Greater Manchester gains £1.4bn transport package
A new £1.4bn public transport package has been secured in Greater Manchester meaning some of the schemes originally part of the £3bn Transport Innovation Fund package will be saved.
The package will deliver projects including:
- An expansion of the Metrolink tram network to Chorlton, East Didsbury, Manchester Airport, Rochdale and Oldham town centres. The expansion to Trafford Park will not go ahead as was proposed in the TIF package
- A Stockton bypass linking the airport and the A6
- The Mottram bypass
- A bus way between Leigh and Manchester
- The Wigan inner-relief road
- Park and ride extensions
- A cross-city bus package
The package will be part-funded through borrowing against a £2/person per year precept on the Integrated Transport Authority's portion of council tax across the city-region.
The rest of the cash will come from a £195m government grant; existing regional allocations earmarked for Greater Manchester; 40% of each of the city-region's councils' local transport budgets; and contributions from borrowing against the future revenues of the expanded Metrolink and from Manchester Airport.
The public voted against the TIF package last December, which included a congestion charge scheme for motorists driving in and out of Manchester city centre during peak times.
