A bold new vision for transport set out by Transport for Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham set out the region’s wider plan for transport, which includes extending the Bee network with new Metrolink lines to surrounding cities including Stockport, Rochdale. and Bolton all set to be included in the new plans. In total, Burnham also wants to bring eight rail lines under Bee Network control by 2028, with full integration intended by 2030.

At a press conference to launch the plans, which have been dubbed the “Rapid Transit Strategy”, Burnham also confirmed he would ask the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, to give the green light to proposals for the new line as soon as possible main on the west coast. station at Golborne which has been stuck in the approval stages for months. Another new station is planned at Cheadle.

Both Stockport and Rochdale Metrolink extensions have been in the planning stages for years, with the Stockport extension in the final stages of a business case proposal, but now Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is setting its sights on further integration and expansion over the next decade.

They are now planning 4 new tram lines; Salford Quays to Salford Crescent, Didsbury to Stockport, Trafford Park to Port Salford and Harpurhey to Middleton.

The current eight suburban lines that TfGM plans to bring under its control are currently subsidized by around £100m, with some stations currently ‘underserved’ according to TfGM figures, however Burnham believes it can do more to passengers with lower subsidies. once the place is.

Burnham told RAIL: “I wrote to the new First Minister this week to say this is a prime example of how Greater Manchester can deliver more for less if we work through the devolved structures we have now.

“Although we have this grant, you can see on the passenger loads that some are being put to good use, others are essentially bringing fresh air to Greater Manchester. So we think we can do a lot more for less.”

He cited figures from Transport for London (TfL) which showed that when the London Overground was integrated into the wider TfL network in 2007, patronage increased by 160% on the original network alone.

Simon Elliott, head of rail at TfGM outlined the authority’s ambitions to increase train frequency across the region’s network to ensure ambitions can be met, commenting: “We aim to have at least two trains per hour at all stations by 2027, with this increased to four where necessary.”

Both Elliott and TfGM’s head of rapid transit, Luke Bramwell, who also attended the press conference, acknowledged that capacity is an ongoing issue, both in south Manchester and through the Castlefield corridor, both for Metrolink , as well as for rail services, with the need for this to be addressed as quickly as possible.

“Even if we advance the new Metrolink fleet with longer vehicles, effectively doubling capacity on each service, the longer term planning we are looking at suggests we will run out of capacity in Greater Manchester as we head towards 2040,” Boswell added.

Commenting on this, Burnham believes the solution lies underground. “While we have seen rapid growth in this region, the lack of connectivity in the area will ultimately limit our growth. So we will have to go underground, like most of Europe’s two cities, to continue to support economic growth.”

Although no underground network is currently on the table or necessarily planned by TfGM, it has confirmed that where pressure points are currently seen in central Manchester, tunneling will be required.

Part of that growth will also mean extra trains, with TfGM planning new tram-train rolling stock, which it hopes could be in operation in 2030, and hoping to have a stronger say in the current procurement process for the 450 new Northern trains. The mayor also said that TfGM “is interested in operating the battery train in Liverpool”, in the view that it could help bridge the region’s electrification gaps. Liverpool’s new rolling stock entered service earlier this year but has been plagued by reliability issues since launch.