GMCA outlines Bee Network expansion strategy
Tram-trains connecting Bury, Rochdale, and Oldham, and a Metrolink stations in Middleton and Stockport all factor into a draft rapid transit strategy going before the combined authority tomorrow.
Members of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority are being asked to approve the draft, which would then be sent out for wider engagement. The strategy itself is part of GMCA’s wider plans for transport in the city region from now until 2040.
The draft rapid transport strategy includes the integration of eight rail corridors into the Bee Network by 2028. These are:
- Wigan via Atherton
- Wigan via Bolton
- Wigan via Golborne
- Manchester Airport
- Alderley Edge and Buxton via Stockport
- Glossop, Hadfield and Rose Hill Marple via Guide Bridg
- Ashton-under-Lyne and Stalybridge
- Rochdale
The strategy also hints at the GMCA’s thought process for the future. It includes discussions about:
- Exploring more night-time services on the busway and wider bus network, as well as increasing regularity of trams between midnight and 1am
- Working with industry partners to create formal vehicle for regeneration, commercial, and housing delivery around rail stations
- Refreshing the ‘Transport for sustainable communities: a guide for developers’ guide from 2013
- Developing a tram-train Pathfinder
The map at the top of this article, taken from the strategy document, showcases the emerging priorities for new, extended, or converted rapid transit lines in Greater Manchester.
Read the Draft Greater Manchester Rapid Transit Strategy
The strategy has earned praise from Rochdale Council Leader Cllr Neil Emmott. He said: “I’m delighted to see the Mayor prioritising this investment into Heywood and Middleton; two very important areas which have suffered from chronic underinvestment in their public transport infrastructure for a number of years.
“Boroughs like Rochdale, in the north of Greater Manchester, still don’t enjoy the same level of economic prosperity as those in the south of the conurbation, and substantially better public transport infrastructure will go a long way towards addressing this imbalance,” Emmott continued.
“The need to accelerate this transport revolution is even more acute now, given the development of Atom Valley, the largest growth opportunity in Greater Manchester. This transformative project to bring millions of pounds of investment and thousands of advanced manufacturing jobs into the borough will only increase the strategic importance of areas like Heywood and Middleton to the economy of the wider region and the country as a whole.
“That’s why it’s vital that we have world-class transport infrastructure to match our world-class ambitions for growth.”
