Oldham Mumps is a tram stop on the Oldham and Rochdale Line (ORL) of Greater Manchester's light-rail Metrolink system in the Mumps area of Oldham which opened in 2014.

Oldham Mumps
Metrolink station
A tram at Oldham Mumps
General information
LocationOldham, Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
England
Coordinates53°32′33″N 2°06′12″W / 53.54241°N 2.10342°W / 53.54241; -2.10342
Grid referenceSD933049
Line(s)Oldham and Rochdale Line
Platforms2
Other information
StatusIn operation
Fare zone3
Key dates
13 June 2012 (temporary station)
27 January 2014 (opening date of permanent station)
Conversion to Metrolink operation
Location
Map

A temporary stop of the same name opened to passengers on 13 June 2012 as part of Phase 3a of the system's expansion. Phase 3b resulted in the stop's decommissioning in 2014, and its replacement with the permanent stop at the opposite end of Mumps on a realigned track. The temporary stop was on the site of the original Oldham Mumps railway station, a heavy rail station which opened (initially for haulage) on 1 November 1847[1] and closed on 3 October 2009 for conversion to Metrolink. It was along the Oldham Loop Line, which operated from Manchester to Rochdale via Oldham and thus was almost identical to the current Metrolink route.

History

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Mainline rail station

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Oldham Mumps railway station opened on 1 November 1847[1] to serve the town of Oldham. The station was a primary station located on the Oldham Loop Line 7+12 mi (12.1 km) north east of Manchester Victoria operated and managed by Northern Rail.

The name of the station is taken from its situation within the Mumps area of Oldham, which itself probably derived from the archaic word "mumper", slang for a beggar.[2]

The station was reached across the dual-carriageway Oldham bypass, a difficult walk from the town centre. A pedestrian underpass led to the island platform, where there was a ticket office.

The station closed due to the conversion of the line to Metrolink on 3 October 2009 and, by May 2010, had been completely demolished.[1] The station canopy has been saved. It was bought by the East Lancashire Railway after a successful public fund-raising campaign.[3][4] It is hoped that the canopy will be installed at Bury Bolton Street.

Temporary tram stop

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In June 2010, the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) announced that as part of the conversion of the former Oldham loop, it would submit a planning application for a temporary Metrolink terminus at Oldham Mumps, close to the site of the former railway station. Services to the temporary terminus commenced on Wednesday 13 June 2012[5]

The temporary Metrolink stop was reached by crossing Oldham Way or could be accessed by the free Metroshuttle service, which linked the station with the town centre and bus station.[6]

The 'temporary' Oldham Mumps Metrolink Station closed on 18 January 2014.

Permanent tram stop

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The permanent Metrolink station opened on 27 January 2014[7] on the site of the former B&Q store and is also a bus interchange.

Service pattern

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Preceding station   Manchester Metrolink Following station
Oldham Central East Didsbury–Rochdale Derker
East Didsbury–Shaw (peak only) Derker
Historical railways
Oldham Central   London Midland Region of British Railways
Oldham Loop Line
  Derker
Oldham Clegg Street   L&YR   Terminus

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Oldham Mumps". Disused Stations. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  2. ^ Gibb 2005, p. 28.
  3. ^ "East Lancs offered Oldham canopy – but needs your help" (PDF). Railway Herald. No. 211. 8 February 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  4. ^ "Historic canopy saved for railway". BBC News. 23 February 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  5. ^ "Metrolink line to Oldham set to open". Transport for Greater Manchester. Retrieved 8 June 2012.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "Metroshuttle bus service". Oldham Council. Archived from the original on 11 March 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  7. ^ "Date set for Oldham Metrolink line". North West Place. 18 December 2013.

Bibliography

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  • Gibb, Robert (2005). Greater Manchester: A panorama of people and places in Manchester and its surrounding towns. Myriad. ISBN 1-904736-86-6.
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