METROLINK remains the vital missing link in Oldham’s regeneration jigsaw – with no end in sight to the delays that have dogged the project since inception.

The Oldham Beyond report of 2004 hailed the light-rail network as having the potential to turn the town "into a 21st century success story".

But although today’s ‘1000 Days’ report cites progress in submissions for funding, there is still no firm timetable for even the first piece of track to be laid.

This week the Advertiser’s attempts to secure definitive timescales from top transport officials again drew a blank – and prompted a frustrated response from Phil Woolas MP.

The Metrolink plan is broken into two phases – 3a and 3b.

The first replaces the existing train line linking Oldham and Rochdale with Manchester. Nine stations will be converted into tram stops with new stops at South Chadderton and Freehold.

After being withdrawn in 2004, funding was re-approved in 2006 with construction expected to start this June – but GMPTE chief executive David Leather has indicated this is already another missed deadline.

"Several companies have been shortlisted to construct the new lines and we’re expecting to appoint one later this spring," he said. "We’ll be able to confirm more later this year."

Phase 3b would see a new line taking trams into Oldham town centre – starting near Werneth and then going via Westwood, Manchester Street, King Street and Union Street to Mumps.

Funding would come from Greater Manchester’s bid for a £1.2bn Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) grant – plus permission to borrow £1.8bn more and make major improvements to rail and bus services – in return for councils introducing a peak-hour congestion charge.

But the TIF bid decision, expected last December, never materialised and a Department of Transport (DoT) spokesperson has now said: "It’s a very complex set of proposals. We’d hope it will be possible to make some form of decision by the end of this year."

Phil Woolas MP said he now intends to write to Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Transport.

"This has been a constant source of disappointment and I regret to say I now have no confidence in the DoT officers dealing with this," he said.

"The scheme is financially viable and I believe we’ll get a positive decision, but I’m increasingly wary of bureaucrats who don’t seem to understand the urgent economic importance of this to Oldham."

Prof Peter Roberts added: "Sometimes you’re not dealing with people that put the Oldham part of a project at the top of their list of priorities.

"Metrolink is hugely important. It’s a question of resources being made available and hard decisions taken.

"There’s plenty already happening in terms of town centre regeneration and I think Metrolink would allow the full and proper realisation of that."