Work starts on £4.8m Tyldesley travel hub
Park-and-ride capacity will triple for commuters of the Leigh Guided Busway in Greater Manchester, once main contractor Jamieson Contracting completes the enhanced travel hub in October.
Jamieson Contracting started construction today on the nearly four-acre Bee Network travel hub, situated just south of the Astley Street stop on the Leigh Guided Busway. The project has an estimated construction cost of £4.8m, according to Transport for Greater Manchester.
When finished, the Tyldesley travel hub will feature a total of 148 parking bays – up from the existing 49 at the stop today. Of those 148, 18 will have access to electric vehicle chargers and 10 will be accessible. There will be cycle storage for 16 bicycles. A pick-up and drop-off area will also be installed.
Parcel lockers, CCTV, and enhanced lighting are also on the to-do list for the travel hub, as is a single-storey office for Guided Busway staff.
The travel hub is a direct response to an uptick in passenger numbers on the busway’s V1 route, which has grown 13.8% year-on-year since 2023.
Plans for the hub, part of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s 2021 election manifesto, were approved in September.
“The Guided Busway has been a huge success story for public transport in Greater Manchester – and now the Bee Network is making it even better,” Burnham said.
Jo Platt, MP for Leigh and Atherton, added her support, saying that she had been advocating for a travel hub for many years.
“Improving public transport connectivity, access and reducing congestion has always been a priority for me, and this project marks a major step forward,” she said.
Wigan Council portfolio holder for planning, environmental services, and transport Cllr Paul Prescott added: “Tyldesley and its businesses have seen great benefits from the Guided Busway in recent years, and after listening to resident’s concerns, the travel hub’s increased parking bays will help the town centre become a safer and more accessible place to work, shop, and visit.”
Strzala Architects designed the travel hub, with Plande Planning Consultants aiding in securing planning permission last year. The project team also includes United Environmental Services, Lighthouse Acoustics, Adapt Heritage, MDLandscape, Relux, and Scott White and Hookins.
You can review the planning application by searching reference A/25/098945/MAJOR.
A second travel hub is planned in Hindley.
I rather like to replacement for new tram line instead of busway for between Manchester and Leigh it will be grown and grown better in the future for everyone in Greater Manchester transport. 👍🏻
By G J Kitchener
Agree with you was doing trams from Wigan to leigh then onto Astley then straight to Manchester city centre 👍
By Adrian
The traffic is already terrible through Tyldesley. Can take up to 40 minutes to travel less than a mile. Adding more spaces and a travel hub will mean more people travelling to and from Tyldesley at busy hours which will only make the traffic worse.
By Anonymous
Going to need more buses and on time
By Anonymous
Needs a connection to the metrolink, or the busway needs to be direct into the centre with zero shared roadway. Also a single tap in tap out for the entire journey
By Guesticles
All very good for Tyldesley. But the traffic congestion needs to addressed…. it’s absolutely terrible. From 12pm on a Friday, cars are queuing from the centre of Tyldesley all the way back Hough Lane… crazy.
By Anonymous
Nice to see that the V1 has been a success story!
I drove these buses i.e v1 v2 from the start of this story, but left due to ill health. Well done to all involved
By Richard Yeo
Should have been trams
By Anonymous
Traffic is a major concern here. The lights at the guided busway contribute to the cause of this traffic as they prioritise the buses and pedestrian crossings, aren’t in sync with the lights at the top of the Astley St, which is frustrating queuing drivers and means adding more time to local car journeys
By Anonymous
100 more cars . Where are they going to get 100 more seats on the buses from?
By the time the buses hit Tyldesely they are already full !
Many wanting to be on the bus that gets them to Manchester for 9am . Would be better with a tram link that was proposed originally.
By Colwon88