Wigan: Bus Network Proposals

Leigh-Salford-Manchester rapid bus service.

This project will bring a new generation of bus technology to Greater Manchester. For part of the route, buses will run automatically guided on their own separate trackway, running every 15 minutes. For most of the rest of the route buses will travel on the general highway but in their own lanes, separate from general traffic. The proposed 22km ‘busway’ will run partly along the old Leigh to Ellenbrook rail line. Services from Wigan to Manchester would join the busway at Tyldesley.

This service will also operate cross-city to the Higher Education Precinct and Manchester Royal Infirmary to improve access to these facilities from areas in the west such as Wigan.

The cycle and walkway alongside the route will be retained and upgraded.

General bus network

The new general bus network will have about 10% more services than it has now, and some parts of the county will experience a greater increase in bus services at specific times of day. For example, for Sunday daytime and evening services to Wigan and Leigh town centres, the increase will be around 20%.

Bus services will start earlier in the morning and finish later at night. The network will provide ‘minimum service frequencies’, so that on the main routes to the city centre, at least eight buses an hour will run through the day time, except Sundays, and no fewer than three buses an hour will be available in evenings and on Sundays.

The scheme will improve the comfort and security of the whole journey, with more stops including shelters, better lighting and CCTV. Real-time passenger information at the most popular stops will let people know when their bus is due.

On the street, buses will have priority, running in almost continuous bus lanes and getting priority at traffic signals. This will clearly improve punctuality.

Improving bus services across Wigan
Many routes will have an increased service frequency, including evenings, early mornings and Sundays. The whole network will be simpler to understand, and better co-ordinated with other bus services, Metrolink and rail. 

90% of the population of the borough of Wigan will be within a five-minute walk of bus services, running at least every 20 minutes during the day, Monday to Saturday. Services will run at least every 30 minutes for weekday early mornings and evenings, and on Sundays.

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

By introducing vehicle location technology, services will run more efficiently and reliably. New passenger information displays will be provided at stops and stations giving up-to-the-minute information on bus services people are waiting to catch. Improving passenger information in this way is crucial to building greater confidence – and more use – of public transport.