Next Steps for the Bee Network

So much progress has been made over recent years, to Mayor Andy Burnham’s great credit, to deliver Bee Network buses to all of Greater Manchester, integrate ticketing between buses and trams, keep the £2 single fare cap in place and begin work to deliver Bee Network commuter rail in phases in 2028 and 2030.

A single London-style transport system for our city-region which is clean, green, affordable, reliable, accessible & publicly owned is what we are creating. Now is not the time to be complacent, but instead to double down & go further.

𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 …

I support Manchester Evening News’ campaign to secure a free bus pass for all homeless children in temporary accommodation in Greater Manchester who are more than a 30 minutes walk away from school.

This measure will prove vital for some of the most vulnerable families in our borough and ensure children who face uncertainty that they are not uprooted from their local support networks and the communities they call home.

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗱𝗮𝗹𝗲, 𝗛𝗲𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝘆 …

Over many years as local MP in Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton, I have called for an extension to our tram route so it can serve more communities and connects differing areas without having to go via Manchester City-centre.

Therefore, it is brilliant to see that the outline business case is set to be completed in 2026 for the Oldham-Rochdale line to connect to Bury via Heywood, completing an orbital route in the north-east of the conurbation. Along with new stops set to be added to our line in North Manchester & Cop Road starting in 2030, government transport infrastructure funding is having an impact.

The new route will utilise many existing infrastructure assets, including via the Rochdale tram line and potentially the East Lancashire Railway unlocking tram-train technology on the network.

Encouraged by this progress, as your local MP, I will push for more by continuing to advocate for the reopening of Middleton Junction station (as is happening in Golbourne and Cheadle), and for the expansion of the tram network by bringing existing routes in our borough Middleton & Chadderton.

𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆-𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱 …

Last week’s meeting of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority saw the approval given for work to begin on the development of a plan for an underground system for the centre of our city-region.

Our city-region is changing. The population will have exceeded 3 million by the late 2030’s. By 2035, there will be at least 200,000 new jobs created across Greater Manchester, with 600,000 additional daily trips on our transport network.

Greater Manchester is already the fastest growing city-region in the UK, and we want to ensure this growth is not held back. Taking our network underground will unlock investment potential on the surface and mean greater capacity and reliability of trams and trains.