The final approval for Phase 3a of Manchester Metrolink – which will see the current system extended to serve Oldham, Rochdale, Droylsden and Chortlon – has been given by the government. The lines will be funded jointly by the Department for Transport and the local authorities in Greater Manchester.
The announcement was made by Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Transport, at St Peters Square tram stop on Friday (16th May). £244 million has been pledged by the DfT with the remainder of the £382 million cost of the scheme having to be found by the local authorities. The money from the DfT is the last part of the £520 million dedicated to Greater Manchester transport improvements back in 2004.
Ms Kelly said: “Metrolink has been at the heart of Greater Manchester's transport system for more than a decade. Carrying 20 million passengers a year, it has been providing an excellent service to local residents and commuters. These much-anticipated improvements will make a huge difference to local public transport, and are expected to carry an extra 10 million passengers a year. Giving final approval to these plans reflects the Government's commitment to providing convenient, reliable and comfortable public transport. This ensures people have a real alternative to using their cars, and supports my aim to tackle congestion and reduce harmful pollution."
All extensions will be open by 2012 with the first expected to be ready for passengers in 2011. M-Pact (a consortium made up of Thales UK, Laing O’Rourke and Grant Rail) have been selected as the preferred bidder for the construction of the lines and it is expected contracts will be sorted in the next few weeks.
Politicians and transport bosses in Greater Manchester have met the new with joy. Lord Peter Smith, Leader of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA), said: “Public transport will have a huge part to play in the region's continuing economic success, and I'm delighted we've now been given the go-ahead to build three new Metrolink lines. The Metrolink expansion has received widespread support from politicians, businesses and local communities across Greater Manchester. Without their backing, we wouldn't be in this position today. We'll be able to extend the network even further if the bid to the government's Transport Innovation Fund is successful. I hope these new Metrolink lines will be just the start of a major investment in our public transport network."
Sir Richard Leese, Deputy Leader of AGMA and Leader of Manchester City Council, commented: “We welcome this good news. This is an important milestone but it is just the start. We need further funding to secure the transport infrastructure required to bring significant economic benefits to the city. We look forward to receiving the Government's decision on our Transport Innovation Fund bid which will generate more investment and boost the region's economy."
Michael Renshaw, Interim Service Delivery Director at the GMPTE, added: “We're already carrying out initial surveys along the routes, and we've selected M-Pact Thales as our preferred bidder for the expansion. Today's announcement means we can now complete our negotiations with the consortium and hopefully sign a contract within the next few weeks. We'll be able to provide more details about the timescales for the project once we've got a construction team in place."
The extensions as part of Phase 3a will almost double the size of Metrolink, covering almost 20 miles with five million car journeys being taken off the road and the number of passenger trips per day rising to 90,000 from 55,000.
* A map of what the new Metrolink system will look like is available on the GMPTE website here.
* A video report from BBC North West is available here.
Source: GMPTE & Department for Transport