THIS NEW PAGE PROVIDES A COMPACT EASILY PRINTABLE VERSION OF OUR "What Salford Gets" PAGES

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The AGMA Press Releases of 9th June 2008 suggested these enhancements for Salford

 

Salford       

In Salford the TIF package will see a much improved bus service to outlying areas and improved services and connectivity in local bus routes.  The tram network extended to destinations including Manchester Airport, East Didsbury and Ashton under Lyne and funds have been earmarked for Trafford Park and the Trafford Centre. The improvements to the tram network with the improved new bus routes will create direct links to currently hard to reach parts of the city. In addition, a facility to make interchanges easier between buses and trains will be built close to Salford Central station.The number of seats on trains will increase on routes via Swinton and Eccles. Salford Central and Salford Crescent railway stations will be significantly improved. Major improvements on bus services to neighbourhoods in outlying areas of the city

• Local bus service improvements across Salford  including improved connections to Salford Quays / Media City from neighbouring parts of Salford and Trafford
• Leigh – Salford – Manchester bus transit scheme with high frequency services, premium quality vehicles, CCTV and real time passenger information at stops 
• Improved connections between trains and buses in the Salford Central area
• Access to a much expanded range of destinations by Metrolink as a result of the network expansion from Eccles, Salford Quays/ Media City
• Significant improvements to Rail Stations:
• Major investment at Salford Central and Salford Crescent
• Investment in improved real time passenger information, CCTV and signage at Walkden, Eccles and Irlam
• Extra carriages on rail lines via Swinton and Eccles  

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These changes to transport in Salford are what's on offer in the TIF Bid as portrayed on the special GMPTA website  www.gmfuturetransport.co.uk as published on 25th June 2008

 

 

Metrolink  

Extending the service to more people and places.

The TIF proposals include better Metrolink connections and more trams to increase passenger capacity to and from Eccles and Salford Quays/ Mediacity UK to a wide variety of new destinations, thanks to an expanded tram network.

The frequency of trams to Pomona, Exchange Quay, Salford Quays, Anchorage and Harbour City will double to every six minutes by autumn 2010.

By summer 2012, the new connections will mean trams every 12 minutes from:

•    Eccles to Ashton-under-Lyne.

•    the new Mediacity UK development to Ashton.

Bus 

In Salford the TIF package will see a much improved bus service to outlying areas and improved services and connectivity in local bus routes. The tram network extended to destinations including Manchester Airport, East Didsbury and Ashton under Lyne and funds have been earmarked for Trafford Park and the Trafford Centre.

Train 

Salford is served by routes from Bolton, Wigan and Liverpool. Currently 49 carriages operate on the local services and the Department for Transport is committed to providing additional capacity on trains, adding extra carriages for peak services.

Station improvements

Train stations at Walkden, Eccles and Irlam will be made more welcoming, with CCTV, real-time information and improved signs. It will be easier to transfer between Metrolink and bus services in Eccles.

Salford Central and Salford Crescent stations will be significantly improved, with trains from Eccles, able to stop at Salford Central for the first time.

And by providing extra security, including CCTV, at most stations, passenger confidence and safety will be much increased.

Up-to-the-minute passenger information will be introduced at the majority of train stations, showing exactly when services are due to arrive. This information could also be available by text or email, so passengers will know the status of their chosen service before they set off.

Bus Network Proposals  

A new network of bus services for Greater Manchester is being developed and will be up and running by the summer of 2013.

The network will ensure that 90% of the population of the borough of Salford lives within a five-minute walk of bus services, running at least every 20 minutes during the day time, Monday to Saturday and at least every 30 minutes for week-day early mornings and evenings, and on Sundays.

Local services to places like Eccles will be increased by to 20% in the early morning and evenings and up to 12% during the peak periods.

On main radial 'corridors' (the main routes surrounding the city) to the city centre, no less than eight buses an hour will run throughout the day, with at least 3 buses an hour in the evenings and on Sundays.

In Salford, new bus routes will create direct links to other parts of Greater Manchester. The introduction of bus transit from Bolton to Manchester and along Oxford Road will provide bus priority improvements, with buses operating every eight minutes. This service will link Irlams o' th' Height and Manchester Royal Infirmary, via Salford University and the city centre.

A new Leigh-Salford-Manchester Bus Rapid Transit service will provide a fast, priority service to both Wigan and Leigh running through Chapel Street and Salford Crescent. These high quality buses will run every eight minutes.

The Locks and Quays Bus service will operate every 20 minutes from Salford Crescent Station to Mediacity UK and on to Oxford Road station.

Local services to other centres, such as Eccles, will have no fewer than three buses an hour and at least two an hour at evenings and Sundays.

By creating dedicated bus lanes, delays will be reduced and journey times will be more reliable.

By introducing vehicle location technology, we will be able to make services run more efficiently and reliably. The technology will also allow for new passenger information displays to be provided at stops and stations giving up-to-the-minute information on bus services. Improving passenger information in this way will make public transport easier for people to use.

A new bus interchange is proposed close to Salford Central train station. Along with making changing from different forms of transport easier, the new interchange will also help open up job opportunities to the Chapel Street area.

All new buses will have low floors to make it easier for people to get on and off.

School Run 

Currently 36 Yellow school buses operate across Greater Manchester. The TIF package will bring 120 Yellow School Buses to the city region.

These will provide services across the charging rings where parents will otherwise drive children to school.

Allocating TIF funding to these places will allow a roll out of an additional 170 school buses to other parts of the city-region through the next decade from other funding.

Integration  

Joining up bus, tram and rails services into a genuine and easy to use network is at the heart of the TIF package.

The present fares system is very complex and particularly off-putting for people trying to make one journey using two or more different forms of public transport. We will work with the operators, who set the fares on buses and trains, to develop and introduce a simple and easy to use fares and ticketing system. This could include:

•    An electronic smartcard which can be used for daily or weekly passes, or on a "pay as you go" basis. This will be more convenient for users, and also mean that the current hold-ups caused by people queuing for tickets will be greatly reduced. The card could automatically cap the amount the passenger pays at the price of the appropriate day (or longer period) ticket. So people won't have to decide in advance whether or not to buy a day or period ticket

•    Improving bus network integration, and co-ordinating bus, train and tram systems so that passengers could buy one ticket for the whole of their journey, even if they are changing en route. This will also protect passengers from being unduly penalised for changing vehicles.

•    Fare structures will be simpler and easier to understand.

Car 

A new traffic control system will speed up traffic and avoid jams, providing better information and improved traffic management.

The TIF Package aims to tackle congestion at the times, places and direction that it does greatest harm to the Greater Manchester economy.

Fewer than 20% of Greater Manchester's peak-time commuting drivers will pay a charge. The average charge paid will be less than £3* per week day at 2007 prices.

The congestion charge is designed to tackle congestion at the time, place and direction where it is at its worst. The system is based on two charging rings, picking up vehicles heading towards Manchester in the morning peak period and outward, away from Manchester in the evening peak period.

Income will go to support the TIF package of transport improvements.

The charge will reduce congestion on our roads at the busiest time.

 

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Greater Manchester’s Future Transport

A description of the proposed improvements to public transport and the congestion charging scheme in Greater Manchester: July 2008

 

reference in this information pack book ( The What Book is available from GMPTE) about new or enhanced bus provision for Salford is as follows:

 

 

BUSES

 

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BUS SERVICE CHANGES

Radial Service Improvement and Improved Access to Employment, Education and Healthcare: Bolton – Manchester Service and Leigh-Salford-Manchester Service

The proposals for both the Leigh - Salford – Manchester services and the Wigan – Atherton -Manchester service will see the introduction of a new 7/8 minute frequency, high quality service into the Regional Centre via the East Lancashire Road and Salford University. This service will operate cross city to the Higher Education Precinct and Manchester Royal Infirmary to improve access to these facilities from the west of the conurbation. The Bolton – Manchester service will also be improved to operate every 7/8 minutes between Bolton and Manchester. This will also be extended to operate cross-city to the Higher Education Precinct and Manchester Royal Infirmary to offer a combined 16 buses per hour between Irlams o’ th’ Height and Manchester Royal Infirmary via Salford University and the Regional Centre.

Page 10 column 1

Feeder Service and Improved Access to Healthcare and Shops: Clifton Estate – Salford Royal Hospital
Clifton estate services will be rationalised into one twenty minute frequency service to Eccles via Swinton giving passengers same stop interchange on Bolton Road for the Bolton – Manchester service, at Swinton Station and in Swinton centre for trips to Pendleton on Routes 36 and 37.

Page 10 column 1

Improved Access to Employment: Locks and Quays and Improved Services in Salford Outside the M60.

Locks and Quays

Although served by the Eccles line of Metrolink, Salford Quays is not well served by bus, with only an hourly service between Eccles and Stretford currently operating through the Quays. The Media City development will see a major new facility being created with the need to link it to areas not provided for by the proposed Metrolink spur. Similarly, the emerging Irwell Riverside residential developments in Ordsall and the mixed use Middlewood Locks developments are not currently well served and some distance from regular and frequent bus services. The Locks and Quays service will offer a dedicated and branded bus service operating every 20 minutes from Salford Crescent station via Salford Shopping City (Pendleton Precinct) to Media City. From here the service will continue via Ordsall and Middlewood into the Regional Centre to terminate at Oxford Road station.

Page 10 column 2

Improving services beyond the M60

The Boothstown area and other areas of Salford beyond the M60 will see a number of service improvements. A new peak and off peak limited stop service will operate between Leigh, Boothstown, East Lancashire Road, Salford Crescent and Manchester giving faster, more regular and reliable journeys to Salford Crescent and the Regional Centre. The existing 30 minute frequency daytime, hourly evening and Sunday service between Leigh, Swinton and Manchester will be diverted via Boothstown and Worsley offering direct connections to services on the Leigh – Salford – Manchester busway. The existing Boothstown – Walkden – Bolton service will be increased to operate every 30 minutes, daytime and hourly in the evenings and on Sundays and a coordinated 30 minute frequency service will operate between Tyldesley Interchange and the Trafford Centre .

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Radial Service Improvement and Improved Access to Health, Education and Employment: Leigh – Salford – Manchester – Manchester Royal Infirmary

The proposals for the Leigh - Salford – Manchester busway will see the introduction of a new 15 minute frequency, high quality service to the City Centre and onwards to Manchester Royal Infirmary. In addition the existing route 32 will be improved to operate every 15 minutes between Wigan and Manchester. This will be rerouted from Tyldesley to join the busway and offer 8 buses per hour between Tyldesley and Manchester Royal Infirmary via the East Lancashire Road, Salford University and the Regional Centre.

Page 12 column 2

TIF investment to improve bus operations

The bus network improvements will be complemented by a package of investments to improve the operation of the bus services themselves. These measures are designed to provide the infrastructure for high quality bus services on the key corridors that are complementary to rail or Metrolink lines, as well as catering for the high levels of demand within the M60 ring where bus services are most heavily used. In a number of areas there is an opportunity to introduce measures that will speed up bus journeys by introducing a package of measures that will give buses priority over other traffic. This package comprises the following schemes:

• Leigh-Salford-Manchester bus transit - (partly funded from the Regional Funding Allocation);

• Oxford Road bus transit;

• Bolton to Manchester bus transit;

• Cross city corridors; and

• District centre corridors.

These proposals will allow bus services to operate more reliably and compete more effectively with the car on key routes. They will also include improved passenger information displays and more attractive waiting facilities. More details of these individual schemes are contained at Appendix 1.

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Leigh-Salford-Manchester bus transit

The scheme, which is partially funded by the Regional Funding allocation, comprises dedicated services from both Wigan and Leigh to Manchester and incorporates the following measures:

• the operation of 4 buses per hour from Wigan and 4 buses an hour from Leigh through to central Manchester and the Manchester Royal Infirmary;

• services operated with premium style articulated buses; construction of a segregated guided busway along the disused railway corridor between Leigh and Ellenbrook;

• bus priority and highway improvements on the sections of route where the system runs on highway;

• fully accessible bus stops with high quality shelters, CCTV, Passenger Help Points and Real Time Passenger Information; and

• provision of a recreational route alongside the guided busway, designed for use by walkers and cyclists and with equestrian provision alongside a section of the route. The length of the route from Wigan to Manchester is 32km and the length of the route from Leigh to Manchester is 22km. The potential to extend these services south of the MRI, using the Oxford Road corridor is under review. The key journey time savings which will be achieved by the scheme (based on the inbound AM peak) are as follows:

• Leigh –Manchester: Reduction of journey time from 70 minutes to 52 minutes;

• Wigan – Atherton: Reduction of journey time from 44 minutes to 42 minutes;and

• Wigan – Manchester: Reduction of journey time from 107 minutes to 88 minutes.

These proposed services will make travel by bus to the city a far quicker and easier option than at present for people in the areas served.

Key benefits

• each bus stop will have a high quality bus shelter with seating, real time passenger  information, CCTV coverage and lighting;

• high specification articulated buses. These high quality vehicles meet current and proposed UK and European emissions standards where relevant, and will provide;

• capacity for approximately 100 passengers;

• on-board audio and visual real time passenger information;

• on-board CCTV cameras; and

• air conditioning throughout.

• quick passenger boarding due to level/gap free boarding, and bus tickets being purchased in advance rather than on the bus;

• a recreational route will be provided alongside the guided busway. This will be used by walkers and cyclists, with horseriding provision between Holden Road and Newearth Road; and four park and ride sites at Leigh East Bond Street (70 spaces), Tyldesley interchange (50 spaces), Tyldesley Hough Lane (42 spaces) and Salford M61/A580 junction (265 spaces) are also proposed. It is proposed that construction will commence in late 2009, with the new services running in early 2012.

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Vicinity of Salford Central Station

A new facility to provide better interchange between bus services and between buses and trains is proposed on the western side of the Regional Centre in the vicinity of Salford Central. There are very significant regeneration proposals in this area and discussions are still taking place with Salford City Council and Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company on the details of this proposal.

Powers and consultation

The overall development of the Regional Centre Interchanges scheme should be seen in the context of the wider Regional Centre Transport Strategy (RCTS), currently being developed by GMPTA/E and Salford and Manchester City Councils. As part of the development of the strategy and the scheme specific proposals, initial consultation has been undertaken. This has included individual discussions with key stakeholders, and more extensive consultation on the overall transport strategy with both stakeholders and the general public. Consultation will continue throughout the design, planning and implementation process as the schemes develop.

 

 

 

FLEXIBLE TRANSPORT

 

 

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Flexible transport

Flexible transport (FT) is a door-to-door transport service targeted at specific geographic areas, or at specific journey types. The service is planned as a positive addition to the conventional network, enabling people who are located away from main routes to access the trunk bus network. GMPTE’s current FT system accounts for over 300,000 passenger journeys a year, across Greater Manchester. A number of types of FT scheme operate in Greater Manchester:

• demand responsive transport (DRT) – for those who live in areas with limited or no public transport;

• Ring and Ride – for individuals and groups for whom public transport use is difficult or impossible including, for example, people whose mobility is impaired; and

• community transport (CT) – CT provides a similar service to Ring and Ride and operates a range of services for individuals and groups across Greater Manchester.

Under the TIF proposals the current FT network will be expanded to complement the revised bus network in areas of relatively low demand. The new services will be designed to provide public transport alternatives for trips that are more difficult to make by ‘fixed’ public transport. The details of the enhanced DRT system will be designed to dovetail with the outcome of the review of the main bus network. The services will be similar to those which currently operate providing vital additional local connections. A period of consultation and engagement will refine the pattern of services that will be provided.

Page 14 column 2

Yellow School Buses (YSBs)

By 2018, it is intended that over 300 YSBs will be deployed across Greater Manchester, building on the success of the current 36 vehicles. At the current rate of usage this will result in an estimated patronage of over 5 million home-to-school trips per annum. TIF will deliver 120 new YSB vehicles on routes that have been provisionally identified across Greater Manchester. This includes 70 completely new services and 50 services which replace existing home-to-school routes. These have been designed based on current conditions. It is intended that these services will be further enhanced by another 170 vehicles, funded by a combination of the Government’s Regional Funding Allocation (RFA) and ‘Local’ funds, bringing the total to 326.

Page 14 column 2

What the YSB scheme offers

The YSB scheme means more than just yellowcoloured buses. It includes a whole package of features which combine to create an attractive, affordable and safe way of getting children to school, such as:

• new, safe, high quality, purpose-built buses which are fully accessible and environmentally friendly;

• greater convenience, with pupils picked up close to home and dropped off near school;

• availability too for teachers, subject to discussions with individual headteachers;

• affordable; at today’s prices, weekly YSB tickets cost £6.

• greater comfort, with a guaranteed seat for each child and no standing, through the use of a photo card pass system linked to a seating plan administered by drivers;

• a more enjoyable journey, travelling with other children from the school and with music on the bus; greater safety and security, with regular fully-trained drivers, CCTV, seatbelts and pupils signed up to a code of behaviour; and

• buses available outside school start and finish times to run school trips, to baths and to and from sports fixtures and after school activities. During 2006/7 the existing Yellow School Bus services delivered the following benefits:

• estimated total patronage 561,000 home to- school trips per annum, equating to an average of 41 passengers per bus service;

• total patronage on other education related trips was 690,000 per annum from 580 return trips per bus;

• reduction in car miles of 265,000 or 7,800 per bus ( 30% of new users surveyed stated they would otherwise use a car to get to school);and

• reduction in total reported anti-social behaviour incidents compared to the year prior to introduction of each YSB and 2006/7: from 185 to 45 (75%). Application packs are distributed via each school and direct to pupils’ homes before the services are introduced. These packs include all the necessary information to help parents decide whether to apply for a pass on the YSB. Pupils must show this pass to the driver each time they get on the bus, before either paying the concessionary fare, using the Yellow School Bus weekly ticket or the System 1 Junior BusSaver ticket. All timetables are available online, as well as an individual copy which will be sent to pupils’ homes when passes are issued before new services start. For further information, please visit the website at: www.yellowschoolbus.info.

Page 15 column 2

Expanding the scheme under TIF

In total 120 TIF funded YSBs will provide hometo-school transport for an estimated 62 schools across Greater Manchester, with all buses being available outside the school run times for educational work including school trips as well as trips to swimming baths and to and from sports fixtures and after school activities. GMPTE has used anonymous pupil postcode data from all the secondary schools in Greater Manchester to identify areas where YSB deployment will achieve greatest impact as part of the TIF strategy. The scheme will convert existing conventional services, as well as introducing new services where no direct links to school are currently available. In order to get the best value for money from the services, a new YSB service has only been proposed where there are enough pupils to fill most of a bus and where most of these pupils would be unlikely to have a direct trip by a frequent service bus. All these services are subject to change as pupil catchments alter and the bus network develops, with all vehicles due to be phased in by 2013. Services will be reviewed in detail before they are introduced and consultation with schools, pupils and parents will be undertaken in the twelve months before any service is due to begin.

Page 15 column 2

Expanding the scheme under RFA and local funding

The distribution of the services proposed under TIF is linked to how much the pupils and their families in each district are likely to be affected by the location of the rings of charging points. However, local resources are also available in the shorter term via Local Transport Plan funding for an estimated additional 50 vehicles. Following a 2004 bid to the Government, there is also provisional funding approval for £25.4 million, via the Regional Funding Allocation (RFA) for further YSBs. This scheme is programmed to be introduced over three years from 2015/6. It is estimated that this will fund a further 120 vehicles at 2015 -2018 prices. The location of these services will be completely unrelated to the rings of charging points, and will help improve home-to-school transport for pupils from every district in Greater Manchester. Significant future changes in school sites and pupil catchments are likely, as the full effect of the 2006 Education and School Inspections Act and any future legislation is felt. This means that specific routes and the consequent allocation of RFA funded YSBs to districts cannot be finalised at this stage. The earlier allocation of vehicles by district, through local funding and under TIF, will however be taken into account, in order to even up the allocation across districts as far as possible without detriment to the overall RFA business case and its Benefit Cost Ratio. At present, the indicative breakdown of proposed vehicles to be delivered by district across Greater Manchester following TIF, RFA and Local funding contributions is as follows:

District	Number of current services	Vehicles Funded by LTP and TIFF	Vehicles funded by RFA	Total by 2018
Salford	1	19	9	29
Greater Manchester TOTAL	36	170	120	326

 

 

RAIL 

 

 

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Wigan/ Bolton/Blackburn to Manchester corridor

This corridor is one of the two busiest in Greater Manchester. Local services continue beyond Bolton to Blackburn / Clitheroe, Wigan / Southport and Preston / Blackpool. Passenger volumes between Preston and Manchester rose by almost 75% between 1999 and 2004. Blackburn, Blackpool North, Bolton, Preston and Wigan stations are all amongst the busiest stations in the north-west. Nearly 2 million passengers a year travel between Bolton and Manchester.

Planned improvements

• longer platforms where necessary;

• improved stations at Hall i’ th’ Wood, Bromley Cross, Lostock, Blackrod,

Westhoughton, Gathurst and Appley Bridge;

• extensive improvements at Bolton and Salford Crescent stations;

• new platforms will be built on the Wigan line at Lostock Station;

• an earlier train will be operated from Clitheroe to Manchester to ease overcrowding on this service in the mornings; and

• extra capacity to reduce overcrowding and enable more people to use the service after charging is introduced.

Page 19 column 1

Salford Crescent

A major upgrade of Salford Crescent station is proposed to improve passenger facilities and allow more trains to stop there. This station is currently used by 38,000 passengers per week. Passenger numbers are forecast to rise to 57,000 per week by 2014 and major changes to the current design are needed if this growth is to be accommodated and if longer trains are to be able to serve the station. Detailed proposals for the station’s redesign are currently being developed and will be subject to full consultation with all interested parties, including Salford City Council and the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company.

Page 19 column 2

Wigan and Atherton to Manchester line

The two Wigan stations are some of the most heavily used in the north west. 10% of passengers travelling on this line do not have a seat during the three hour peak period.

Planned improvements

• improvements to Walkden, Atherton, Daisy Hill, Hindley, Ince, Wigan Wallgate, Pemberton and Bryn stations;

• service patterns will be changed so longer Southport trains operate via the Bolton Line; and

• extra capacity to reduce overcrowding and enable more people to use the service.

Page 19 column 2

Eccles and Chat Moss to Manchester line

This is a particularly heavily used line in the rush hours – 10% of passengers are denied a seat on the eleven trains which operate in the three hour morning peak.

Planned Improvements

• longer trains and improvements to Eccles station, including enhanced signage to improve interchange with Metrolink services;

• enhanced interchange / park and ride facilities at Newton-le-Willows funded by Merseytravel will support the overall TIF package;

• extra capacity to reduce overcrowding and enable more people to use the service; and

• resources have also been identified to support the delivery of a new station at Golborne and feasibility studies for the options are currently being undertaken.

Page 20 column 1

Irlam and Urmston to Manchester line

Nearly 50% of passengers on the busiest trains on this line have to stand. There are two significant park & ride facilities at Birchwood and Liverpool South Parkway. For these facilities to be used to the full, all express services between Liverpool and Manchester will need to stop at both stations.

Planned Improvements

• improvements to Flixton and Irlam stations;

• a new station at White City where this line passes close to where six Metrolink lines will come together. An interchange in this area will reduce some passenger journey times by ten minutes, as passengers will no longer need to travel into the heart of the City Centre and back out again. Access will be improved to the Old Trafford and Salford Quays employment areas – including the BBC / Media City development and Manchester United’s ground;

• lengthening platforms where necessary; and

• extra capacity to reduce overcrowding and enable more people to use the service after charging is introduced.

Page 22 column 2

Salford Central

Issues

Salford Central station is well located for access to a number of the recent office developments in the City Centre, most notably the Spinningfields development. Consequently, the use of Central station has already increased significantly and this growth is expected to continue. The station is also served by Metroshuttle allowing passengers to easily access all parts of the Regional Centre. GMPTE, with the support of £1million from the European Regional Development Fund, has recently completed a £5million improvement programme to the station. The intention is to make further improvements to upgrade operational capacity, passenger facilities (particularly at platform level) and linkages to adjacent developments. There are very significant regeneration proposals for the area immediately surrounding the station and westwards along Chapel Street. The intention is to ensure that further improvements to the station complement and add value to the area’s regeneration, and that the station becomes a key gateway for the west of the Regional Centre.

Proposals

Raising the heights of the existing platforms will provide easier access to trains. Building two new platforms will allow trains to and from Eccles and Liverpool to stop at the station, with the added benefit of more operational flexibility, in the event of disruption to services. Further improvements to the concourse and ticket office area are proposed, along with a potential new entrance to the west of the station. Walking routes to the surrounding area and to new development sites will also be enhanced and there are separate proposals to improve interchange with buses which are described in a later section of this document.

 

 

METRO

 

 

Page 23 column 2

Phase 3a Proposals

GMPTE has recently obtained funding approval and appointed a “Design, Construct and Maintain Consortium” to build three more lines to provide a further 31.5km of track and 28 additional vehicles. These additional lines, known as Phase 3a, will almost double the length of the current network and will be completed in stages during 2011 and 2012. The schemes involve:

• converting the rail line from Manchester to Oldham and Rochdale to Metrolink using the existing route but not going into the town centres;

• a new line from Old Trafford to Chorlton (St Werburgh’s Road);

• a line from Manchester Piccadilly to Droylsden; and

• a short spur off the existing Salford Quays and Eccles line to serve the new Media City development.

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Manchester second city centre crossing

Key benefits

The Second City Centre Crossing will;

• provide extra trams giving improved access to areas in the western half of the City Centre;

• help boost the economic growth of the Spinningfields, Salford Central and Deansgate areas which are currently remote from Metrolink;

• provide extra capacity across the whole Metrolink network, which will otherwise be restricted by lack of space on existing trams;

• help to make the whole Metrolink network operate more smoothly and efficiently by providing an alternative to the congested Mosley Street route; and

• make it possible to extend other services, to serve the City Centre without having to change trams en-route.

 

PARK AND RIDE

 

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Park and Ride

Our strategy

Our park and ride strategy aims to provide car users, who would otherwise find it difficult or inconvenient to travel for all of their journey by public transport, with easy access to park and ride (P&R) sites served by fast, high quality services – whether rail, Metrolink or bus transit. By providing high quality, safe and secure car parks linked to fast and frequent public transport services we aim to reduce overall car mileage and congestion, and improve air quality.

Reducing car mileage, increasing public transport use

There are currently 3,800 park and ride spaces at rail and Metrolink stations. As part of Metrolink Phase 3a, new park and ride facilities will be provided at Hollinwood and Derker on the Oldham and Rochdale extension. The TIF strategy aims to deliver approximately 3,500 additional spaces. The sites in the package have been carefully selected to reduce car mileage and increase public transport usage. The sites are all outside or at the edge of the M60 to dovetail with the overall package of TIF measures designed to maximise the reduction in traffic volumes within the M60. All new spaces will be well-lit, with CCTV connected to existing monitoring facilities. Where stations are manned, the CCTV will benefit from being monitored by staff on site. As is the case for most existing rail station car parks, barriers are not proposed, unless the facilities are to be shared with non-rail users. It is expected that all sites will be open 24 hours a day. Passengers using the new car parks and most existing car parks and making onward journeys by train, tram or bus will not be charged for parking at the facilities.

Individual sites

Discussions are still taking place on the details of these proposals and formal planning applications will need to be submitted in due course at which time the final number of spaces to be provided will be determined. The current proposals include the following sites:

M61/A580 Junction: Up to 265 spaces can be provided at a site adjacent to the route of the Leigh – Salford – Manchester busway. The car park will be readily accessible from the neighbouring trunk road and motorway networks, and will provide for easy interchange on to the busway system for journeys into the Regional Centre.

Leigh-Salford-Manchester busway: Up to 160 further park and ride spaces can be provided on three smaller scale sites adjacent to the busway route in Leigh and Tyldesley. These are designed as local facilities for people who live relatively close to the busway, but too far away from it for walking to be an attractive option.