Improved bus routes under £69m plans to develop public transport

Under the plans, £22m has been identified for buses, with £10m earmarked for the local improvements

Key bus corridors could be improved between Rochdale, Oldham and Ashton, under £69m plans to transform public transport.

The funding is from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund, with Greater Manchester being awarded £243m in the first round, and £69.5m in this second round, which is being invested into regional bus and rail services to help deliver Mayor Andy Burnham’s Our Network transport vision.

The funding proposals to be considered by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) aim to improve and develop rail stations and the bus network, delivering more electric vehicle charging points and working up plans for potential new Metrolink stops.

£22m has been identified for buses, with £10m of that earmarked for the local improvements. £15m will be used to build a new rail station at Golborne in Wigan and £10m will go in match funding for electric vehicle charging posts across all ten local authorities in Greater Manchester.

So-called ‘Quality Bus Transit’ is currently being investigated for the Rochdale-Oldham-Ashton corridor – whole-route upgrades of key bus corridors - with additional corridors being developed over the next five years.

This includes improvements to the corridors connecting Media City to Salford Crescent; Wigan, Bolton, Bury and Rochdale; and Ashton and Stockport.

There are also plans for services to be improved across Greater Manchester (£10m) and a £2m travel hub with park and ride provision at Tyldesley.

This allocation follows the initial Transforming Cities Fund of £243m made available in March 2018 which was used to fund projects including £160m for walking and cycling infrastructure as part of the Bee Network, and £83m for 27 new Metrolink trams to boost network capacity.

Councillor Roger Jones, Lead Member for Bus on the Greater Manchester Transport Committee, said: “Buses are the unsung stalwarts of our transport network. The Transport Cities Fund investment will deliver quality bus routes across our city-region, which will make journeys faster, easier and more convenient. Importantly, they will provide orbital connections between our town centres, expanding our residents’ opportunities and access to jobs and other services. Improved bus routes will mean less cars on our roads and we will seek to incorporate high-quality walking and cycling infrastructure as part of the Bee Network to encourage the move to active travel.”

Greater Manchester’s suite of transport strategy documents – which underpin and support Our Network – will also be going to GMCA on 29 January. These documents include the detailed Five-Year Transport Delivery Plan and a series of Local Implementation Plans, one for each local authority, which set out priorities and interventions, for specific communities, neighbourhoods and town centres.

Alongside this, Greater Manchester’s long-term policy framework, the Greater Manchester 2040 Transport Strategy, is also being republished following a refresh.