Rochdale is set to benefit from a revolutionary new transport investment announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves during a visit to Mellor’s bus factory this morning, as part of a £15.6 billion national package.
Rochdale and other towns across Greater Manchester are in line to receive next generation tram-trains and improved Metrolink services, after the Labour Chancellor pledged £2.5 billion for the region over the next seven years.
The hybrid tram-train technology allows new vehicles to run on both tram and rail tracks using battery power, meaning they can operate without overhead lines. As a result, the Metrolink network will expand to reach 64 more stations across Greater Manchester, including Oldham, Heywood and Bury.
Heywood is also confirmed to be getting a Metrolink extension, in what Heywood and Middleton North MP Elsie Blundell called a “transformational” moment for her constituency.
“This is the UK’s biggest ever local transport investment, and finally brings Metrolink to Heywood,” she said. “The Government has listened to the needs of our towns and communities.”
The investment is part of the next stage of the Bee Network, a plan to create the UK’s first fully electric, zero-emission integrated public transport system by 2030. It will include 1,000 more electric buses, many expected to be built at the Mellor factory in Rochdale.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham called the announcement a “game changing moment”, saying the new funding would help support green growth and unlock economic potential over the next decade.
“This is a major boost for our plans to invest £10 billion, build new homes, create jobs and better connect our city-region,” he said. “It makes joined-up travel by bus, bike, tram and train a reality.”
Also included in the plans are new tram stops, an extension of the Metrolink to Stockport town centre, and further local rail lines brought into the Bee Network.
The Chancellor’s visit to Rochdale comes after a report by Transport for Greater Manchester praised the role of Rochdale Interchange in helping to unlock regeneration. The £12 million facility, which opened in 2013, freed up land for the Rochdale Riverside retail development and its second phase, Upper Banks, home to a new Hilton hotel and hundreds of town centre apartments.
Councillor Danny Meredith, who leads on regeneration and housing at Rochdale Borough Council, said the interchange had “transformed the town centre beyond all recognition” and was key to the borough’s “excellent connectivity”.
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