'Committed' - Key player is on board with Manchester United and Andy Burnham's Old Trafford plans

Plans are currently in the works to regenerate Manchester United’s home ground and its surrounding area. The club has established a task force to evaluate options for the future of the stadium — including redeveloping it or demolishing it and building a new arena

This week, Andy Burnham also announced he’s asked the government for money to move a freight railway depot behind the Theatre of Dreams to St Helens. The Greater Manchester Mayor believes moving the depot will take freight trains away from the city centre, which will mean they are not competing for track space with passenger rail services.

That, Mr Burnham said on Monday, would improve trains for commuters and also give Manchester United a much larger area to redevelop Old Trafford, which is now being touted as a future ‘mixed use neighbourhood’ with apartment blocks, retail, and a sporting campus.

Now, in the wake of the announcement, the owners of the Old Trafford freight depot have issued an update on their position in the project.

A spokesperson said: “Freightliner are committed to working with all stakeholders to assess the feasibility of relocating Freightliner’s Manchester terminal to ILP North, considering the benefits not only to the local economies of Manchester and Liverpool, but also to national and international supply chains.

“We recognise the importance of Manchester United’s new stadium plans to the public, and it is important to ensure that any future development aligns with Government targets to grow rail freight volumes by at least 75% by 2050, acknowledging the economic and environmental benefits that modal shift to rail brings”.

Mr Burnham has asked the government for cash to connect ILP North, which he calls ‘Parkside’, to the West Coast Main Line. He said: “The freight coming up to Parkside and Port Salford, taking it out of our city centre, fixes things for passengers. They won’t have to have the freight disruption.

“If we achieve the extent of our ambition, I believe this will be the world’s premiere football destination. We hope it’s the best football stadium in the world, which brings benefits to residents around it.”