Investment will give us something to believe in (From Warrington Guardian)

Investment will give us something to believe in

THE possibility of trams coming to Northwich has been overshadowed by the suggestion that congestion charges could be introduced in Manchester.

Although councillors have welcomed the idea of 'Tram-Trains' linking Northwich to Manchester, businesses say the introduction of a congestion charge would cancel out its benefits.

John Kitchen, Vale Royal Borough Council's rail partnership officer, said he was pressing ahead with his attempts to get a feasibility study into a Metrolink expansion commissioned.

The proposed system would involve trams running along existing train lines from stations including Lostock and Northwich to Manchester.

He said the process had been slowed down because the GMPTE had been preoccupied with the next phase of the Metrolink expansion.

He said: "We are still in negotiations to get the feasibility study off the ground. We have not concluded these negotiations because we have got other business ongoing on both sides."

John said the partnership had been busy with the regeneration of Northwich station, which was being turned into a community learning centre.

He said: "We're at the beginning of a very long road with this."

He said the regeneration of Lostock station would go ahead irrespective of what happened with the tram project.

John added: "The partnership wants to make the stations the best they can be. The regeneration of Lostock doesn't depend on the Tram-Train proposal."

Cheshire county councillor George Mainwaring said: "We really do need links like this. We need to get traffic off the roads and investment in rail is really needed.

"It would be great to have because we need to give people something to believe in."

The good news was tempered by the suspicion that congestion charges could be introduced in Manchester in return for extra Metrolink money.

Knutsford-based Forum of Private Business said Cheshire businesses would be among those that would suffer if congestion charges were introduced in Manchester.

FPB chief executive Nick Goulding said: "Moreover, commuters to Manchester would be stung by yet another swingeing new tax."

rbabington@gaurdiangrp.co.uk