Press Releases

18 September 2008

Bus boost for Salford - details released

New details have been released about how Salford bus services would improve if the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) proposals go ahead.

The proposals include investment of up to £3 billion in Greater Manchester’s transport network and part of this would go on enhancing bus services to, from and around the town.

This would mean extra services at peak times into local town centres and Manchester city centre and more services operating during the early morning, the evenings and on Sundays.

Improvements would be funded in part by a weekday, peak time-only congestion charge to be introduced in 2013 at the earliest. At least 80 per cent of the public transport solutions will be in place before a charge is introduced.

Examples of proposed changes to buses in the Salford district include:

• Buses every four to five minutes from Eccles to the Trafford Centre
• Leigh-Salford-Manchester and Wigan-Atherton-Manchester services will provide two new high quality rapid bus services into Manchester via the East Lancs Road and Salford University.
• They will also combine to provide a Tyldesley-Salford-Manchester service every seven to eight minutes in the daytime and every 15 minutes in the evening and on Sundays.
• The Bolton-Farnworth-Kearsley service would run every seven to eight minutes in the daytime (every 10 minutes on Sundays and every 20 minutes in the evenings). It would also be extended to include the Higher Education Precinct, the new Children’s Hospital and Manchester Royal Infirmary.
• Improved links to Salford Royal Hospital with 26 buses an hour in the daytime between Eccles and the hospital and 21 an hour between Pendleton (Salford Shopping City) and Salford Royal Hospital.
• Better links across the city.

For more comprehensive information about a range of services see the Notes to Editors section below.

Improved bus services will be in addition to improvements to trains and railway stations through TIF investment. Commuter trains running through Salford will have extra carriages under the proposals and a major upgrade of Salford Crescent station, including more platforms, is being planned. Walkden, Irlam and Eccles stations will also be improved.

The Metrolink network will also be three times larger than its current size across Greater Manchester by the time the TIF transport solutions have been delivered.

Cycling also forms a key part of the proposals. Specific cycle routes planned for Salford include: the A56 Bury New Road corridor between Whitefield and the City Centre; A6 Salford to Swinton between Walkden, Salford University and Manchester City Centre; Walkden/Eccles routes between Walkden and Boothstown to Worsley and Eccles; and various routes between Irlam, Salford Quays and Manchester City Centre. Improved secure cycle parking will be provided at Salford Shopping City, Eccles and Swinton shopping centres.

Proposed improvements across Greater Manchester are almost all funded by a Government grant of £1.5 billion and borrowings of £1.2 billion which both depend on congestion charging being introduced. Other contributions will bring in a further £0.1 billion, plus investment in rail from the Department for Transport.

Lord Peter Smith, Leader of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA), said: “The TIF proposals promise considerable public transport benefits for Salford, including new and upgraded bus services. I’d encourage everyone in the area to look at the details of what the proposals would mean for them.”

Anyone who has not yet given their views on the proposals is encouraged to do so before October 10 - the end of the consultation. To find out how to take part in the consultation visit www.gmfuturetransport.com.

A postal referendum on the final proposals, with residents of all 10 districts in Greater Manchester voting, will be held in December.

Notes to Editors

Examples of how this could change buses in the district are:

• The Leigh – Salford – Manchester and Wigan – Atherton – Manchester services will provide  two new, high quality rapid bus services into the Manchester via the East Lancashire Road and Salford University. They will each run every 15 minutes in the daytime, and every 30 minutes in the evenings and on Sundays. They will also combine to provide a Tyldesley – Salford - Manchester service every 7/8 minutes in the daytime, and every 15 minutes in the evenings and on Sundays. Both services would feature high levels of bus priority for a fast, reliable service direct to the regional centre and operate cross-city to the Higher Education Precinct, the new Children’s Hospital and Manchester Royal Infirmary.
• In addition, the Bolton – Farnworth – Kearsley – Manchester service will run every 7/8 minutes in the daytime, every 20 minutes in the evenings and every 10 minutes on Sundays. It will also be extended to include the Higher Education Precinct, the new Children’s Hospital and Manchester Royal Infirmary, providing a combined 16 buses an hour between Irlams o’th’ Height and Manchester Royal Infirmary, via Salford University and Manchester city centre.
• A new service will run between Clifton and Salford Royal Hospital via Pendlebury, Swinton, Monton  and Eccles giving passengers same stop interchange on Bolton Road, Pendlebury for the high frequency Bolton – Manchester bus transit service and in Swinton centre for high frequency services to Salford Shopping City. The service will run every 20 minutes in the daytime, hourly in the evenings and every 30 minutes on Sundays
  

Improved links to Salford Royal Hospital

The TIF package will provide, in weekday daytimes:

• A service every five minutes to Pendleton, Salford Crescent, Manchester and Eccles via Eccles Old Road;
•  A service every 10 minutes to Brookhouse, Charlestown, Broughton, The Trafford Centre, Irlam and Cadishead;
• A service every 20-minutes to Monton, Swinton and Clifton, and;
• A service every 30 minutes to Swinton Park, Agecroft, Prestwich, Wardley, Walkden, Little Hulton and Farnworth.
  

Overall, there will be 26 buses an hour in the daytime between Eccles and Salford Royal Hospital and 21 an hour between Pendleton (Salford Shopping City) and Salford Royal Hospital.

Improved links to Salford Quays

The TIF package will introduce a new Salford Crescent station – Salford Shopping City – Salford Quays – Ordsall Riverside – Middlewood Locks – Manchester City Centre (Oxford Road Station) service to run every 20 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime, and every half-hour in the evenings and on Sundays.

The existing number 69 service will be revised to provide a more direct service between Eccles, Salford Royal Hospital, Pendleton and the Quays before continuing on to Stretford, Urmston and Trafford General Hospital.

Better services to Trafford Park

13 buses an hour will run between Eccles and Trafford Park.

• The existing Manchester – Pendleton – Eccles – Trafford Centre service will run every 10 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime, every 30 minutes in the evening and every 15 minutes on Sundays. The existing Warrington – Cadishead – Irlam – Trafford Centre journeys will become a new, stand-alone service, operating hourly throughout the week.
• The existing Bolton – Little Hulton – Eccles – Manchester service will be diverted from Salford Royal Hospital over Centenary Bridge to serve Trafford Park and The Trafford Centre instead of Manchester City Centre. This will provide through journeys from Little Hulton, Walkden, Worsley, Monton and Eccles every 30 minutes daytime and 60 minutes evenings.
• The existing Bolton – Swinton – Eccles – Trafford Centre – Stockport service will run every 20 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime, providing through journeys from Pendlebury, Swinton, Monton and Eccles.
• The existing Altrincham – Partington – Trafford Centre – Eccles service will be rerouted over Centenary Bridge to better serve Trafford Park and will link in with the rerouted service from Bolton to provide services every 15 minutes in the daytime on weekdays.
  

Better orbital links across the city

Services will be increased on the following orbital routes:

• Bolton – Swinton – Eccles – Trafford Centre – Stockport
• Clifton – Swinton – Eccles
• Prestwich – Agecroft – Swinton – Eccles
• Cheetham – Pendleton – Hulme – Gorton
• Bury – Prestwich – Kersal – Pendleton
  

The existing Prestwich – Agecroft – Swinton – Eccles – Salford Royal Hospital service will be rerouted via Swinton Park and Lancaster Road and will run every 30 minutes in the daytime and every hour in the evening and on Sundays.

The existing Pendleton – Agecroft services will be rerouted to operate via Lower Kersal and Brindle Heath, and will additionally serve Agecroft Commerce Park to offer direct access to employment opportunities. It will run every 30 minutes in the daytime.

The existing Leigh – East Lancashire Road – Manchester express service will be diverted to include Boothstown. It will run every 30 minutes at peak times and hourly in the off-peak.

The existing Leigh – Boothstown – Worsley – Swinton – Pendleton – Manchester service will be diverted between Boothstown and Worsley to operate via Ellenbrook Road, East Lancashire Road and Walkden Road to avoid the severe peak hour congestion on Leigh Road and to additionally offer connections with the cross-city services from Leigh and Wigan to Manchester.

The existing Leigh – Boothstown – Trafford Centre and Wigan – Atherton – Boothstown – Trafford Centre services will be combined to run between the proposed Tyldesley Interchange, (providing connections with the Wigan/ Leigh – Salford – Manchester rapid bus service), and The Trafford Centre via Astley, Boothstown, Leigh Road and the M60. It will run every 30 minutes on weekdays and hourly on Sundays.

The existing Leigh – Boothstown – Walkden – Little Hulton – Bolton service will run every 30 minutes in the daytime, and every hour in the evening and on Sundays.

The existing Brookhouse – Eccles – Salford Royal Hospital – Pendleton – Broughton – Manchester service will run the full route every 30 minutes in the evening and every 20 minutes on Sunday daytimes.

The existing Worsley – Monton – Eccles – Eccles New Road – Manchester service will run every 10 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime, and every half hour in the evening and on Sundays.

A new service between Eccles and Manchester, via Westwood Park, Claremont, Pendleton and Ordsall, will run every 20 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime, every hour in the evening and every 30 minutes on Sundays.

The Bury – Prestwich – Kersal – Broughton – Manchester service will run every 10 minutes, Monday to Saturday daytime, every 30 minutes in the evening and every 20 minute on Sundays.