Declares that the people of Gamesley were promised a railway station in 1968 to help residents commute on the Manchester to Glossop line; notes that a railway station would improve local transport connections by easing parking pressures at Dinting, shortening commuting times to Manchester, and reducing traffic around Glossop and Tintwistle; and further declares that the cost of a railway station would be modest for the Government and transformative for the life chances of residents.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to prioritise the reallocation of funds to build a railway station in Gamesley, transforming the lives of Gamesley’s residents.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Robert Largan, Official Report, 19 October 2020; Vol. 682, c. 871 .]
[P002611]
Observations from The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Chris Heaton-Harris):
We announced the £500 million “Restoring Your Railway” fund in January 2020 to enable opportunities to reinstate railway services and add new stations, such as Gamesley, to the railway network. The “Restoring Your Railway” programme is about connecting people and communities. It includes an “Ideas Fund” for those schemes that are in an early stage of development and need to explore the options for solving a transport problem, as well as the “New Stations Fund” for station schemes that are further developed.
The Department is aware of the proposed station at Gamesley which is one of several proposals being looked at by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). Officials have been working with TfGM to discuss how the business cases for these stations can be developed ready for future funding opportunities.
I would encourage the residents of High Peak to work with TfGM and their Member of Parliament, my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak (Robert Largan), to develop the proposal further for the next round of the “Ideas Fund”. The next round will be announced later this year.