Oldham and Rochdale Line

The Oldham Loop Line in 2009, shortly before closure and conversion to Metrolink; a Class 142 approaches Shaw and Crompton.

The route was originally a railway, the Oldham Loop Line, which was built in stages: The first railway to reach Oldham was a branch line which opened in March 1842, constructed by the Manchester and Leeds Railway (M&LR). This line ran from Middleton Junction, from the Manchester to Leeds line which had opened the previous year, to Oldham Werneth railway station: Oldham Werneth was located inconveniently from the town centre in the lower part of Oldham, so in 1847, the line was extended one mile to Oldham Mumps railway station. By this time the Manchester and Leeds Railway had become part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR).[2]

In August 1863, a six-mile (10 km) extension was opened from Oldham Mumps to Rochdale, also connecting to the Manchester-Leeds line, effectively creating a loop from Middleton to Rochdale.[2]

The line between Middleton Junction and Oldham was steeply inclined and therefore difficult to work; until 1854 the line had been cable-worked. In 1873, the LYR obtained an act to build a more direct, and less steeply inclined line between Oldham and Manchester, running via Failsworth, and joining the Manchester-Leeds line at Thorpes Bridge Junction. This line was opened in May 1880, therefore completing what became known as the Oldham Loop Line. The original line from Middleton Junction to Oldham closed in 1964.[2]

Unlike the Bury and Altrincham lines, the Oldham line was never electrified, and was operated by steam and then, from 1958, by diesels.[2]

The Oldham Loop Line was identified by transport planners in the 1980s, as one of the local railway lines in the Greater Manchester area, which was used mostly for local traffic, and could therefore be split off from the main line network and converted to light-rail operation.[3] The network was however to be built in stages, and the Oldham line was not included in the first phase of the Metrolink in the early 1990s due to cost reasons, the Bury Line and Altrincham Line being chosen for conversion instead.[4]

The line was however included in the third phase of the system's development, which also included new lines to Ashton-under-Lyne, East Didsbury and Manchester Airport.[4]

Several new features were to be included as part of the conversion:

• In order to better serve Oldham town centre, a new street running line was to be constructed, with four new stops at Westwood, Oldham King Street, Oldham Central and Oldham Mumps. This would allow a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) section of the old railway through the former Oldham Mumps railway station to be abandoned.[5]
• In order to better serve Rochdale town centre, a short street-running line was to be constructed from Rochdale railway station to Rochdale Town Centre.[1]
• In addition to these, several entirely new stops were to be added on the former railway sections at South Chadderton, Freehold, Kingsway Business Park and Newbold.

Railway operations ended on 3 October 2009, and the Oldham Loop Line was closed for conversion. The line was completely rebuilt, with all of the former infrastructure, including the former stations and station buildings demolished, and replaced, and overhead wiring added.[1]

A M5000 tram running through Union Street, on the Oldham town centre line opened in January 2014.

The line was re-opened in phases: Tram services started on 13 June 2012 between Manchester and Oldham Mumps: As a temporary measure, until the town centre line was completed, the former railway line through Oldham Mumps was retained, and a temporary tram stop constructed in place of the former railway station. A permanent stop called Oldham Mumps was later opened on the town centre line in a different location. Services were extended to Shaw and Crompton on 16 December 2012, and to Rochdale Railway Station on 28 February 2013. The Oldham town centre line opened on 27 January 2014, allowing the section of former railway line, and temporary stop at Oldham Mumps to be permanently closed. The Rochdale town centre line opened on 31 March 2014.[1]