| Ordsall Chord | |
|---|---|
 Schematic map showing the Ordsall Chord (also known as the Castlefield Curve) marked in red | |
| Overview | |
| Status | Complete |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Locale | Greater Manchester, England |
| Service | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| System | National Rail |
| History | |
| Opened | 10 December 2017 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
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Ordsall Chord, also known as the Castlefield Curve, is a short railway line in Ordsall, Salford, England, which links Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road to Manchester Victoria, designed to increase capacity and reduce journey times into and through Manchester. It allows trains to run from Leeds, Newcastle and Redcar Central direct to Manchester Airport.
A chord was proposed in the late-1970s and parliamentary powers for its construction were received in 1979, but the project was cancelled. Network Rail revived the proposal in 2010 as part of its Northern Hub proposal. Funding for its construction totalling £85 million was announced in the 2011 United Kingdom budget and construction commenced in 2016. It became operational on 10 December 2017.[1]
However its use since becoming operational has been limited as no additional capacity at Victoria, Oxford Road and Piccadilly has been built to cope with more through services.[2]
- ^ "Network Rail – Enhancements Delivery Plan" (PDF). Network Rail. September 2016. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- ^ Sharp, Chris (6 June 2018). "So why is Northern Rail in chaos? Here are 11 reasons". City Metric.