Unofficial update to December 2008 timetable for local trains in South Manchester.

[hstudent]

A ticket office worker told me this morning that it's unlikely that cut backs will be made to local peak trains between Manchester and Buxton, Hazel Grove and Macclesfield. However, some CrossCountry peak trains will be diverted by Crewe and Wilmslow to keep the current Macclesfield service, so the Crewe to Manchester via Stockport line will lose one or two peak local trains as a consequence. However, it looks very unlikely that there will be a half-hourly Chester to Manchester via Altrincham service and likely that alternate trains from Chester will terminate at Stockport during the peaks.

Apparently the reason for the changes is because it would cost too much to change the infrastructure at Stockport to allow a large number of terminating trains.

[hairyhandedfool]

I don't know who you heard that from, but it must be a well informed worker, because ticket office staff rarely hear about changes to the timetables untill nearer the time, when staff briefs are received, and paper copies are sent. I won't say it isn't happenning as I have no idea, but it seems like the rumour mill and chinese whispers to me.

AFAIK, the only changes planned to the Buxton service is that it will terminate at Piccadilly, rather than going through to Blackpool.