Posted 7th July 2014 | 3 Comments
Funding boost for trams, new stations and HS2
A FUNDING boost of £18 million pounds is to pay for improvements to Manchester Metrolink, which will include 12 more trams.
The announcement came today as part of a £6 billion package of 'Growth Deals' intended to support and assist businesses and local authorities in the English regions.
The money for Metrolink is part of a £50 million award to various types of transport in Greater Manchester.
As well as the new trams, the Metrolink cash will also allow tram stops to be upgraded.
Dr Jon Lamonte, chief executive of Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “Today’s announcement is a huge validation of all the great things we are already achieving in Greater Manchester, and puts us on a very firm footing for the future.
“It clearly acknowledges our proven track record of delivering major transformational projects, on time and on budget, that have economic, social, health and environmental benefits at their very core: from the Metrolink expansion, to award-winning transport facilities and low-carbon initiatives.
“TfGM and Greater Manchester Combined Authority have long recognised the strong connection between an efficient, effective transport network and sustained economic growth: this major funding agreement allows us to continue the evolution of that process and take it to the next level.
“Together with our local authority colleagues, we will now start progressing the schemes and initiatives which have been granted funding today.”
A separate award provides funding for Birmingham to help the city make the most of HS2 – including improving connections to the Curzon Street High Speed station. The announcement said this award would help the area to realise the greatest possible benefits from investment in jobs and skills.
In addition, the Government said projects beginning in 2015 to 2016 are expected to be matched by local investments worth around twice the contribution from central government.
These are expected to lead to work on 20 new National Rail stations as well as more than 150 roads and 150 housing developments.
Reader Comments:
Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.
John Gilbert, Cradley, Herefordshire
As to "Roshan's" comment, it is ridiculous that a city the size of Leeds should not be having its originally planned tramway system, but be having to make do with a trolleybus one. (Trolleybuses are intended to replace BUS routes not heavy-duty potential tramway lines.)Trust we British to muck things up. (Or did some unfortunate Leeds official step on a particularly vindictive politician's toes in the application period back in 2005?) Leeds, it is worth reminding people, is larger than Sheffield, which HAS a tramway system.
Peter Carleton, Manchester
Public transport is the same everywhere It so happens that Manchester seems to have got its finger out.
Roshan, Leeds
Could we also have improvements to the public transport in Leeds? I would like to see more trains on the commuter rail network and more stations opened on these lines as these trains are getting full and more and more people are using them. First Leeds run most of the buses in Leeds, but they are often late and have little competition on prices. I would love to see a lot more buses in Leeds under a different operator like Yorkshire Tiger (who I have never seen run a late bus) so that we can have more services and more competition with First.