Housing developments around Greater Manchester are nothing new, but this week has seen two huge developments in Salford come to light.
24.09.2023 - 15:37 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
At the age of 13, Jim Bamford embarked on an adventure he will never forget. Unaccompanied by adults, joined just by a friend three years his senior, he travelled across the North of England to see its great railways in all their glory.
Reflecting on the extraordinary trip he took when he was barely a teenager some 56 years ago, Jim shares his most cherished memory of the week-long tour. The pair hitched an overnight ride on a steam train from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester Victoria, joining the crew from Newton Heath in the cabin.
"It was an absolutely magical train ride with the sun rising," he recalls.
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At the time, Manchester had five stations in the city centre with 49 platforms. Soon after, two stations closed and now, the number of platforms has halved.
Most were victims of the Beeching cuts – a major series of route closures across the country aimed at addressing a decline in the railways, partly driven by a rise in car ownership. But, a few decades later, rail usage picked up again.
In fact, before the pandemic the number of train passengers in the UK almost tripled over a 37-year-period. Despite a dramatic drop in passenger numbers due to Covid, getting more people on public transport remains firmly on the political agenda, not least as the need to confront climate change intensifies.
But as investment in and around the capital has continued, improvements to the railways of the North have been stunted. The network reached breaking point in 2018 when timetable chaos led to endless delays and cancellations.
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Housing developments around Greater Manchester are nothing new, but this week has seen two huge developments in Salford come to light.
A Greater Manchester takeaway has been named 'best in the north' at the Food Awards England 2023. The awards celebrate the best of the country’s food industry, shining a spotlight on the best restaurants, takeaways, pubs, cafes, and producers.
The British royal family is arguably the most recognizable royal family in the world. They live in palaces, wear royal jewels and lead a lavish lifestyle. But how much money does one make as a royal?
More than 200 people in Greater Manchester may have died due to air pollution since the Clean Air Zone was supposed to start, campaigners have claimed. The controversial scheme which was set to come into force last year before it was delayed could have also prevented 496 days spent in hospital due to respiratory conditions if it cut pollution as intended, they argue.
Iconic reality show Big Brother is back on TV after a five-year hiatus.
A young woman has spoken of her trauma after being raped numerous times by her depraved stepfather from the age of just eight.
Lee Rigby's widow has spoken of her immense pride after their son won a Pride of Britain award in recognition of his inspirational fundraising.
Lauren Mayberry has spoken to NME about her decision to go solo, the “freedom” to write from a purely female perspective away from Chvrches, and what to expect from her debut album.First announcing details of her “fun, freaky, sad, weird, joyful” solo material back in July before revealing launch single ‘Are You Awake?‘, Mayberry has been roadtesting her new songs on tour in the US, before kicking off the UK and European leg in her native Glasgow last night.Speaking about her current mood having got the project off the ground, Mayberry said described it as “the usual new music anxiety multiplied by, ‘What if nobody wants this or if everyone thinks you’re a fucking idiot for wanting to do it’ anxiety”.“There’s always nervousness,” she told NME. “For any frontperson in a band, but especially a woman, as soon as you say the words ‘solo material’ people get very upset with you.
Good Morning Britain's Richard Arnold treated viewers to their first look inside the brand new Big Brother house during Friday's broadcast.The presenter gave fans a sneaky glimpse inside the swanky house, which holds sustainability at the forefront, ahead of the reality show's highly anticipated return to TV this Sunday. Richard teased viewers with a quick tour of the luxurious garden which features an outdoor water tank which collects rainwater that will fill the famous hot tub as well as a cosy outdoor fireplace area.The first look inside the Big Brother house comes as a brand new batch of housemates prepare to move in this weekend.
Nearly a QUARTER of the £36bn Rishi Sunak is saving by scrapping the Manchester leg of HS2 is to be spent on fixing potholes, it has emerged.
K.J. Yossman Kristy Matheson had big shoes to fill when she took over from Tricia Tuttle as director of the BFI London Film Festival (LFF) earlier this year. Over the course of a decade, Tuttle transformed LFF into a highlight of the fall festival calendar, drawing some of the biggest names in entertainment to the English capital each October including, memorably, Ted Sarandos and Beyoncé, who flew in to celebrate the world premiere of “The Harder They Fall” in 2021.
A ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach has received three prestigious awards with one naming it the ‘best’ of its type in the world.
Jeremy Hunt has admitted he flew in to Manchester from London ahead of the Conservative Party conference rather than taking the train.
Rishi Sunak has sparked fury after repeatedly refusing to answer whether HS2 will come to Manchester.
It's over four years since Andy Burnham announced Bolton, Stockport and Wigan were next in line to be connected to the Metrolink network.
The victims of a rogue builder who carried out shoddy work after pocketing more than £30,000 said employing him was "one of the biggest mistakes in my life".
Fans have jumped to Molly-Mae Hague's defence after she enjoyed a 'quick trip' to Paris. Earlier this week the influencer revealed she'd ditched the UK for the seventh time this year and headed to the French capital amid the annual Paris Fashion Week.
Sharon Osbourne's appearance on This Morning got viewers talking as they said they 'hope she's OK'. The 70-year-old was on the ITV daytime show on Friday (September 29), joining hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary live in the studio. It was somewhat of a reunion for the latter as he is well known for having hosted The X Factor where Sharon was once a judge.
Rachel Roper opened the front door - and her world fell apart. Minutes later, she found herself telling her kids their dad was 'never coming back'.
Just six months ago, the government vowed HS2 - conceived in 2009 - would roll into Manchester, saying it would 'form the foundations for improved rail services in the north through the Northern Powerhouse'. Now those foundations appear to be shaking, if not crumbling.