Oldham - Transport

Transport

The geography of Oldham constrained the development of major transport infrastructure. It has been put that "if it had not grown substantially before the railway age it would surely have been overlooked". Oldham has never been on a main line railway route, and canals too have only been able to serve it from a distance, meaning that "Oldham has never had a train service worthy of a town of its size".

A principal destination along the former Oldham Loop Line, Oldham once had seven railway stations but this was reduced to four once Clegg Street, Oldham Central and Glodwick Road closed in the mid-20th century; Hollinwood, Oldham Werneth, Oldham Mumps and Derker closed on 3 October 2009. Trains from Manchester Victoria station to Oldham had to climb steeply through much of its 6-mile (9.7 km) route, from around 100 feet (30.5 m) at Manchester city centre to around 600 feet (182.9 m) at Oldham Mumps. The Werneth Incline, with its gradient of 1 in 27, made the Middleton Junction to Oldham Werneth route the steepest regular passenger line in the country. The Werneth Incline route closed in 1963. It had been replaced as the main route to Manchester by the section of line built between Oldham Werneth Station and Thorpes Bridge Junction, Newton Heath in May 1880. Oldham Mumps, the second oldest station on the line after Werneth, took its name from its location in the Mumps area of Oldham, which itself probably derived from the archaic word "mumper" which was slang for a beggar. The former Oldham Loop Line is to be converted for use with an expanded Manchester Metrolink tram network. The first section between Manchester Victoria and Oldham Mumps (temporary) Metrolink stops opened on Wednesday 13 June 2012.

Oldham had electric tramways to Manchester in the early-20th century; the first tram was driven from Manchester into Oldham in 1900 by the Lord Mayor of Manchester. The system came to an end on 3 August 1946, however. There was also a short-lived Oldham trolleybus system, in 1925–26.

The £3.3m Oldham Bus Station has frequent bus services to Manchester, Rochdale, Ashton-under-Lyne and Middleton with other services to the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Tameside, and across the Pennines to Huddersfield in West Yorkshire. The roof canopy is supported internally on two rows of steel trees. The extensive use of glass and stainless steel maximises visibility, and there is a carefully co-ordinated family of information fittings, posters and seating, using robust natural materials for floors and plinths. The bus station is used by National Express coaches. First Greater Manchester, FirstGroup plc's bus operator for north-Greater Manchester, has its headquarters in Oldham. There are frequent services from Oldham bus stations to areas around the borough as well as nearby Aston, Middleton and Rochdale. There are numerous services running from Oldham bus station to Manchester city centre, the most frequent of which being First Greater Manchester's 83 overground service as well as services 81/81A, 59 and 180/184. Stagecoach Manchester's upgraded 76 service now also provides a frequent connection.

Despite the Turnpike Act 1734, Oldham had no turnpike road to Manchester for another 56 years and Church Lane, Oldham remained part of the main street through the town. But following a further Act of Parliament a turnpike was constructed. The first regular coach service to Manchester came into operation in October 1790, with a journey time of over 2 hours and a fare 2s.8d (about 13p), with half fare for travellers on top of the coach.

Oldham is about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the major M62 motorway, but is linked to it by the M60 at Hollinwood, and A627(M) via Chadderton. There are major A roads to Ashton-under-Lyne, Huddersfield, Manchester, and Rochdale.

The Hollinwood Branch of the Ashton Canal was a canal that ran from Fairfield in Droylsden, through Littlemoss and Daisy Nook Country Park to the Hollinwood area of Oldham, with a branch from Daisy Nook to the Fairbottom Branch Canal. The canal was mainly used for the haulage of coal until it fell into disuse for commercial traffic in the 1930s. It included four aqueducts and a two-rise lock staircase.