Transport leaders in Greater Manchester are celebrating news of a quarter of a billion pound boost for Metrolink, bus and park and ride schemes. At a meeting with Geoff Hoon, Secretary of State for Transport, it was confirmed that two new Metrolink extensions to Ashton in Tameside and East Didsbury in South Manchester will be fast tracked along with cross city bus improvements and new park and ride spaces.
Mr Hoon agreed to bring forward £195 million of government funding for the schemes with the remaining £244 million for the schemes coming from local contributions. Business cases for the Metrolink lines will now be prepared and if there are assurances on value for money, affordability and deliverability work could start on the ground before the end of this year.
Cllr Keith Whitmore, Vice Chair of GMPTA, said: “This is great news. Today's announcement is an important step forward in delivering some significant improvements for passengers using Greater Manchester's buses, trains and trams. We are talking about fast-tracking four major transport schemes that will open up new links with the essentials - jobs, education and healthcare - and investment at a time when it is needed most. We've dedicated a lot of time and effort over the past year to proving how investment in public transport can trigger economic growth - and I am pleased to see our work has come to fruition."
Cllr Matt Colledge, Chair of GMITA, added: “Metrolink offers frequent links to the city centre and has already taken millions of cars off our roads. The bus proposals would improve regional links into the city centre and specifically with the universities and hospitals on Oxford Road. More park-and-ride spaces would make our trains and trams a more realistic option for lots of commuters and would, in turn, take thousands more cars off our roads. So we believe that the proposals being fast-tracked today represent considerable gains for communities across Greater Manchester and will be of great benefit to passengers."
The new Metrolink line to Ashton would call at Audenshaw, Ashton Moss, Ashton West and Ashton-under-Lyne. The East Didsbury line would serve at Withington, Burton Road, West Didsbury, Didsbury Village and East Didsbury. If all goes according to plan construction could start by the end of 2009 and could open by late 2013.
The new Park and Ride schemes would serve a mix of rail and Metrolink routes and would be spread across the region and provide a fast onward journey to the city centre.
The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) have agreed a Greater Manchester Transport Fund prioritising public transport and highway schemes involving an investment of over £1.5 billion. The transport strategy focuses funding on schemes which will deliver the greatest benefits for the economy of Greater Manchester. Funding of £1 billion will be through contributions from local transport programmes, future GMITA levies and regional allocations which have been earmarked for Greater Manchester.
Lord Peter Smith, Leader of AGMA, said: “We have agreed unanimously a priority programme of public transport and highway schemes with funding from national, regional and local sources which will deliver not only £1.5bn of transport improvements but will also generate the maximum impact on the economy. The package will also generate social inclusion and environmental benefits. Coming up with the proposals involved some hard choices, they provide clear evidence of what strong City leadership can achieve and represent a real step towards ensuring that Greater Manchester has the transport system it needs to support its role as a world class City Region. We particularly welcome the Secretary of State's announcement today of the accelerated transport package. This will ensure we can continue the momentum of the tram extensions to new areas, deliver important bus improvements in the Regional Centre and more park and ride facilities."
Geoff Hoon added: “I'm grateful for all the work that Association of Greater Manchester Authorities have done to develop these plans and I welcome these proposals to bring forward £195m of government funding to improve local transport in Greater Manchester. The Ashton and East Didsbury tram extensions, bus improvements around Oxford Road and park and ride schemes will make a real difference to the residents and economy of this great City."
As well as the fast-tracked schemes mentioned above, the package includes the following Metrolink aspirations:
* Rochdale Town Centre
* Airport
* Second City Centre Crossing
* Oldham Town Centre
In addition an extension of Metrolink to Trafford Park is listed as an “additional priority awaiting further funding”.
Source: GMPTE