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The city council has approved local funding for the connectivity project, and will now seek to confirm £485,000 from the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Challenge Fund.

The city-region will be the first outside London to bring bus services under local control, as part of Mayor Andy Burnham’s quest to implement an integrated transport network across Greater Manchester.

A draft 20-year plan to guide transport and connectivity improvements to and around the city centre and encourage 90% of trips be made by foot, bike or public transport, is tipped for approval today.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has recommended the mayor approves plans to introduce bus franchising across the city region, scrapping the current privately operated system.

The contractor has commenced work on a 2.2km link road designed to unlock sites for 1,000 homes and 1.4m sq ft of employment space in South Heywood. 

The £15m rail project, aimed at plugging a significant connectivity gap in the west of Greater Manchester, is among several transport projects listed to receive a share of £69m from the Government. 

An outline business case for a £35m package of projects on the key South Manchester route is being prepared for submission to the Department for Transport in March.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority aims to sign off a final plan to improve air quality in the city region by this summer ahead of a proposed 2022 rollout, despite a lack of clarity on funding.

Proposals to improve the performance and punctuality of the city-region’s creaking rail network have been unveiled for consultation, with the best of three options set to be rolled out from May 2022.