Tameside Interchange reaches final hurdle
The construction of a £33m transport interchange in Ashton-under-Lyne is due to receive final sign-off on Friday, as the Greater Manchester Combined Authority is set to approve the release of £31m in Local Growth Deal funding.
Ashton-under-Lyne’s bus station is to be demolished and replaced by the interchange, closer to the town’s Metrolink stop and train station.
The footprint of the interchange has shifted slightly to the west since the project was first proposed in 2012, to better connect to the Metrolink.
The Metrolink line to Ashton opened in October 2013.
The business case for the interchange was approved in 2015, planning consent was granted in 2016, and a procurement exercise has been underway to select a design-and-build contractor.
The meeting of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on Friday 24 February is being asked to give final full approval to the project, and grant the release of £31.8m from the city region’s Local Growth Fund allocation for 2016/17.
Main contract works are due to begin in mid-2017. Construction will take around 18 months.
The Tameside Interchange will be a single, covered concourse to replace the five island platforms, improved waiting areas, cycle parking and better access to travel information and tickets.
A report to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said: “A key driver of the project is better integration with the tram stop at Ashton. This will allow for multi-modal journeys to take place in a seamless manner and enable more passengers to make sustainable choices with regards to transport across Greater Manchester. The new interchange will provide an improved waiting environment, along with a range of enhanced passenger amenities.”
I do not see how all the services that use the station will fit in it or will bus services be cut to make room
By f m watton
Nice one!
By Ian elstub
Typical Ashton gets all the money and the rest of the smaller towns get nothing again .
By Mcfc66
Why don’t they spend money on a by pass in Mottram or other places in Tameside like Stalybridge or Hyde etc.Nothing wrong with the bus station.
By Barry Dickinson
This is why GM is booming,because of the co-operation between the authorities. This is how you run a conurbation.Tameside and the other boroughs effectively linked to Central Manchester,Salford Quays and the airport,so that people can access the jobs.You have to hand it to GM,they have got their act together.The report in this journal about the huge expansion at the airport,the Colliers international report that Manchester is the third most influential city in Europe,just below London and Paris,are all testament to the clever way that the boroughs have worked together and with the government.
By Elephant
Couldn’t agree more with Elephant here. Gtr Manchester works well as a conurbation and has benefitted from largely excellent leadership.
By Rooney
Hope it’s like Hyde bus station and not Oldham (WORST DESIGN EVER). Hyde is a great design, warm and looks lovely-never understood why this new design here has to be so high-do we have 20 foot people going to use it-??!!
By Amy
Amy I think Oldham bus stations are quite attractive.I haven’t seen the Interchange at Mumps though,if you mean that?
By Elephant
Save your money Ashton is not worth it we need decent shops
By eyespy
how many time are you going to change it you waist so much money
By rob
Looks good!
By Rooney
From the article…
“Ashton-under-Lyne’s bus station is to be demolished and replaced by the interchange, closer to the town’s Metrolink stop and train station.”
It won’t be nearer to the train station at all, it will be further away, admittedly not by a great distance.
As for the change of name from the existing, fully understood and logical one of ‘Ashton Bus Station’ to ‘Tameside Interchange (Ashton-under-Lyne)’, confusion awaits the intrepid traveller from outside the area.
By Ashton Lad