Our Network

Greater Manchester is growing. That means more people want to live and work here and that more journeys are being made.

To keep Greater Manchester moving we need to ensure we have a truly integrated public transport system, so that getting around our city-region is easy, accessible and affordable. We also need excellent walking and cycling links in our local neighbourhoods so that we can walk and cycle easily and safely for shorter journeys. 

That means having the right connections to the right places, simple ticketing that works across different modes of transport and the necessary powers to ensure our transport network works together for the benefit of Greater Manchester’s people and businesses.

Our Network sets out everything we want to achieve over the next ten years to improve our public transport and walking and cycling networks.

ICYMI: Our Network sets out everything we want to achieve over the next ten years to improve our public #transport, #walking + #cycling networks. https://t.co/JSOz1qGU1O #OurNetworkGM #DoingThingsDifferently pic.twitter.com/NNFUiDZV4H

— Mayor Andy Burnham (@MayorofGM) June 24, 2019

It includes projects we are already delivering, including the Trafford Park Line, contactless payment on Metrolink, £160m investment in walking and cycling infrastructure, and Park and Ride improvements, alongside projects we want to deliver if we secure the funding from government, such as further extensions to Metrolink and improvements to our bus network.

Our Network is also a call to government for the political power and local accountability for Greater Manchester so that we can make the decisions needed to deliver the best sustainable transport network possible for the people and businesses of the city-region.

Our Network has been designed to align with Transport for Greater Mancester's (TfGM’s) long-term 2040 Transport Strategy (link opens in a new tab), highlighting the work that we aim to deliver in the next decade, and beyond, to make travelling in Greater Manchester easier for everyone.

View Our Network news release

Our People, Our Place, Our Network

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Bus

• Assessment into the future of Greater Manchester’s bus market has been completed and recommends franchising.
• Trial of Our Pass, allowing free bus travel for the city-region’s 16-to-18-year olds, launches in September.
• Development of proposals for Quality Bus Transit corridors to better connect our key towns.

Metrolink

• Trafford Park Line extension to open in 2020.
• 27 new trams to be delivered with the first to arrive in early 2020.
• Increased Park and Ride capacity, with nearly 1,000 new spaces by the end of 2020.
• Exploring further expansion including completing the Airport Loop (subject to funding) and further investigation of potential extensions to Port Salford, Middleton and Stalybridge.
• Development of an interchange improvement programme, including proposed new interchanges at Stockport and Bury.
• Stating an ambition to bring Stockport into the Metrolink network in the next decade.

Cycling and Walking

• A new bike hire scheme to launch in Greater Manchester in 2020.
• A new map of our Greater Manchester network ambitions for walking and cycling.
• More improvements to our local walking and cycling infrastructure as part of the £160m Mayor’s Walking and Cycling Challenge Fund.

Rail

• Launch of the Greater Manchester Rail Prospectus, which sets out our ambition for GM Rail.
• Up to three tram-train pathfinder projects
• Commitment to both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Integration and Accessibility

• Building on our work with Google Maps to provide accessibility information for Metrolink, we will now be extending this to bus services.
• Work with Google in an innovative trial to develop new traffic incident management, network performance and travel advice.
• A new open data approach to enable third parties to develop products to help people travel around Greater Manchester.