to build the connection and modify the fixed facilities to initiate a rapid transit service to the standards contemplated.

The land use forecasts for this area indicate little potential for growth in trips to the Central Area . Thus the additional £3, 000,000 to connect the Bury line to the Central Area ra pid transit line would have to be justified in terms of the time savings- about five minutes- and the improved co nven ience resulting from the elimination of transfer between British Railways and rapid transit trains at Victoria.

It is estimated that about 75 per cent of Bury line passengers w ould wish to transfer at Victoria station. The five minutes time saving is not really significant relative to the overall benefits obtained by providing Bury line railway passengers with rapid transit service to those pa rts of the Central Area w hich are not convenient to Victoria station .

The operation of through Bury line trains to the Central Area by means of a connection to the Central Area line is not considered to be a first priority in the programme for rap id transit construction in the conurbation .

4 .8 SERVICE TO ROCHDALE The estimated peak hour demand for rapid transit in the corridor along which the Rochdale route (Alternative 8) lies is just over 4,000 trips. This does not justify rapid transit services. The existing British Railways line from Victoria via Middleton Junction to Rochdale would have adequate capacity to meet the demand with an expenditure of just under £1,000,000 on improvements to track, stations and signalling . This would enable more frequent services to be provided, and in combination with the Central Area line it would afford ready means of access to the Central Area.

Since the existing railway lines cannot be given over for rapid transit service major expenditures would be involved in building a line in this corridor. This would not be justified by demand . Thus the Rochdale line was not considered as part of a possible rapid transit network in the conurbation in the near future.

4.9 COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES 4.9.1 Introduction The evaluation of each route, as described in the preceding paragraphs, produced the following lines as prospective components of a rapid transit network for the conurbation ; Central Area to : Northenden Altrincham Higher Blackley Bury Branches to : East Didsbury Heald Green These lines were then compared to establish which should receive priority in the construction of a rapid transit network for the conu rbation . The factors considered in the evaluation were : Present and future land use Present demand and future potential Degree of improvement in quality of public transport Capital and operating cost Operational practicability

TABLE 4.9.1 LAND USE DEVELOPMENTS PRESENT

FUTURE

Northenden

Mainly resi denti al with isolated industrial areas. Restricted development nea r Rin gw ay Ai rport. Wyth ensh aw e Town Centre parti ally developed.

Additional residenti al development to the east of Wyth enshawe Town Centre. Shopping red evelopment probabl e at Withington .

Altri ncham

Mixtu re of medium density res idential and industrial.

Hulme area has been largely demol ished and is currently being developed.

Th e Moss Side area is to be red eveloped in th e future, no furt her maj or devel opm ents are known for this corridor.

Upper Blackley

M ed ium density resident ial in th e Collyhurst and Harpurh ey area s. Sm all areas of indu stri al development .

Generally lower density resi dential from Barn es Gree n to Langley.

Rede velopment prop osed at Collyhurst, Harpurhey and new developm ent at Dam Head Farm-a ll south of Vi ctori a Avenu e. North· of Vi ctori a Avenue, M iddleton town ce ntre is being redeveloped .

Bury

Mixed development along w ho le co rridor with varyin g resid ential density.

Further residenti al development is expected in the Bury area. Resid ents mainly not oriented to th e Central Area of M anchester.

East Didsbury Branch

Resid ential and co mmerc ial area. Ext ensive bu s net work radiatin g from East Didsbury.

Residential and indu stri al developments pl anned to th e ea st of th e termin al.

Hea ld Green Branch

Lo w density res identia l areas form major part of ca tch ment area . Larger undeveloped areas are reserved fo r major ro ad wo rks or are fl ood pla in s.

Substantial town ex pansion expected in Wilmslow.

LINE

55

4.9.2 Present and Future Land Use The results of this appraisal are summarised in Table 4.9.1 for districts outside the Central Area . In the Central Area the recommended link would provide maximum accessibility with consequent benefits for present and future development.

TABLE 4.9.2 COMPARISON OF DEMAND FOR RAPID TRANSIT SERVICE TO THE CENTRAL AREA

ESTIMATE OF PRESENT DEMAND POTENTIAL FOR peak hour FUTURE INCREASE passengers

LINE Northenden Altrincham Higher Blackley Bury East Didsbury Branch Heald Green Branch *

24,000 23,000 12,000 8,000

Good Moderate Good Little

3,000

Moderate

8,000

Moderate

* This estimate includes approximately 3,000 passengers diverted from Northenden .

4.9.3 Present Demand and Future PotC

ial

This is summarised for each line in Table 4.9.2.

Present demand was derived from the travel demand studies as described in Section 3 of the Report. The future potential has been assessed from a knowledge of the future develop ment planned in each corridor.

4.9.4 Potential to Improve Existing Public Transport Service Rapid transit, by virtue of its high performance operating cha racteristics, use of private right-of-way and provision of direct access to the centre of the city, would produce a significant improvement in public transport service and a reduction in travel times. To determine and accumulate the total time that would be saved by all prospective rapid transit passengers is beyond the scope of this study.

However, a good measure of the improvement to be gained from each of the services considered is shown in Tabl e 4 .9.3. This compares the present journey times by car, bus or train with the journey times possible with rapid transit. Typical trips are shown from a number of major residential areas in the conurbation to the centre of the city at Market and Corporation Streets. In each case, the present

TABLE 4.9.3.

COMPARISON OF JOURNEY TIMES TO ROYAL EXCHANGE, MANCHESTER BY PRESENT MODES AND BY RAPID TRANSI T

JOURNEY between Royal Exchang e and :

PRESENT JOURNEY TIME

BY CAR

BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT Minutes Minutes

JOURNEY TIME WITH RAPID TRANSIT Minutes

SAVINGS IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT JOURNEY TIME WITH RAPID TRANSIT Minutes

1. Northenden Line: Wyth enshawe Northenden Withington

30 25 25

45 41 32

29 19 15

16 22 17

2. Altrincham Lin e : Altrin cham Sale Moss Side

40 30 15

40 34 20

27 21 11

13 13 9

3. Higher Blackley Lin e : Harpurhey Middleton

15 25

23 37

11 23

12 14

20 23

15 18

5 5

32

21

11

4. Bury Lin e: Bowker Vale Prestwich 5. Heald Green Bran ch: Gatley

20

35

Northenden and East Didsbury to High er Black ley Northenden to Victori a Northenden and East Didsbu ry t o Victoria Northenden and Heald Gree n to Victori a Altrincham to Victoria Higher Blackley to University Higher Blackley to Victori a (extension to line from North end en and East Didsbury) Bury to University Bury to Vi ctori a (bra nch from Higher Blackl ey lin e)

56

LENGTH miles

CAPITAL COST £

South of the Central Area, Table 4.9 .3 demonstrates the value of the Northenden line in improving public transport se rvice to this part of the conurbation . Construction of the Northenden line would also result in se rvice improvements fo r residents in the Altrincham and Sale corridor, by means of interchange between railway and rapid transit service in t he Central Area. The converse is not true ; the Altrincham line would not benefit the Northenden corridor, since it is not served by rail except in a minor way, by the British Ra ilways Styal line.

ANNUAL PASSENGERS PER £1 ,000 CAPITAL

COST PER PASSENGER MILE

10 ·9 6 ·2 7 ·1 9 ·4 9·7 5· 3

50,000,000 36,000,000 37,000,000 41,000,000 33,000,000 30,000,000

1520 1400 1450 1400 1350 1070

3· 5d 3 ·7d 3 ·8d 3 ·7d 3·8d 5d

3 ·8 11 ·7

13,000,000 19,000,000

1710 1200

2 ·8d Not availabl e

10·2

9,000,000

1500

Not avail abl e

Northenden line to the yard site at Heaton Mersey makes a branch operation to East Didsbury attractive.

Service to this point can be instituted for a low capital investment. A branch service introduces some difficulties from an operational point of view, and this is reflected in a slightly higher cost per passenger mile. (c)

Higher Blackley While the Higher Blackley line would be unattractive for ope ration as an independent unit, as an extension to the Northenden line it becomes very attractive. The Higher Blackley line serves an area of developing land use and the scope for transport improvement in the co rridor is high .

(d)

Heald Green Branch Extension of service from East Didsbury to Heald Green appears to be attractive because of the relatively low capital cost to institute service. From an operational point of view, extension to Heald Green would help to balance the load on the branches of the system, a desirable operating feature .

(e)

Bury line The use of the Bury line is attractive from a cost point of view; however, the scope for transport improvement is relatively low considering the existence of the British Railways service which is capable of providing for the demand in the area . From an operating point of view, the distance to Bury is greater than desirable for rapid transit operation.

In the North, the major benefits would be derived from construction to Higher Blackley, which route also lacks a rail line which could be used with a rapid transit link t hrough the Central Area.

The Northenden and Higher Blackley routes have the greatest potential for future extensions on their respective sides of the Central Area . Substantial improvements in public transport can be made by future extensions of rapid tra nsit to areas such as Wythenshawe, Ringway, Gatley, Heald Green, Middleton and Langley. The other alternatives do not offer the same opportunities for extension .

4.9.5 Capital and Operating Cost Ta ble 4.9.4 shows the capital and operating costs of each lin e, including possible branches, in relation to the traffic ca rried . For each line the following information is given : (a)

Length in miles.

(b)

Capital cost of fixed facilities, including yard and workshops, and rolling stock.

(c)

Passengers per £1,000 of capital invested-a measure of the number of people served each year related to the capital cost of the line.

Cost per passenger mile- a measure of the annual cost, including debt charges at 6% interest and all operating expenses, related to the passenger miles generated each year. The lines would be self-supporting at fares equal to the cost per passenger mile.

The costs shown do not take into account any grant toward t he capital cost nor do they include the costs of operating feed er bus and rail services. (d)

TABLE 4.9.4 COST COMPARISON FOR RAPID TRANSIT SERVICE

SERVICE

journey times are based on the fastest present means of public transport, either by train or bus. Many of the trips considered are based on a combination of public t ransport modes. The journey times shown also allow for travel to an d from the station, waiting and transfer times where appropriate.

4.9.6 Order of Priority for Construction The results of the foregoing appraisal of the factors governing an order of priority for construction of a rapid transit network in t he conurbation are summarized below in order of priority.

(a)

Northenden This line gives the highest priority rating on all factors considered; land use, demand, transport improvement and cost. The line is operationally practicable with a service connection to a yard site at Heaton Mersey.

(b) East Didsbury Branch The provision of a servic e connection from t he

(f)

Altrincham line This line has been given a relatively low priority because the scope for improvement in transport service is low.

The British Railways service to Altrincham can provide close to rapid transit service for a relatively low capital cost. While the Moss Side area would be served by rapid transit to Altrincham, its location close to the Central Area makes the savings in t ravel time relatively small compared to present bus travel. In other factors this line ranks below the Northenden line.

4.10 THE RECOMMENDED LINES Clearly the optimum route for a rapid transit line through the Central Area is along the corridor University PrecinctOxford Road-St. Peter's Square-Cross Street-Corpora tion Street-Victoria Station . Of all possible alignments through the Central Area , this one would best serve the major existing land use developments and those anticipated in the future. In addition, this route is the best one to complement existing or improved British Ra ilways services in the conurbation . Thus the city centre would be made very accessible to the conurbation as a whole by providing the opportunity for railway passengers to transfer at Oxford Road and Victoria stations and to use th e rapid transit line as a distribution system for the Centra l Area .

The overall route that would be superior in terms of present and future development, passenger potential and public transport improvements and thei r costs is the one between Northenden and Higher Blackley with a bran ch to East Didsbury, a total of 11 miles. At least one third of all peak trips to and from the Central Area are generated in this corridor whi ch is served almost exclu sively by bu s se rvices.

57

The quality of bus travel is suffering seriously from worsening traffic congestion. There are no existing railway lines which could be used to provide improved suburban rail services for a significant number of residents in this north-south corridor. Thus rapid transit is the only feasible means of improving public transport. The other areas in the conurbation would also benefit from this route by virtue of its function as a Central Area distribution system for existing or improved suburban rail services. From Northenden the route would serve Withington, University Precinct, Oxford Road Railway Station, St. Peter's Square, Victoria Station, Collyhurst, Harpurhey, and terminate at Victoria Avenue. It would be the priority for a rapid transit network for the conurbation, and is shown in Figure 4.1. The branch to East Didsbury, which has an excellent traffic potential, would also connect

to the yard at Heaton Mersey, the only site so far confirmed as being available for this pu rpose.

It is considered that rapid transit service to Altrincham and Bury is not justified for the immediate future. Existing rail services in these two corridors can be improved at much less cost to meet the forecast demand. These improvements, in combination with a Central Area rapid transit line, will substantially reduce journey time to many important Central Area points which are not within convenient walking distance of Oxford Road and Victoria stations at present.

The principal features of the recommended service are described in Section 5, the capital, operating and main tenance costs are given in Section 6, and revenue and other benefits are discussed in Section 7.

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59

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FEATURES OF RECOMMENDED 路SERVICE

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Section five Features of Recommended Service

TORONTO

5.1 INTRODUCTION This section presents the main features of the recommended se rvice for the Manchester rapid transit system . The features covered are : the vehicle, capacity and service, civil engineer in g including geology and soils in the Central Area, signals and communications, power supply, stations, yards and workshops, and adm inistration .

SAN FRANCISCO Bay Area Rapid Transit

The proposals made in this section are preliminary in nature and should be reviewed as the project proceeds in order to ta ke advantage of new technical developments and new information that may come to hand .

CLEVELAND

5.2.1 General It is proposed that the vehicle selected for operation on the Manchester Rapid Transit System be of a modern, aesthetically pleasing shape, designed to provide a comfo rtable, fast and economic journey. Trends in modern rapid transit vehicles operating or proposed in other cities are illustrated in Figure 5.1.

MONTREAL 'Expo'

ROTTERDAM

The general dimensions and operating characteristics rec ommended for the Manchester vehicle are as follows: Vehicle length 76' 6 " approx.

Vehicle width 1 O' O" Height above rail 12' O" maximum Bog ie centres 52' 6" Wheel gauge 4' Number of door openings per side 4 W idth of door openings 4 ' 3" Seated passengers 80 Design capacity- seated and sta nding 200 M axi mum capacity- seated and stan ding 300 M ax imum car weight empty 64,000 lbs.

Car weight- design capacity 94,000 lbs.

Car weight- maximum capacity 110,000 lbs.

Avera ge acceleration rate at des ig n capacity 2·5 mph . per sec.

M axi mum acceleration rate 3·0 mph . per sec.

Ave rage service braking rate 2·8 mph. per sec .

Emergency braking rate 3·5 mph . per sec.

J erk limit 0·1 mph . per sec .

Max imum speed 60 mph .

Number of motors per car 4

St"

N EW YORK

PHILADELPHIA Del awar e Ri ver Po rt Auth o ri t y

5.2.2 Two -car Units

'A tra in wou ld be composed of one, two or three units, each unit be ing fo rm ed of two cars semi - permanently coupled together. Both vehicles in the two -car unit would be similar, BOSTON

62

Trains consisting of three-car or four-ca r units were con sidernd . However, in a small system, the larger units could impair availability of rolling stock since it would be necessary to remove the entire unit from se rvice in the event of equipment failure on a single vehicle . As the system grows it may become economical to purchase vehicles of a nondriving motored type for insertion between cab equipped vehicles .

5.2.3 Vehicle Size

5.2 V EHICLE

LONDON

except that one would be equipped to supply au xiliary electrical power and the other compressed air for the unit.

Each car would have a cab located at one end.

The vehicle recommended for use in Manchester would be 1 O' O" wide by 76' 6" long, which is similar to those proposed or operating in San Francisco, Tokyo, Caracas, Toronto , and other cities. British Railways have indicated that they are considering the production of suburban stock up to 80' O" in length , although only 9' 3" wid e.

The use of a large vehicle rather than smaller standard vehicles would reduce the total number of vehicles and associated equipment required, resulting in a saving in capital and operating costs. These savings should be set off against increased construction costs for a wider structure to accommodate the larger vehicle .

The nominal 10 by 75 feet vehicle would provide a spacious and comfortable interior layout making good use of the vehicle dimensions and resulting in a low car weight per passenger carried . The spaciousness of the vehicle would allow rapid loading and unloading at stations and good circljlation and distribution within the car.

Under-car equipment such as control units, batteries, compressors and other auxiliari es could be conveniently arranged under a large vehicle permitting easy access to the equipment for maintenance.

5.2.4 Vehicle Performance The provision of a fast service would be essential if rapid transit is to compete with the private motor car. Since station spacin g will be relatively close, particularly in t he Central A rea, high acceleration rates would be necessary to reach th e desired speed s and to clear stations for following t ra ins. It is proposed that an average acceleration rate of 2·5 miles per hour per se cond be specif ied, with ma ximum acceleration restricted to 3·2 mil es per hour per second.

Maximum speed would be 60 mil es per hour. Whil e other systems, such as San Francisco and Washington, are proposing speeds of 70 to 75 miles per hou r, th e close station spa cing and relatively short route in Manchester would provide little opport unity to reac h t hese higher speeds.

W AS HINGTO N

63

(

5 .2

Braking would be accomplished by means of rheostats connected across the motor windings, supplemented by electro -pneumatic brakes acting on the vehicle wheels.

This type of braking permits the use of the energy dissipated durin g braking for vehicle heating and reduces wheel and brake shoe wear. The recommended braking rates would be z·B miles per hour per second for normal service stops and 3·5 miles per hour per second for emergency stops.

ID <{

u

In order to attain this performance consistently, each axle of th e vehicle would be equipped with a motor. While this would increase the number of motors and gear sets, the tractive effort and weight would be evenly distributed over all wheels thus reducing the chances of slipping and consequent 'flat' wheels. Each motor is smaller, thus redu cing the loss in train performance which would result from malfunction of an individual motor.

5.2.5 Vehicle Design

t:::>

0

s w

..J

(..)

:c w

>

c w en

0

Q.

0

a:

Q.

Th e proposed body envelope would permit flexibility in the choi ce of seating arrangements for the Manchester vehicle.

The recommended layout is shown in Figure 5.2. This layout would divide the car into sections, all with easy access from any seat to the nearest door. A spacious aisle would be provided at each door, with ample room for passenger flow in and out of the car.

A full width cab, located at one end of each vehicle, would give the operator a good view of the doors on either side of the car. Provision for emergency exit from the vehicle th ro ugh the cab would be provided.

The vehicle interiors would be finished with quality wear resi stant materials requiring a minimum of maintenance.

Care would be taken in design to eliminate corners and pockets where dirt might collect. Lighting would be fluorescent providing ample illumination for reading . Large pi cture windows would be provided giving good visibility to the passengers. The power -operated sliding doors would have safety controls to prevent the train from starting until th ey were properly closed .

Experiments have been conducted in North America with the use of carpeting on the floors of rapid transit vehicles. It has been found that carpeting stands up well and requires a minimum of care. It is suggested that tests be carried out to determine the feasibility of installing carpets in the Manchester rapid transit vehicles.

5.2.6 Vehicle Capacity

,,0 -, ZI

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v

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64

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l

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Th e seating layout shown in Figure 5.2 provides seating for 80 passengers and a net floor area for standing passengers of approximately 385 square feet . Under a maximum loading condition of 1·75 square feet per standee, the number of standing passengers would be 220, and the maximum capacity 300 passengers, seated and standing. This capacity should be considered as an abnormal condition which would be encountered infrequently . However, the vehicle floors, brakes and springs should be designed to carry this loading without risk of damage or loss of safety. _In order to provide for passenger comfort the service should be operated so that at least 2·5 square feet would be provided for each standing passenger. The loading would then be 234 passengers in the most heavily loaded car.

However, cars in a train do not load uniformly, and to allow for this, a factor of 0·85 should be applied to obtain the average car loading . The design capacity of each car would therefore be 200 passengers, 80 seated and 120 standing .

It should be noted that the design car capacity would only be utilized in the peak hours of the day at the peak load point.

During off-peak hours there would be seating for all passengers. In peak travel hours a proportion of the riders would be standees, but the maximum standing trip would not exceed 14 minutes.

5.3 CAPACITY AND SERVICE 5.3.1 Capacity The capacity of a rapid transit line is a function of the time between successive trains (headway), number of cars per train and the number of people in each car.

The minimum headway possible, using modern signalling and with acceleration and braking rates at the maximum acceptable and economic level, is 90 seconds between succeeding trains, although in practice trains are rarely scheduled at this close headway and some flexibility is usually allowed for unavoidable delays.

For capacity design purposes an average car loading of 200 passengers has been assumed. This takes into account the unequal loading of cars which is experienced in the peak period . The theoretical capacity of the system is shown in Table 5.3.1, related to train length and headway.

TABLE 5.3.1 THEORETICA L CAPACITY OF RAPID TRANSIT LINE

Passengers per hour in one direction

Headway No. of Cars in Train 2 4 6 8

90 Secs 16,000 32,000 48,000 64,000

2 Mins 12,000 24,000 36,000 48,000

3 Mins 8,000 16,000 24,000 32,000

4 Mins 6,000 12,000 18,000 24,000

From a study of the travel demand estimated for the Central Area line, it is recommended that provision be made for the eventual operation of 6-car trains, which would provide ample capacity for the foreseeable future.

5.3.2 Service In establishing train service standards, train performance was based on a maximum acceleration rate of 3 mph/sec., a service braking rate of 2·8 mph/sec. and a maximum speed of 60 mph. The average station stop was taken as 20 seconds and the provision for total layover time during peak periods was 90 seconds at each terminus, 180 seconds in all.

The duration of service was assumed to be 19 hours out of 24 each weekday and Saturday, and 15 hours on Sundays and holidays. On weekdays, intensive service would be required during morning and evening peak periods of 2 hours each.

The services on the recommended route between Higher Blackley and Northenden and on the branch to East Didsbury have been designed as two separate services which would operate over a common section of route between Victoria and Withington. The main features of these services are shown in Table 5.3.2 .

65

TABLE 5.3.2 DETAILS OF SERVICES ON RECOMMENDED ROUTE Service Betw een Northenden and Higher Blackl ey Route length miles Running time minutes Peak hour one-way maximum demand passengers Peak period interval between trains minutes Off- peak period interval between trains minutes Vehicles per train Peak hour service capacity at 800 passengers per train No. of trains on system No. of vehicles needed (including 10% spares)

The tentative services shown in Table 5.3.2 were designed to satisfy the demand at each of the southern ends of the line beyond the junction at Lapwing Lane, West Didsbury. It was also necessary to confirm that the service on the trunk portion of the route, that is between Withington and Victoria, would be adequate to satisfy the maximum demand at the peak load point. This demand was estimated to be 20,000 passengers in the peak hour. The combined services would provide an average interval of 2 minutes between trains over this section, and this would provide for 24,000 passengers in the peak hour.

The annual vehicle-miles and train-miles were derived from t he round-trip distance, the number of trains per hour for each service, and the number of hours of peak and offpeak service respectively per day. These figures are then factored to take account of working days, Sundays and holidays and give results on an annual basis. The resulting statistics are: Annual vehicle miles :

9,600,000

Annual train miles:

2,400,000

5. 3. 3 Travel Times Rapid transit would produce greatly improved travel times compared to travel by surface routes. Running times from Market Street station to other stations on the system are given in Table 5.3.3.

TABLE 5.3.3 RUNNING TIME IN MINUTES FROM MARKET STREET TO:

Higher Blackley Moston Lane Queen's Park Collyhurst Victoria

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5.4 CIVIL ENGINEERING 5.4.1 Introduction The design of the supporting way will vary with attitude of the line, soil conditions, topography, type of adjacent development, and so on. Figure 5.3 illustrates the attitude along the proposed route.

A limited geological investigation was carried out in the Central Area to determine location and quality of rock.

The results were used to establish the general feasibility of the route and to compare cut-and-cover and tunnel methods of construction . No special investigations were undertaken outside the Central Area, consequently, knowledge of soils and geological conditions in other areas has not developed beyond the information secured in Stage I. It should be noted that a comprehensive soils survey along the entire route would be a prerequisite for final design.

5.4.2 Geology and Soils The route through the Central Area is some 8000 feet long, extending from the northern side of the University Precinct to Victoria Station. Eighteen borings were drilled along the route. The strata were measured and logged and a representative proportion of rock and soils samples were sent for laboratory analysis and testing. A site plan, showing the location of bore holes, and a geolo gical section are shown in Figure 5.4. Briefly, the main findings of the investigation are as follows: The ground is made up of fill and Drift overlying 'Solid rock' . The upper regions of the Solid rocks have a zone of weathering which in the highest regions has com pletely reduced the rock to sand . The upper layer of material along the route is fill which overlies the Drift.

The Drift is, in the main, represented by clay with local lenses of gravel and sandy clay. The fill and Drift is in the order of 25 to 35 feet thick from the Mancunian Way to the Town Hall and varies in thickness from 10 to 30 feet along the remainder of the route. The weathered zone of the Solid rocks (a red sand) varies in thickness from approximately 5 to 10 feet along most of the route, but in some places reaches depths of about 20 feet.

The Solid sedimentary rocks, of Permo -Triassic age, consist of red sandstone and marl which appear to be representative of the Bunter Sandstone. The rock is

67

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From consideration of the ground conditions it would appear that a near surface route of cut -and -cover would be geologically feasible. Profiles at increasing depths encounter rock, of which the upper parts are very weak. The rock tends to become sounder with depth, but this is not so in fault zones. Increase in depth also brings the profile below the water -table . All the evidence suggests that the strata below the main water table will be water bearing . These strata are likely to be heavily water bearing in faulty ground . It will be apparent therefore that in fault zones a deep tunnel is not likely to encounter sounder rock than a shallower t unnel. Moreover the ground-water problems are likely to be far greater in the deep tunnel. For these reasons, in the vicinity of the west Manchester Fault, at Oxford Road Station, there is considerable geological merit in constructing the route near the surface by cut -and -cover or at medium depth by soft ground tunnelling techniques. Along the remaining part of the Central Area route the optimum geological conditions are likely to occur at medium depth, where soft rock with moderate groundwater should not pose undue problems in construction .

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A summary of the results of the comparison between the two methods is given in Table 5.4.1. The Central A rea route is shown in Figure 5.5 and a longitudinal section showing the alternative cut -and-cover and tunnel profiles is illustrated in Figure 5.6.

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The study made to compare cut -and -cover with tunnelling methods concluded that the latter would be the preferred technique in the Central Area . This would keep surface disturbance during construction to a minimum, and greatly reduce the considerable difficulties associated with diverting major services and maintaining traffic during construction .

The proposed tunnelling scheme has a somewhat lower capital cost than the comparable cut -and -cover scheme, and would equal the cut-and -cover system in all significant operational aspects.

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TABLE 5.4.1 COMPARISON BETWEEN CUT-AND-COVER AND TUNNELLING METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION CUT-AND - COVER

TUNNEL

CONCLUSIONS

CO STS

Costs increase with depth of construction.

Street decking, diverting and handling services and underpinning are costly items.

Property acquisition required at stations.

Estimated capital cost of construction £1 Ot m.

Excavation and structure costly but constant with depth . Soft ground and water increase costs of excavation and structure. Escalator costs increase with depth . Street decking and utilities encountered at stations only.

Easement required where line is below existing buildings. Estimated capital cost of construction £9t m.

Tunnelling offers cost saving of £1 m. compared with cut-and-cover.

TR AFFIC

Pedestrian and vehicular traffic interrupted during pavement removal, decking installa tion and pavement restoration, along entire Central Area route.

Tim e- consuming diversions necessary due to existing street pattern . Temporary decking restricts traffic flow and can be hazardous when wet.

Pedestrian and vehicular traffic interrupted at station and access shafts only.

Substantially more disturbance from cut-and-cover.

UTILITIES

Considerable interference along the entire route with the possibility of localised disruptions to services causing some inconvenience to the public. Lack of knowledge of the location of old sewers in Manchester a problem. Some sewer diversions would present great difficulties, particularly if already laid to flat gradients or tunnelled into th e rock, and would be costly items.

Interference restricted to stations and access shafts only.

Substantially more interference from cut - and - cover.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

Interference with business and social activities along t he entire route. Noise, dust and mud, significant factors.

Interference restricted to station and access shafts only.

Substantially more interference from cut - and-cover.

A DJACENT STRUCTURES

Care required to protect other structures.

Underpinning required where underground structure passes beneath or close to existing buildings that are to remain. Access to, and possibly part occupation of lower floors requ ired for this purpose.

Minimal hazard to other structures. Underpinning generally not required , unless tunnel very close to existing foundations . Surveys necessary during tunnelling operations to confirm that no undue settlement or vibration is caused to existing buildings.

Disturbance generally with cut - and-cover only.

Control surveys required during tunnelling .

CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS

Restrictions imposed by need to maintain traffi c and handle utilities.

Limited to number of drives and number of men who can be employed on face and to enlarge the section at stations.

Slight advantage with cutand-cover.

LA BOUR MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT

Standard heavy construction methods apply.

Requires specially skilled workmen and special equipment and materials.

Tunnelling more sp ecialised form of construction .

SOI L CONDITIONS

Water and soil conditions can generally be han dled by conventional metho::ls. However if excavations are very deep, it may become necessary to resort to special methods to prevent water infiltration .

Sensitive to water and soil conditions which may require special treatment, such as cement or chem ical injection or compressed air.

Tunnel likely to be affected more than cut- and-cover by soil and water conditions.

ACC ESS TO WOR KING SITE

Restri ct ed by need to maintain surface traffic .

Restricted to number of access shafts and headings.

Tunnel slightly restrictive.

WORKMEN 'S SA FETY

Normal heavy construction hazards.

Requires additional precautions for workmen .

Tunnel construction sl ightly more hazardous for work men .

A LI GNM ENT

Restri cted to existing road purchased right - of-way.

Unrestricted.

Tunnel more fl exible, permitting better station locations.

VERTICAL TRAVEL

Average is 30 feet from ground level to pl atform level.

Average is 60 feet from ground level to platform level. More esca lator maintenance.

Small increase in time required to travel additional vertical distance asso ciated with tunn el.

VENTILATION

No special probl ems.

Similar to cut- and-cover.

STATION ARRANG EMENT

Fl ex ibl e.

Slightly less fle xible.

ARCH ITECTURAL TREATME NT

Wi de choice.

Fewer alternatives fo r station tunn el sections and acc ess corridors.

NO ISE

Non - users unaffected. Acceptable to passengers.

Non - users unaffected. Acceptable to passengers.

Passengers un affected. Adj acent buildings affected in som e cases.

Passengers unaffected. Adjac ent buil dings generally not affected.

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Consolidation of the so il may be necessa ry along this length, as may the use of compressed air if co nsid erable water is enco untered . Because Oxfo rd Ro ad stat ion li es very close to the Fault it would preferably be built by th e cut - and - co ver method .

From Oxfo rd Road station , for the rem ainder of its len g th , th e tunn el would be located in the Bunter Sandstone, which und erlie s th e Drift, with rail level at an average depth of 65 feet below th e surfa ce .

The choi ce of actual tunnelling method would be left to th e co ntra ctor . Th e Bunter Sandstone would appear to be suitab le for exca vation by a tunnel boring machin e which may prove to be more economical th an other methods of excava tion for th e length of tunnel involved . If th e drill and blast method of exca vation is employed , restrictions upon its use may be necessa ry to co mply with th e req uirements of the local authority and property owners . It would be necessa ry to ca rry out surveys along the rout e during tunn ellin g operations to co nfirm that no undue settl ement or vibration is ca used to ex ist ing buildings .

Th e twin 16 feet internal diameter circular cross-section was se lected for its stru ctural suitability to ea rth tunn els, its adapt ab ility to various tunne llin g method s (for example, the use of rock boring machin es) and ec onomy.

A prefabricated tunnel lining would be used rath er than one formed in place. Th e advantages in th e use of pre fab ri ca ted units li e in eas ier and faster co nstructi on, less interfe rence wit h access along th e tunn el during th e placing of th e lining and better wa t er- proofing chara cteri sti cs. Th e linin g mat eri al utili sed would depend upon th e soil and wa t er co nditions and the load s and pressures to be with stood , and may vary to suit these co ndition s along the tunnel lengt h.

5 .7

5 .4.4 Structural Sections Th e suppo rting way structural sections as proposed are described below and shown in Figures 5.7 to 5.9. Th e stru ctural designs proposed are prelimin ary and re lat e primarily to th e use of reinforced and prestressed concrete, but this should not be construed as a final recommendation preventing the us e of other structural material s or methods of construction which may be found to be more advanta geous when considered in the light of information and conditions prevailing at the tim e of final design .

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Figure 5.7 shows typi ca l cross - sections for the elevated rapid transit structure. Both systems il lustrated employ single reinforced co ncret e co lumns and crossheads which wou ld be spaced generally at about 60 to 100 feet centres, depending on local features and conditions.

The columns and crossheads support, in simp le spans, precast prestressed I-bea ms with an in -situ deck slab or, alternatively, precast prestressed trapezo ida l bo x beams . The beams would be positioned on bearings on the prepared crossheads by means of a mobile crane or a specia l launching gantry supported on th e previously con structed adja ce nt span.

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Deck surfaces would be drain ed by channels, located between the rails, which discharge into down pipes in the reinfor ced co ncrete columns . A walkway for maintenan ce wo rke rs and em ergen cy use would be lo ca ted ce ntrally, between th e tracks . It may be necessary to provide noise barriers on some section s of the elevated structure.

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The superstructure of the running section wou ld be

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ca rri ed throu g h th e stati o n and suppo rt ed on reinforced con crete portals. Pl atfo rms wo uld be precast prestressed box beam s also spannin g betwee n po rt al supports.

(b)

At Grade Construction Th e term 'At Grade' refers to con stru ction in shallow open cut, embankm ent or at gro und level. Fi g ure 5.8 shows a typical cro ss-section in corpo ra tin g th ese thre e attitud es.

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Cut-and-Cover Construction Fi g ure 5.8 sho ws th e reinforce d con crete, doubl etrack, bo x sect ion that would form the und erg round structure w here con structed by cut -a nd -cover method s.

Th e bo x would be form ed in situ w ithin a sin g le trench ex cavation . Constru ction joints would be lo cated at appro ximately 50 feet ce ntres . Th e ce ntral wall would be constructed w ith opening s to provid e refuge bays for maintenance workers, and non combu stible sound insul atin g material would be applied to th e lower part of th e w alls to redu ce th e noise level from the vehi cle bo g ies. An invert drain w ould discharge to sumps from which th e water would be pumped to ex istin g sew ers if a gravity outfall was not po ssibl e.

During constru ction th e sid es of th e exc avation would be supported by strutted so ldi er pil es and timb er laggin g or simil ar method s. Bac kfill would be pla ced and compa cted over th e stru ctu re aft er its compl etion and th e ground surfa ce condition s reinstated. Where th e ra pid tran sit lin e is lo cated alon g ex isting ro ads, th e excavation would be dec ked over during con stru ction to maintain surfa ce traffi c, and utility se rvic es would be diverted or supported from th e deck and re instated upon completion.

Access shaft- tunnelling operation

Figure 5.8 shows a typi ca l cut -and -cover station section .

(d) Tunnelling Th e Lin e would pass throu g h th e Central Area in twin 16 fe et intern al di ameter tunn els, as shown in Fi g ure 5.9 . Th e tunn els w ould ge nerally be spa ced at appro ximately 2 x D ce ntres, wh ere D is th e outsid e di ameter of ea ch bore. However, thi s may vary lo ca lly, for ex ampl e, at station appro ac hes and at th e end s of th e tunn ell ed section wh ere th e tunn el transition s into th e cut -a nd- cov er bo x sectio n. Th e tunn el in ve rt wo uld be built up in in -situ con crete. A drain pipe w ould be cas t into th e invert and w ould di sc harge t o pump sumps. A typi ca l tunn ell ed stati on secti o n th at co ul d be fo rmed in th e Bun ter Sa ndsto ne is shown in Fig ure 5.9. Thi s section wo ul d be co nstru cted by d ri v in g and supporting , or linin g, th e runnin g tunn els thro ug h th e station s and subseq uent ly ope nin g up aro und t he runnin g t unn el by hand to fo rm th e enl arged stat io n sections.

would be attac hed directly to th e con crete ro adbed, bu t w ould be iso lated th erefrom by rubb er pad s thu s redu cin g th e effect of vibration upon th e stru ctu res and surrou ndin gs.

In th e 'At Grade' attitud e, th e rail s w ould be ca rri ed o n tim be r or co ncrete slee pers laid on ball ast und er lain by a gra nul ar sub - base.

Th e use of th e slee perl ess t rac ks on elevated st ruct ures elimin ates th e need to ca rry th e dea d lo ad of ba ll ast an d sleepe rs, and in th e und erg ro un d stru ctures red uces t he verti ca l depth req uired to acc omm odate ba ll ast.

Futu re dev elopme nt of con tinu ously supported ra il s may have favo urab le effects upo n the leve ! of no ise and v ibratio n produ ced by a mov in g tra in . Furt her co nsidera ti on shou ld be g iven to t he met hod of ra il suppo rt at a late r stag e of des ig n w hen more operat in g ex perie nce has be en ga ined w ith new fo rms of trackwo rk.

5 .4.6 Li mita tion s of Flat J unct ion s

S leeperless trackshowing contact rail.

78

5. 4. 5 Trackwork Rails w ould be 11 3 lb ./ ya rd sec ti o ns we lded into co ntinu o us lengths . On elevated and be low - gro un d structures th e rail s

Th e reco mm ended ro ute wo ul d have a j un ctio n at Lapw ing Lane, w here t he branch lin e to Ea st Di dsbury and th e storage yard lea ves t he ma in lin e from Hig her Blac kl ey to

79

Northend en. Both lines would be double track, so that two sets of junction switches would be necessary, a 'facing' connecti on dealing with the diverging movemen ts of south bound trains and a 'trailing' connecti on handling the convergi ng moveme nts of northbou nd trains.

A ny junction layout involves possible conflict between main line and branch line movemen ts. If the junction is a flat one-tha t is, all connecti ons are at the same level- then t here are two places where conflicts can arise. One of these can be eliminate d by taking one branch connecti on under or over the two main lines and thus separating them physicall y.

Studies were undertak en, with a view to determin ing the condition s under which the expense of physical separation would be justified. The following conclusio ns were drawn : (a)

Any junction handling services with headway s closer than minutes should be grade-se parated . While closer-he adway services are being worked over flat junctions , these operation s are not satisfacto ry since delays are frequent ly experienced.

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5.5 SIGNAL S AND COMMU NICATI ONS 5.5.1 Introduc tion The term 'signals and commun ications' embraces the means of controllin g train movemen ts and dissemin ating informati on througho ut the rapid transit system.

This role is particula rly importan t in a high-cap acity, high density rail service where the maximum degree of safety must be combine d with the most efficient utilisation of the track, and instant commun ication is vital to efficient operation . The systems proposed represent the applicatio n of the latest advances in these fields to the Manches ter system.

5.5.2 Signal System Function s The functions of a signal system in a rail rapid transit system can be defined as follows : (a)

Rapid Transit yard and worksho ps

(b) While grade-se parated junctions are more costly to construct , they do avoid the heavy maintena nce costs of the diamond rail crossings which are otherwis e necessary. Such crossings also add to the noise level of the system . (c)

Because of the importan ce of the junction at Lapwing Lane to the operation of the system as a whole, and since service intervals of 90 seconds will occur frequentl y, it is recomme nded that this junction should be grade-se parated .

5.4.7 Yards and Worksh ops The storage, cleaning and maintena nce of vehicles would be carried out at the yards and worksho ps of the system. The workshops would also serve as a base for maintena nce of track, signals and mechanic al and electrical equipme nt.

The main requisites of a yard site are: 1. Access to the rapid transit line; 2. Sufficien t area to carry on the required operation s; 3. Space for expansio n; 4. A British Railways connecti on to facilitate delivery of rolling stock, rail and heavy supplies ; 5. Ground contours permittin g preparation of level storage areas with a minimum of earthwor k; 6. Adequate road access.

Som e of the heavier and more specialised repair work, e.g. major repairs to traction motors and car re - building, could be performed by specialis t companie s outside the rapid transit system. All routine repairs, inspectio ns and cleaning of the rolli ng stock would be carried out within the workshop s.

Control CentreBritish Railways

80

The layout and design of the facilities will , of course, depend . on th e site, but an approxim ate estimate of the area required .would be 20 to 30 acres, of wh ich the worksho p buildings Would occupy some three acres.

To preserve a minimum safe distance at all times between trains on the same t rack ;

(b) To ensure smooth operation of the train service in accordan ce with the timetable ; (c)

To route trains into the correct tracks at junction s, terminals , etc., while safeguar ding conflictin g move ments.

The system must be designed to function in a fail-safe manner. This means that any failure of a vital compone nt or circuit will produce the most restrictive condition s- for example, the failure of a track circuit to function will ensure that train movemen ts over the portion of line affected can only take place at low speed .

5.5.3 Signal System Charact eristics Signal systems satisfying the requirements given above can vary in cost and complex ity from the simplest wayside signal installatio n controlle d from a local signal box to a complex compute r -controlle d and remotely -supervised system featuring automati c control of all possible functions , including the trains themselves. Because of the nature of the service and the high cost of right -of - way and rolling stock, a rapid transit system such as that proposed for Manches ter would justify a high degree of automati on .

This would ensure maximum utilisation of the high -cost items, and minimum labour and maintena n ce costs.

A signal system comprises three main parts : (a)

A means of supervising train moveme nts (a si gnal box or control room) ; 路

(b) An interlock ing system to detect th e position of t rains and ensure that unsafe condition s cannot ari se ; (c)

A means of indicatin g to th e train operator or to equip ment on the train the ma ximum safe spe ed at whi ch t he train can be operated .

Supervis ion is usually exercised by means of a control pa nel

81

5 .10

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The function of indicating to the train operator the maximum speed at which he may safely travel is performed in con ventional modern signal systems by a colour-light signal mounted alongside the track. This conveys one of three or four messages to the train operator, depending on the aspect exhibited as he approaches it. On British Railways the tra in brakes are applied automatically if the driver fails to acknowledge an audible warning given on passing a signa l whose aspect requires him to brake.

While this British Railways system affords a satisfactory standard of safety under their conditions of mixed passenger and freight traffic and relatively long headways, it is not suitable for high-speed, close-headway rapid transit services composed entirely of trains of identical stock equipped with fast-acting braking systems. For services of this kind it is desirable to use a system affording as high a degree of safety and control over train operations as possible. The main features of such a system, known as Automatic Tra in Operation {A.T.O.) , are illustrated in Figure 5.10.

The automation provided by A.T.O. allows trains to run completely unmanned. For safety and security reasons, however, it is desirable for an operator to be on the train at

TRAIN

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which can be located at any part of the system, although for adm inistrative convenience it is preferable to locate it in the headquarters offices of the operating authority. A relay room is associated with the control panel and located as close to it as practicable. Here pre-wired groups of relay sets provide the interlocking to ensure against unsafe cond itions arising on the line, and act as the link between the trackside equipment and the control panel.

all times, and this employee would also control the opening and closing of the doors. A.T.O. thus permits a reduction in staff costs by enabling one man on each train to carry out the duties performed on non-automatic trains by driver and guard. It offers consistent operation and optimum power economy beyond the capabilities of a human operator, and this results in lower power consumption and less wear and tear on vehicle, track and structure. Because the response time of the automatic equipment is short, closer headways can be tolerated and more trains run.

It is anticipated that developments in A.T.O . over the next few years will not only result in improved equipment and techniques, but may also result in some cost reduction due to more widespread use of standardised solid state components, continual decrease in physical space requirements for equipment housing and writing-off of development costs.

5.5.4 Recommendations It is recommended that a signal system of the type shown in Figure 5.10, including Automatic Train Operation, be considered for Manchester. The technology for such a system exists today, and automatic trains have been running in public service in London, Montreal (Expo Express) , New York and Hamburg.

To provide the communications network necessary to promote efficient operation and to enable passengers and staff at all levels to be instantly informed of situations affecting the running of the line, the provision of communica tion facilities such as those shown in Figure 5.11 is recommended .

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5. 6 POWER SUPPLY 5.6.1 Traction Power System Selection There are two methods of feeding power to electric railway trains : overhead conductor and contact rail. There are also two kinds of energy that can be fed to the trains: alternating current and direct current, usually designated a.c. and d.c.

It is possible to have either kind of energy fed by either method .

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In t he course of the study, all contempor ary systems of traction power supply for multiple - unit electric trains were co nsidered and evaluated . Those systems which for various reasons were not suitable for application to a high -density rap id transit system in Mancheste r were eliminated , and the th ree systems which remained were analysed in more deta il before one was final ly selected.

These three systems are:

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(a) The 25 kv a.c. Overhead System

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This is the standard system for British Railways main line electrificat ion, and is used on parts of their suburban network in the Mancheste r area. Its principal advantage lies in its ability to take powe r directly from the national g rid and transm it it economica lly over long distances.

This advantage, however, has no great relevance to a rapid transit system covering a small area .

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The disadvanta ges of the 25 kv a.c. overhead system, on t he other hand, are considerab le in a rapid transit system . The necessity of provid ing clearance for the vehicle current collector, the overhead wi re and its su pporting structures increases constructi on costs materially for a line with considerable sections of un derground constructi on . In ground-lev el or elevated

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sections, th e contact wire support structures would detract from the appearance of the line.

It is necessary to immunise signals and commun ications plant and personn el from the effects of induced voltage from the traction system. The necessity of carrying train - borne transformer and rectifier equipmen t to convert the a.c. line voltage to lower voltage d.c. suitable for the traction motors is a serious disadvanta ge.

If at some future date it became expedient for rapid transit trains to travel over British Railways tracks electrified at 25 kv on the overhead system, the fact that the two electrificat ion systems were different would not prevent their sharing the same tracks.

It is concluded that the economic and technical disadvantages of the 25 kv a.c. overhead system preclude its employme nt for rapid transit services in Mancheste r.

(b) The 1500 volts d.c. Contact Rail System This system is theoretica lly attractive because the high voltage could mean fewer sub -stations or smaller conductor rail. From a practical point of view, however, these advantages are offset by the probability that the third rail would have to be displaced from the position convention al on 750 volts d.c. third rail systems. This could lead to difficulties in accommod ating the third rail in the structure and the collector-s hoe on the vehicle . There are also difficulties associated with the higher leakage currents. It should be noted that no modern rapid transit system operates at 1500 volts d.c. from a contact rail.

It is concluded that the practical disadvantages of the 1500 volts d.c. contact rail system outweigh its advantages for application in Mancheste r.

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(c) The 750 volts d.c. Contact Rail System This is by far the most common ly used traction power system in rapid transit rail networks througho ut the world, and it is currently being installed in a number of cities where new rapid transit lines are being constructed.

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There are a number of sound reasons for its popularit y, the principal being the fact that all the equipme nt associated with it has been develope d and tested over a considerable number of years, and has reached a high standard of reliability . Traction current may be collected on each vehicle of a train so that all axles can be motored without the need for electrical connecti ons carrying heavy currents between vehicles.

Transform er and rectifier equipme nt would be housed in wayside sub-stati ons without being subjected to the wear and tear associated with equipme nt carried on t he trains. This would reduce maintena nce costs, while t he associated reduction in vehicle weight would result in lower power costs . The large stationar y units operating in sub-stati ons under good condition s would be of higher efficienc y than train-bor ne units, while t he high frequenc y of trains on a rapid transit system would ensure that the sub -station equipme nt was used to best advantag e.

In the United Kingdom , current collection has normally been from the top of a single conducto r rail mounted outside the running rails . The use of a vertical shoe on t he vehicle makes it difficult to protect the rail from the weather and from accidenta l contact. Systems using side and bottom current collection from the third rail are in use, but the advantages these systems offer in enabling the conducto r rail to be protected from the weather are more than offset by the complex ity of the support and insulatio n methods which must be adopted for them .

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There are advantages in protectin g a top -contact third rail , and this can be achieved by fitting the vehicle with a horizonta lly -projectin g collector shoe as used in North America rather than the vertical shoe used in the United Kingdom. The former arrangem ent allows a board to be mounted above the rail , providing a con siderable degree of protectio n against the effects of severe weather or accidental contact.

5.6 .2 Recomm endation It is recomme nded that the 750 volts d.c., top -contact, protected third rail system with running rail return be adopted for rapid transit in Manchester, on the grounds that it would be technica lly and economi cally superior to all other possible systems.

5.6.3 Primary Power Distribu tion The diagram in Figure 5.12 illustrates a tentative primary power supply distributi on network for the recommended rapid transit route. Supplies would be obtained from the Central Electricit y Generating Board from two geograph ically separate points on their network, fed in duplicate 11 kv cables to the railway, and distribute d along the line to sub stations, stations and yards by means of private cables.

Sub -stations located at roughly 7,000 feet intervals along the line would house transformers, rectifiers, switchge ar and auxiliary equipme nt providing 750 volts d.c. supplies for traction power.

Duplicati on of key items of equipme nt and the ability to feed the whole network from either or both supply points would provide an electrical system with a high degree of reliability . In addition, emergen cy lighting and vital services would be supplied from a battery or standby generato r in the unlikely event of a complete loss of mains supply. Sub stations and electrical distributi on points would be unattended and a remote supervisory system would enable all

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power supply switching operations and load monitoring to be performed from a control and indication panel at the Control Centre. Electrical requirements for mechanical equipment and lighting at stations would be supplied by transformers fed from the 11 kv distribution cables.

5.7 STATIONS 5.7. 1 Design of Stations The main elements of station design-escalators, stairways, corridors, platforms and fare collection facilities-must combine to provide users with an unimpeded path through the station . The modal split of arriving passengers would be a major factor in design and would vary greatly from terminal stations to those in the central area . The archi tectural treatment of the stations would vary from the simplest form of brick or concrete building to elaborate spacious stations. In all cases, one of the most important considerations would be a pleasing appearance for both the passenger and the adjacent community. Schematic drawings of a cut-and-cover station and of an elevated station are shown in Figures 5.13 and 5.14.

5.7.2 Access and Circula,t ion Access and circulation would be of vital importance in all stations. Difficult and confusing access from street level to platform would discourage patrons from using the facility.

Surface entrances at street level should be located to intercept the main flows of pedestrians destined for the station. They should be adequate in number and wide enough to obviate the necessity of queuing at the entrances and exits. At locations adjacent to large office buildings or department stores, direct access could be arranged from the buildings to the station .

Rapid Transit control centre

Space would be required at all stations for cleaners' storage, electrical facilities and staff washrooms . It would also be

necessary to provide facilities for train crews and a despatcher at terminal stations.

The use of pedestrian overbridges for interchange from platform to platform combined with a control area suspended between the roof of the structure and the platform would be an economical use of space in a cut-and -cover station .

This form could also be used to advantage in tunnel con struction to reduce escalator costs; alternatively, a mezzanine could be introduced between platform and street but a complete study of each station should be made to determine the most practical and economical approach.

5.7.3 Feeder Bus and Parking Access and site circulation would be important at all stations and vital in suburban areas.

In most cases buses would be entering and leaving from major roadways . If the volume of bus traffic were to be heavy it would be necessary to provide road widenings and turning lanes for the buses to remove them from the main stream of traffic . At terminal points where there may be several platforms provided for buses, access from the platforms to a passageway connected directly to the main terminal control area should be provided .

Parking facilities should be provided at all stations except those in the central area. The actual number of spaces required would be determined from the latest traffic figures available at the time of design.

Long term parking areas should accommodate both automobile circulation and pedestrian circulation and should be designed in such a way as to minimise conflict, reduce delays and provide adequate safety for cars and pedestrians.

This would best be accomplished by the use of as many entrances as feasible leading directly to the circulation roadways within the parking area. Where a great demand for parking is anticipated in areas of high land value,

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At many of the stations, consideration should be given to providing an area very close to the station entrance for short term waiting completely separate from the parking area and supplied with a separate entrance and exit. The number of spaces allowed would depend on the volume of passengers using each individual station .

Space for taxis should be provided at all stations. At locations such as Oxford Road station and Victoria station where the re is an interchange between the rapid transit and British Railways, provision should be made for a larger number of taxis as well as short term parking.

be either avoided altogether or used in areas out of reach of the public .

5.7.5 Fare Collection The method of fare collection would depend to a great extent upon the fare structure established for the system.

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(b) Zone fare

5.7. 4 Architectural The station should be as large as is economically practical to give a feeling of spaciousness. This may be accentuated by variations in the height and width of stations, an adequate leve l of 'illumination, and the use of skylights and glazed areas. These would assist the passengers in the recognition of t he internal organization of the facility and in surface and elevated stations would allow a view and awareness of the stati on as part of the community and landscape. The selection of materials to provide safety, durability, ease of maintenance and aesthetic qualities should be consistent throughout the system and provide a desirable continuity.

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To maintain high illumination levels, colours of a light tone shou ld be used. All materials should be hard, dense, non porous, and acid and alkali resistant. Sound-absorbi ng materials should be used wherever practical. Textured materials, if they are consistent with durability and main tena nce, could be used to enhance appearance and reduce noise levels in passages and control areas. Many materials are subject to damage due to vandalism and therefore should

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-system divided into zones from a central point and fare based on the number of zones travelled. An additional fare is charged each time a new zone is entered.

Mileage fare -the charge is based on the actual distance travelled.

While the single fare is the simplest and least costly fare to collect, the riders travelling short distances are penalized in comparison with those travelling greater distances; the zone fare penalizes those making short journeys which cross a zone line.

The mileage fare offers charges that are consistent with the transport provided. It requires that tickets be issued at the point of entry and collected at the point of exit, so that the charges should recover the costs of collecting the fares as well as providing transport.

Equipment for the automatic sale and collection of fares is being intensively developed for use in many existing and proposed rapid transit systems. These davelopments should be examined, at a point in time closer to operation of rapid transit in Manchester, to determine if they can be used to advantage.

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5.8. 2 Adm inis trat ive Org ani zat ion for the Rap id Tra nsit Ser vice By way of illus trati on Figure 5.15 is a sim plifi ed orga niza tion ch art sho win g how the adm inis trative orga niza tion of the rapid tran sit service cou ld fit into the overall orga niza tion of a Passenger Tran spo rt Aut hori ty . This wou ld ensure that th e plan ning and ope ratio n of rapi d tran sit wou ld be carried out in acco rdan ce with the tran spo rtati on poli cy established fo r the area . Alte rnat ivel y, the rapi d tran sit service cou ld be integ rated with the adm inis trati on of the City Tran spo rt in a si milar way .

The rapid tran sit service wou ld be managed by an organiza tion responsible to the Aut hori ty for the day -to -day ope ratio n of t he rapid tran sit system .

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Th ese agencies wou ld be respons ible to the local com mun ity for imp lem enti ng the tran spo rtati on poli cies in terms of the req uirements for pub lic transport.

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success of his particular unit , in terms of mee ting bot h service standards and ope ratin g effic ienc y. Each ope ratio nal unit mus t, of course, operate in acco rdan ce with the overall poli cy and directives of the Aut hori ty and its Executives. It is part icula rly Imp orta nt that the serv ices operated by indi vidu al unit s be fully co -ord inat ed with each othe r.

5.8. 3 Fac tors Infl uen cing Cho ice of Ope rati ng Age ncy The rapid tran sit system cou ld be operated by employees of the Auth ority , or it cou ld be ope rated, eith er in who le or part, by British Rail way s or an inde pen den t con trac tor .

For the purpose of this stud y, a firm dec ision on who will run the rapid tran sit service is not essential. How eve r, the orga niza tion ope ratin g the system will have some bearing on loca tion or design standa rds if any opti on remains after sati sfyin g the ove r-rid ing con side ratio ns of dem and and ope ratio nal prac tica bilit y. In view of this pos sibi lity, the relative advantages and disadva ntages of ope ratio n by the Aut hori ty, British Rail way s, or a con trac tor have been examined in general terms to dete rmin e if one sho ws any marked adv anta ge ove r the othe rs.

As a result of this exa min atio n it has been con clud ed that ope ratio n of the system by an inde pen den t con trac tor is hard ly feasible . There are no such con trac tors ope ratin g in this cou ntry , so that the prin cipa l advantages of such an arra nge men t, a basis of previous experience and a poo l of train ed staf f, wou ld not be available .

The only fact ors whi ch cou ld stro ngly favo ur the service bein g operated by British Rail way s on beh alf of the Aut hori ty are cos t or ope ratio nal prac tica bilit y sho uld extensive join t use of tracks prove desirable.

Cost can not be evaluated at present and the join t use of trac ks appears to be unli kely .

In the case of the othe r factors con sidered , the advantages in favo ur of British Rail way s runn ing the service are not considered to be suff icie ntly imp orta nt to offs et the main advantage of hav ing the service run dire ctly by the Aut hori ty - nam ely dire ct con trol over how the service is administered , manned and run to meet local requ irements . In several areas whe re ther e cou ld be an advanta ge in usin g British Rail way s faci litie s or personnel it mig ht be possible to con trac t with the railw ay fo r these services with out losin g dire ct con trol ove r ope ratio n of the service.

Perhaps the stro nge st argu men t in favo ur of the ope ratio n of the rapid tran sit system by the Aut hori ty wou ld be in the abil ity to transfer the ope ratin g staf f to rail services, thus all evia ting th e redu nda ncy whi ch mig ht result from the repl ace men t of bus services by rapid transit.

5.8. 4 Con clus ions It is reco mm end ed that the Aut hori ty operate the rapid tran sit service with its own emp loyees as far as pos sible .

Some spe cialized services, part icula rly those associated with mai nten anc e, mi ght be bett er carri ed out und er con trac t but each case sho uld be sepa rately investig ated and the con trac t cos t compared with the cost of carryin g out th e wo rk with Auth ori ty staf f .

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CAPITA L AND OPERATING COSTS

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Section six Capital and Operating Costs

6.1 CAPITAL COST Capital costs have been estimated for the recommended route from Northenden to Higher Blackley, including the branch to East Didsbury and the service connection to the yards and workshops proposed at Heaton Mersey. The cost of rolling stock has been included.

The costs were generally based on unit costs prepared in 1967 for the Study of Rapid Transit Systems and Concepts forming Stage I of the Manchester Rapid Transit Study.

These were up-dated to allow for the increases in costs that have taken place since then . Adjustments have also been made to all items, where considered necessary, to reflect the more detailed information available in this Stage of the study, particularly with regard to tunnelling conditions in the Central Area.

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Station to Higher Blackley. The total capital cost would be divided between the sections as shown in Table 6.2. A programme of annual capital expenditure can be found in Section 8 of this Report.

TABLE 6.2 CAPITAL COST OF STAGED CONSTRUCTION )

ITEM

SECTION 1 (Northenden and East Didsbury to Victoria)

SECTION 2 (Victoria to Higher Blackley)

Fixed facilities and property

£32,900,000

£12,200,000

Rolling Stock

3,900,000

1,100,000

£36,800,000

£13,300,000

Total Capital Cost

The total estimated capital cost for the recommended route has been summarised in Table 6.1.

6.3 ANNUAL DEBT CHARGES

TABLE 6.1 SUMMARY OF CAPITAL COSTS

ITEM

I

Track and Structure

ESTIMATED TOTAL PROJECT COSTS

BY ITEMS £16,000,000

Services

800,000

Stations

7,600,000

I

YEARS

Annual Factor at 6%

Annual Factor at 8%

Buildings, structures and permanent way

60

0·062

0·081

Signals and power supply equipment

30

0·072

0·089

25

0·078 0 ·060

0·093 0·080

1,600,000 ITEM

800,000

Comm unications Yards and Workshops

TABLE 6.3 ANNUITY FACTORS

900,000

Power Supply Sig nals

The annual debt charges based on the total estimated capital costs have been calculated on an annuity basis at six per cent and eight per cent interest rates. Life expectancy for the items being considered is given in Table 6.3 together with the appropriate annual factors.

3,000,000 £30,700,000 3,700,000

Eng ineering (12%) Ro lling Stock

4,400,000

Property

4,800,000 9,200,000

Conting encies (15%)

Rolling stock Property

6,500,000 £50, 1 00,000

These factors, applied to the estimated capital costs, give: Annual debt charges at 6 per cent : £3,220,000

6.2 STAGED CONSTRUCTION I

If necessary the work could be staged in two sections, namely a minimum first section from Northenden to Victoria Station, including the East Didsbury Branch and the yard site at Heaton Mersey, and a section from Victoria

Annual debt charges at 8 per cent: £4, 150,000 While present interest rates are close to eight per cent this is believed to be an unusual situation. For this reason, the debt charges based on a six per cent rate have been used for estimating total annual costs.

101

6.4 ANNUAL OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE COSTS Annual operating and maintenance costs have been esti mated under five main divisions and are shown in Table 6.4.

TABLE 6.4 ANNUAL OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE COSTS Northenden and East Didsbury to Higher Blackley

Maintenance of Way and Structures Maintenance of Equipment Power Conducting Transportation Other Operating Expenses

£260,000 280,000 360,000 350,000 190,000 £1,440,000

6.5 COMBINED ANNUAL AND CAPITAL COSTS Total annual costs including th e annual maintenance and operating expenses plus annu al debt charges are: Annual debt charges at 6% Annual maintenance and operating expenses Total Annual Cost

£3,220,000 1,440,000 £4,660,000

It should be noted that liability for local rates has not been included in the total annual cost. The rateable value of the system is indeterminate as yet.

REVENUE AND OTHER BENEFITS

102

Section seven Revenue and other Benefits

7.1 REVENUE The capital and operating costs of the rapid transit service would be offset by fares and other benefits to the community.

Estimates of revenue are, of course, dependent on two factors, the number of passengers handled and the fare charged for the service provided . In developing revenue estimates for the recommended first part of the conurbation rapid transit network, the demand estimates were used to produce a fo recast of the annual passenger miles for the service. As noted in Section 3, the demand estimates could possibly vary by up to 20 per cent of the number forecast. It was ass umed that fares would be based on the distance travelled (t he usual practice in the United Kingdom) and in calculating the estimated revenue for the system an average fare of 3d. pe r mile was used. This compares with the present Manchester City Transport fares which range from 1 ·8d to 6d per mile depending upon distance travelled, the average being approximately 3d per mile. The average fare on London Transport Underground services is 3·1 d per mile.

Annual costs and revenues were compared to show financial results for the following possible conditions:

Costs per passenger mile and thus fares required to produce a 'break even ' situation were also developed for each of the four conditions.

The results of the comparisons are shown in Table 7.1 . The figures shown are for rapid transit service only and make no provision for the costs and revenues of associated feeder bus and connecting rail services.

It is evident that, within the context of public transport operations, the project would be financially viable if a 75 per cent grant could be applied to capital costs to reduce annual debt cha rges, even if the traffic forecast were reduced by 20 per cent.

7.2 BENEFITS The benefits which the community would derive from the construction of a rapid transit line extend far beyond the considerable savings in time which would accrue to passengers using the line. Other benefits would include: (a)

Reduction in road traffic by the removal of public transport vehicles from the roads parallel to the rapid transit line ;

(a) Annual maintenance and operating expenses plus debt charges on full capital cost, traffic figures as forecast;

(b)

Reduction in road traffic by the attraction of car drivers to public transport ;

(b) Similar to (a) but assuming a 20% reduction in forecast traffic figures;

(c)

Increase in property values due to improved accessibility of the Central Area and the regions served by rapid transit ;

(d)

Increase in economic activity and productivity resulting from the improved mobility of the population.

(c) Annual maintenance and operating expenses plus debt charges assuming a 75% capital grant, traffic figures as forecast; (d) Similar to (c) but assuming a 20% reduction in forecast traffic figures.

These benefits are difficult to assess in relation to the costs of the project but would be of definite social and economic value to the community.

TABLE 7 .1 COMPARISON OF FINANCIAL RESULTS Forecast Annual Passenger miles 323,000,000 Capital Cost £50,100,000 CONDITION No Capital Grant with ITEM

100% Ann ua l debt ch arges

75% Capital Grant with

Forecast Traffi c at

Foreca st Traffic at

80%

100%

80%

£3.220.000

£3,220,000

Annual maintenance and operating ex pense

1.440,000

1.440,000

Total annu al cost

4,660,000

4,660,000

2,250,000

2,250,000

An nu al revenue at 3d per passe ng er mile

4,030,000

3,220,000

4,030,000

3.220,000

Ann ual surplus ( + ) or defi cit ( - ) at 3d per passe nger mile Fare per mile to produ ce 'break even' op eration

- 630,000

- 1.440,000

+ 1.780,000

+ 970,000

3 ·5d.

4 ·3d .

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810,000 1.440,000

1 ·7d.

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810,000 1.440,000

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PROGRAMME FOR FUTURE ACTION

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Stage Ill of the Manchester Rapid Transit Study is intended to prepare the necessary plans and documents to obtain statutory approvals for the construction of the first project.

The work involved can be divided conveniently into three phases.

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Th is would include the preparation of up-to-date maps, the assembly of all available data on the location of public utilities, the establishing of property requirements and similar work which would form an essential preliminary to the preparation of a Parliamentary Bill. Most of this work shou ld be complete by April 1969 in order to avoid delaying the preparation of the Bill.

A report would also be prepared, containing estimates of demand, revenue, capital and operating costs, technical details of the system to be adopted and the proposed methods of operation, in order to obtain the necessary approva ls and the funds for the project. This report would have to be complete by the end of June 1969 for the guida nce of the proper authorities in making a decision on the submission of a Private Bill to Parliament in November 1969.

8.2 .2 Preparation of Parliamentary Bill

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It would be necessary to authorize submission of the Bill to Parli;;iment no later than July, 1969 .

8.2.3 Functional Planning, Part 2 This would complete the functional planning for future possible extensions to the line which are not included in the first part for construction. The purpose would be to provide the local authorities with details of the right-of-way requirements for the entire route to ensure that steps might be taken to preserve this right -of-way for the future extension of service, and to avoid conflict between it and the planning of other services along or crossing the proposed rapid transit line. This work would not be critical and would not begin before August 1969. Results would be presented by the end of 1969.

8.2.1 Functional Planning, Part 1

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The plans, book of reference and Bill would then be checked and printed. Allowing for this to be done during October and the first part of November means that the work described above would have to be complete by September 1969 and would therefore have to start no later than April.

This would include drafting of the Bill, compilation of the book of reference, plans and sections, cost estimates and drafting of other statutory notiqis to meet the requirements of the 'Standing Orders of the House of Commons relating to Private Business, 1966'. One of the main tasks here would be to carry out the property search and prepare a book of reference listing the owners of affected properties, a process which could take up to six months. This work, together with the statutory specifications and advertisements, would be undertaken by the Corporation, who would also arrange for the draft of the Bill to be prepared by Parliamentary Agents.

8.3 DESIGN, AND PREPARATION OF CONTRACT DOCUMENTS In July 1969, approval of the immediate commencement of engineering design and the preparation of contract docu ments would be required . This approval would be necessary if tenders are to be called for the construction of the line immediately Parliamentary assent is obtained in June or July, 1970. Any delay in starting the preparation of contract documents would result in a late start on construction, and a delay in the completion of the project.

Design would be complete and contract documents issued by the end of 1971 although the supervision of construction would continue until the line is fully operational. The design and preparation of contract plans and documents for the project would have to be undertaken by a team of competent consultants, with local authority personnel contributing to the maximum degree possible. This group would be under the overall direction of the rapid transit authority, or a general consultant for the project, to ensure uniformity of design standards and co-ordination of effort. The work would include predesign and setting up of standards for equipment and materials based on the design criteria prepared as part of Stage 11 of the Study. A detailed soils investigation would also be required .

8.4 CONSTRUCTION Construction of the recommended project (Northenden and East Didsbury to Higher Blackley) would be undertaken by dividing the work up into a number of sections.

109

The entire lin e cou ld be bu il t and placed in operation by 1973. For operationa l reasons it is suggested that commencement of operations shou ld be phased in two stages, with operation beg innin g between Northenden and Victoria to be followed short ly thereafter by extens ion of service to Higher Blackley and East Didsbury. This would be of benefit in tra inin g staff and in overcoming the in evitable problems wh ich occur when a new rapid transit serv ice is placed in operation.

If essential for financial reasons, the project cou ld be staged to comp lete only the min imum length of route for a viable operation and serv ice by the end of 1973. A first stage to meet minimum operating and service requirements would be a lin e betwee n Northenden and Vi ctor ia, a distance of 6.2 miles, with a branch connectio n to the yard at Heaton Mersey, and a stat ion at East Didsbury. The cap ital cost for this minimum first stage wou ld be in order of £37 ,000,000 as compared to £50,000,000 for the full project as recommended. Construction of the lin e between Vi ctoria and Hi gher Blackley, if commenced immediately thereafter, would res ult in a total time of seven years to complete the project.

This first stage would meet the requirements for improved distribution in the congested Central Area and greatly improve public transport services in the major corridor of travel demand in the conurbat ion between the Central Area and Wyth enshawe. It would not attract passengers from the Langley corridor, however, and thus would not take full advantage of the capita l investment in the underground section of route in the Central Area .

Tab le 8.1 li sts the annua l construction and engineering expenditures required for 3t-year, 5-year and 7-year construct ion programmes .

These preliminary estim ates in clude design , property pur chase and easements, construct ion , rollin g sto ck, sig nallin g and electr ical equipment. No allowanc e ha s been mad e for the effect of inflation.

TABLE 8 .1 CAPITAL EXPENDITUR E PROGRAMM E 3~

Year 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977

YEARS

5 YEARS

£ mi ll ion s

£ mil lions

0· 3 6·7 15 15 13

50

0·2 5·8 11 14 13 7 2

50

7 YEARS

£ mil li o ns 0·2 5·8 11 11 9 3 4 4 2

AC KNOWLED GEMENTS

The ass istance given by the following is gratefu lly ack nowledged :

50

The Corporation of M anchester

8.5 METRICAT ION The British Standards Inst ituti on has publi shed (P.O. 6030, Feb. 1967) a programme which envisages th e change to th e metric system in the construction industry be in g effective ly complete by the end of 1972, and which reco m mends that all new co ntra cts started in or after 1969 shou ld be drawn up in metric units. The Stand in g Ord ers of th e House of Commons, on the other hand, require plans an d documents submitted as part of the Private Bill to be expressed in Imperial measure.

It is th erefore recommende d that work forming part of Stage 111 of the study be carried out in Im per ial units, but that the engineer ing design, preparation of contract docu ments and all work thereafter be carried out in metri c units, in accordance w ith British Standards.

The Mini stry of Transport British Railways Lond on Transport Cheshire County Council Lancashire County Council Sto ckport Corporation Che adle and Gatley U.D.C. North Western Electricity Board Cen tral Electricity Generating Board North Western Gas Board Gene ral Post Office Disti ngton Engineering Co . Ltd .

Jas. S. Robbins and Associates Ceme ntation Company Ltd. Marp les Ridgway Ltd. Balfo ur Beatty & Co. Ltd .

Assoc iated Electrical Industries Group M etropo litan Cammell Ltd .

Haw ke r Siddeley Group Westi ng hou se Brake and Signal Co . Ltd. Standard Telep hon es and Cables Ltd .

Other orga ni zations and individual s who ge nerous ly provided information and ass istance .

11 0 111