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More than £1bn funding given to Greater Manchester for ‘transformational’ public transport system
The funding will be invested in local roads, buses, trains and tram services over the next five years
Greater Manchester has been granted over £1 billion in funding for a ‘transformational’ London-style transport system proposed for the region.
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has revealed this week that a total of £1.2bn will be invested into the Bee Network, an integrated transport system aiming to join buses, trams, cycling and walking by 2024.
A funding allocation of £1.07bn by City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) was initially announced last year, but there has now been an extra £170m in local contributions.
This massive funding will be invested in local roads, buses, trains and tram services over the next five years, with new quality bus corridors, cycling and walking routes, and improved transport infrastructure and connectivity for towns and high streets in the region.
The funding will also go towards the introduction of fifty new zero-emission buses, all of which will serve Bolton and Wigan when the first phase of bus franchising is introduced in September 2023.
Cheaper fares will also be rolled out alongside bus franchising, with adult and children single journey fares capped at £2 and £1 respectively.
However, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has called for ‘more certainty’ over recovery funding for the MetroLink and other bus operators, which is currently at around half of what was bid for.
He said in a statement: “Today’s announcements are a major vote of confidence in Greater Manchester’s plans for a London-style public transport system.
“This funding will allow us to bring forward an improved bus service, starting next autumn in Wigan and Bolton – with new buses, lower fares and more frequent services.
“However, as welcome as today’s announcement is, the revenue funding is about half of what we bid for, and we still don’t know how much recovery funding bus operators will get to keep services running.
“We have been working closely with government on a funding model that will enable us to stabilise, rebuild and ultimately transform public transport, and can only deliver the Bee Network if we have a sound foundation to build upon.
“Without a longer-term recovery settlement, the threat of cuts to services still looms large. This is the final piece of the puzzle that will really enable us to get on and deliver the Bee Network and this is the case I will make to government as we continue to work together to unlock Greater Manchester’s full potential.”