Ruth Kelly, the Secretary of State for Transport, has announced that the bid for £3 billion to improve further the public transport of Greater Manchester has been approved for programme entry by the Department for Transport.
The next step will see the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) and the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA) formally approve a process to take the package into a wide ranging public consultation exercise over the next few months.
£3 billion worth of funding will become available to public transport improvements in the area, providing the consultation sees support across the region (and there is guarantee of this with the problems over the dreaded congestion charge). This funding comprises £1.5 billion of government grants, £1.2 billion of local funding supported by a limited peak time only congestion charge and £0.1 billion of third party contributions.
The TIF money will be supported by a limited peak time only congestion charge which would not be introduced until summer 2013 at the earliest and would cost no more than £5 a day (at 2007 prices). Less than 20% of drivers in Greater Manchester will pay a charge and the average week day daily charge will be less than £3 (at 2007 prices). This is where the sticking point with many local residents and authorities is likely to be.
The funding package would fund railway, tram and bus improvements with up to an additional £35km of Metrolink line added. This would include new stops in Rochdale and Oldham town centres, Ashton under Lyne, East Didsbury and Manchester Airport. Extensions would also be built to Trafford Park and the Trafford Centre and all these additions would be on top of the extensions as part of Phase 3a. A second city centre crossing would also be built and of course more trams would be ordered to serve the complete network. The total network by the time all work has finished would be £103 km with around 70 million passengers a year being carried.
Lord Peter Smith, Leader of AGMA, said: “This announcement is great news for Greater Manchester. As a successful and growing economy, congestion is an increasing problem and one we cannot afford to ignore. This will provide a level of investment not seen before outside of London, and will transform our public transport system into one capable of supporting the growth of the region for years to come. The congestion charge will not be introduced until 2013 at the earliest, will affect just 20% of cars travelling at peak times and many drivers will pay less than £3 a day. Drivers wishing to avoid the charge altogether will be able to take advantage of the radically improved public transport network the TIF package will deliver. Debate is vital, and now that we have had confirmation that the DfT are backing our bid, we will be proposing to enter into a period of public consultation to ensure everyone in Greater Manchester is fully aware of the proposals and able to have their say. "The one thing I urge everyone to bear in mind is that we fully understand the need to offer people a real alternative to travel by car. That is why congestion charge will not be introduced in Greater Manchester until 2013 at the earliest, when the vast majority of the public transport improvements will be in place. Without a congestion charge we cannot secure anything like this scale of investment."
Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Transport, commented: “This is about creating a world class transport system for a world class city. Thriving cities are those where people have access to education and jobs, and where businesses can flourish. Manchester's economic renaissance is a major British success story. It is one of the fastest growing economies in the UK, but congestion has become an increasing brake on its future prosperity, with the potential to cost the city as many as one in seven of future jobs. Today I applaud the ambition and vision of Greater Manchester's councils. Their proposals will sustain the region's growth, bring benefits to all those who live in the area and enable Greater Manchester to compete with the best cities across the world."
Of course, the confirmation that would be introduced in the area was not exactly met with universal delight in the area. Many people see all forms of road charging as a affront to their lives as they could not possibly plan their journeys around either public transport (or even god forbid actually walk a short distance!). The decision on what form the consultation will take place has yet to take place but a referendum has not been ruled out by those in power.
* The Manchester Evening News website features lots of stories on this news, of which there is not enough space or time to go into here. If you wish to read them (and the comments from all the locals attached to them) follow the link above and search for tram in the left hand corner.
* A map of the transport improvements likely throughout Greater Manchester as a result of the TIF money is available here.
Source: GMPTE & Department for Transport