Cheshire Independent Issue 193

NOVEMBER 2024 4 THE man tasked with preparing Northern for autumn says the train operator is ready to tackle the “big problem” of fallen leaves on the line. In his 10th autumn with the company, seasonal per- formance improvement man- ager Rob Cummings has worked hard to minimise disruption for customers and ensure they can reach their destinations safely. He said: “Leaves on the line is a serious safety and performance issue for the railway. You have a steel wheel on a steel rail and any- thing that causes low adhe- sion can be a big problem.” Known as the black ice of the railways, the leaves are compressed in wet weather and they form a thin, slip- pery layer on the rail which can cause trains to slide. Drivers must pull away more slowly and brake ear- lier for stations and signals to make sure they stop in time. This can lead to longer journey times and delays. Northern, which operates services across Cheshire and Greater Manchester, has spent nine months pre- paring for the autumn and completed the roll-out of CHESHIRE Police has revealed plans to sell-off three former stations in a move that will save the force more than £100,000 a year in costs. The force has launched a consultation in relation to the proposed sales and says that all the money saved as a result will be reinvested into front-line policing. In a statement Cheshire Police said: “The proposals come as part of the force’s current estates strategy, which aims to ensure that Cheshire has fit-for-purpose facilities which are required to deliver effective opera- tional policing.” The three buildings the force is proposing to sell are on Queen Street, Middlewich, Collingham Way in Wins- ford and Dane Bank Road in Lymm. A force spokesperson said: “The buildings have no pub- lic helpdesks and are not used as working stations, meaning that the proposals will not have any impact on local policing. “Officers will continue to host their community meet- ings at the local bases in the three towns.” It is estimated that that the proposals will save approximately £109,000 a year in maintenance and utilities costs. The spokesperson said: “I would like to reassure residents that these propos- als will have no impact on day-to-day policing in our local communities. “Over the past 30 years, the way that we police has changed greatly, and the buildings we are look- ing to sell are no longer fit for purpose. “None of the buildings are currently used as working stations, meaning that their sale will have no impact on response times for officers attending incidents. “The buildings do not have public helpdesks, and while Winsford and Middlewich do have contact points out- side the premises, these are used very rarely, with most residents now preferring to report incidents online or via telephone. “We believe that the sale of the three buildings will save over £100,000 per year, which I am sure the majority of resi- dents will agree will be better spent on front-line policing.” MANCHESTER Airport has reached a major milestone by recording 30 million passengers in a year – putting it along- side some of the biggest airports in the world. It puts Manchester in the so-called “30 Million Club” – alongside major international airports like La Guardia, in New York, Melbourne Airport, in Aus- tralia, Hamad International Airport, in Doha, and Sabia Gokcen International Air- port, in Istanbul. Manchester boasts the most extensive route net- work of any UK airport outside London, with more than 200 destinations served – including several added in the last year such as Shanghai, Las Vegas and Casablanca. These new routes have proved popular, helping the airport reach the passen- ger milestone. More than 30.1 million people flew into or out of Manchester between the end of September 2023 and the end of September this year. The airport set records in each individual month Managing director Chris Woodroofe said: “We’re proud to connect the North to the world – whether that’s for holidays, to see family and friends or for business. “Breaking through the FLYING HIGH! Airport joins 30 million club Milestone: Airport numbers are on the rise 30m passenger barrier tells us we are giving people across the region great access to the places they want to travel to. “It cements our position as the UK’s global gateway in the North – the biggest airport outside London – and means we are rubbing shoulders with some of the best-known airports across Europe and the world.” He added: “Hitting this milestone comes at a really exciting time, with our trans- formation programme set to be fully complete next year. “It means we’ll be welcom- ing passengers to an airport that rivals any in major capi- tals around Europe in its all- around look and feel, service, facilities and the destinations it serves. “I’m proud of everything we’ve achieved in the last 12 months. We’ve had our busiest year yet but at the same time over 98 per cent of our passengers waited less than 15 minutes to get to security.” Police look to sell former stations LEAF IT TO ROB Prepared: Rob Cummings additional equipment on its fleet of trains in the summer. Northern works closely with Network Rail, which runs railhead treatment trains along the lines six days a week to blast leaf mulch off the tracks and apply a gel – containing a mix of sand and steel grains – to help services run smoothly. The train operator has also fitted its trains with the latest technology to minimise disruption. Rob said: “Winter and summer are a bit unpre- dictable in the UK but you know that for two months of the year – in October and November – autumn will bring fallen leaves. “There have been some improvements over the years and we’ve got better at deal- ing with fallen leaves, espe- cially since we introduced our new fleet of trains with modern technology that helps reduce the impact of low adhesion. “But I’ve not been in this position before where we have new equipment and technology that can be used across the network.” Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.