Manchester-Glossop Line
| Glossop line | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| System | National Rail |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale |
East Midlands North West England |
| Termini | Manchester Piccadilly Glossop |
| Stations | 13 |
| Operation | |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Operator(s) | Northern Rail |
| Character | Suburban rail |
| Depot(s) | Longsight |
| Rolling stock | Class 323 |
| Technical | |
| Number of tracks | One-Two |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 25 kV 50 Hz AC OHLE |
The Hadfield–Glossop line is a railway line connecting the city of Manchester with the towns of Hadfield and Glossop in Derbyshire, England. Passenger services on the line are operated by Northern Rail.
The line is the surviving section of the Woodhead Line, which was electrified in the early 1950s but passenger services east of Hadfield were withdrawn in 1970, followed by complete closure in 1981. Hattersley was opened in 1978, around 750 m east of the then Godley, to serve the 1960s Hattersley estate, and in 1985 the Flowery Field and Godley stations were built (Godley around 500 m west of the original Godley station, then renamed Godley East). These two stations (along with Ryder Brow on the Hope Valley line) were built to a minimum standard, using hollow wooden structures compared the more grandiose stonework of original stations like Newton for Hyde or Glossop. Godley East was then closed in 1986, effectively being replaced by the newer Godley and Hattersley.
In December 1984, the Manchester–Glossop/Hadfield line electrification was converted from 1500 V DC to 25 kV AC. Class 303 EMUs took over from the veteran Class 506 units. The 303s later returned to the Glasgow area and were in turn replaced by Class 304 and Class 305 units before the more modern Class 323 units were introduced to the line in November 1997.
Other than Manchester Piccadilly, the busiest station on the line is Glossop.
The line serves the following places:
Glossop branch:
Hadfield branch:
The same train serves Glossop and Hadfield via one of three routings:
During the autumn "leaf fall" timetable this pattern is modified so that the morning rush hour pattern is extended to about midday and the evening rush hour pattern starts as soon as the morning rush hour pattern finishes.
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Wikipedia