Oldham Loop Line

The Manchester to Rochdale via Oldham line or Oldham Loop Line is a local railway route in Greater Manchester, England, used by trains that run from Manchester Victoria station to Rochdale railway station and back to Manchester Victoria. Services on the line are operated by Northern Rail.

The line is a major public transport route between Manchester City Centre and Oldham, before continuing through Shaw and Crompton to reach Rochdale. The route will be converted to light rail use in 2009 for Manchester Metrolink services.

Description

The Oldham Loop is a branch of the Caldervale Line, diverging from that route at Thorpes Bridge Junction in Newton Heath, Manchester, and re-joining it, facing in the opposite direction at Rochdale East Junction, just north of Rochdale. Trains can, therefore run from Manchester to Rochdale and back without reversing by utilising the Oldham Loop, and this is what many services do during the day.

Trains are timetabled to connect with the Caldervale Line services to Leeds via Hebden Bridge and Bradford Interchange.

The line is 12.125 miles (19.513 km) long, and is double-track from Thorpes Bridge Junction to Shaw and Crompton railway station, and a single-line from Shaw and Crompton to Rochdale East Junction. There are two tunnels on the route between Oldham Werneth and Oldham Mumps railway stations. The stretch of line near Werneth, with its gradient of 1 in 27, contributes to the Oldham Loop being the steepest regular passenger line in the country.

There are nine intermediate stations on the route. All stations on the route and all scheduled train services are operated by Northern Rail. During the week, trains run every 15 minutes on the route, with express trains leaving Manchester at 00 and 30 minutes past the hour calling at Oldham Mumps, Shaw and Crompton and all stations to Rochdale, and stopping trains calling at all stations between Manchester and Shaw and Crompton, leaving at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour. Trains during the evenings and on Sundays are much less frequent, with an hourly service calling at all stations on the route.

The most common types of trains are Class 142 and Class 150 with occasional Class 153 and Class 156.

Freight trains also use the extreme southern end of the line, with a waste management facility handling approximately one train per day.

Metrolink conversion

There are currently plans to convert the line from Manchester Victoria to Rochdale via Oldham to light rail as part of Phase 3 of the Manchester Metrolink network. Work is expected to start on the conversion in early 2009, with heavy real services ceasing later that year. Replacement bus services will operate until the line is fully re-opened with Metrolink services in 2012.

Places served

The places served by the route are as follows:

• Manchester Victoria
• Dean Lane: for Newton Heath
• Failsworth
• Hollinwood
• Oldham Werneth: for Werneth and Chadderton
• Oldham Mumps: for Oldham Town Centre, Saddleworth and Holts Village
• Derker
• Shaw and Crompton
• Newhey
• Milnrow
• Rochdale
• Castleton
• Mills Hill
• Moston