£120m funding to extend Metrolink
THE Government has announced a £120.9m funding boost to extend Manchester’s Metrolink tram system.
The latest areas to benefit will be Ashton-under-Lyne and East Didsbury.
Transport Minister Sadiq Khan said: “Metrolink is at the heart of Manchester’s transport system and has been providing a great service to the travelling public for more than a decade.
“People travelling to and from Didsbury and Ashton will now reap the benefits of a having a direct link to the city centre – improving job opportunities and giving a boost to local businesses.”
The proposed 4.5km Chorlton to East Didsbury extension will run on the route of a former railway line and will include five new tram stops, connecting Chorlton with Withington, West Didsbury, Burton Road Didsbury Village and East Didsbury.
The Ashton extension will see 3.9 km of new track laid and four new stops, connecting the town centres of Droylsden and Ashton.
The funding will also pay for six trams to the Metrolink fleet and two new park and ride sites at Ashton Moss and Ashton West for over 600 cars.
The projects announced today are in addition to the extensions to Oldham, Rochdale, and Chorlton to which the Government agreed to contribute £244m of funding in May 2008 and which are now under construction.
Construction work is set to begin early next year, with the East Didsbury line anticipated to be ready for service in summer 2013 and the Ashton line ready for service in winter 2013/14.
Mr Khan also announced that the Government would provide extra funding to allow rail carriages formerly in use on the Oldham Loop line to be used to lengthen busy peak time services.
In total, 15 services per day will be lengthened from July 2010, providing capacity for an extra 959 passengers each morning peak, with a similar increase in the evening. Some trains will have twice has much capacity as before.
