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Transport Innovation Fund
 

Press Releases

31 October 2008

TIF Package Revisions

Today the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) has agreed on the final Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) package which Greater Manchester residents will vote on in early December.  

Lord Peter Smith, Leader of AGMA said:

“The public consultation exercise was a huge undertaking and I am delighted with the number of constructive contributions which have been made to us. Many people and organisations have recognised the need for significant investment in public transport.

“Others while recognising the need to tackle congestion have identified concerns about the detail of the congestion charge proposals. It is also clear that there are still too many people who lack awareness about the detailed operation of the scheme.

“The proposals which have today been approved by AGMA respond to the outcomes of the public consultation.

“Where public transport is concerned we will make provision for additional investment in light rail and Metrolink stops, more yellow school buses and park and ride facilities. We are also making provision for a new rail station at Golborne and the development of the East Lancashire Railway.

“Many urged us to develop a fares strategy which has now been done with the major bus operators. There will be a new simplified structure, there will be price caps on fares, and there is agreement about the introduction of an integrated smartcard which will also provide a fares discount during peak periods for low paid people.

“We have also listened to business too on the development of our charging proposals.

“The daily cap has been halved so that drivers will only pay once for passing each ring in a two and a half hour charging period, regardless of how many times they cross them.  We have agreed with business too that there should be no charge for crossing the outer charging ring for workers who are based in Trafford Park until they have the optimum public transport package in place giving them choice to leave their cars at home.

“We are also promoting a groundbreaking partnership with the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and the freight industry on how we work together to reduce the contribution which road-based freight activities make to congestion within Greater Manchester. We will work with them on the actual benefits and costs the freight industry will face in the first year of the operation of the charging scheme. Until that work is done we have agreed to defer any charge for HGVs.

“AGMA have also agreed to the detailed boundaries for outer and inner rings which respect the local ties of communities and local journeys to schools and shops that do not add to congestion during the peak periods.

“The package has been strengthened even further as a result of the public consultation exercise. The package ensures we tackle congestion, promotes business and will create many thousands of jobs. I believe the package is right for Greater Manchester but whatever people think, I urge them to ensure they familiarise themselves with the detail because the referendum will be one of the most important decisions we ever take in this area for many years.”

As a result of responses to the consultation the package has been refined and the following changes are outlined below.

NEW Bus Improvements

  • The final package includes a 50% increase in Yellow School buses. 180 new Yellow School buses are in the refined TIF package.  This is in addition to the 36 already servicing schools in Greater Manchester and a further 120 to be delivered through the RFA, making a total of 336 in operation by 2016.
  • The Barton Gyratory bus priority scheme in Trafford between Altrincham and Stretford is now proposed to be funded from the bus priority programme with full details to be worked up in partnership with Trafford at the appropriate stage

NEW Fares and Ticketing Proposals

 

  • A 20% reduction on public transport fares, in the morning and afternoon weekday peak periods, for low paid workers (on the statutory minimum wage) via the smartcard.  Regardless of whether travel is on a bus, by rail or Metrolink low paid workers would get 20% off their fares at peak times in any direction.
  • Smartcard would act as an electronic ‘purse’ and guarantees to charge the lowest fare
  • TIF would include better integrated ticketing and a simplified fares structure with 2 or 3 common fares bands.

NEW Rail Services

 

  • If TIF goes ahead, LTP funding would be re-prioritised to allow for:
    • developing the East Lancashire Railway,
    • the Blackburn/Bolton/Salford rail corridor
    • and a new station to serve Golborne
  • More Park and Ride at rail stations with an additional 2,000 spaces

NEW Metrolink Improvements

  • A new Metrolink stop at Kingsway Business Park between Shaw and Rochdale.
  • Approval to develop a business case to extend Metrolink beyond the Trafford Centre to the planned Port Salford development via the new Salford Reds stadium and the Chill Factor
  • An additional 1,400 park and ride spaces at Metrolink stops

NEW Behavioural Change Elements to the TIF Package

  • £42 million investment in accessibility to Stockport Town Centre with improved public transport services, on highway improvements, providing car and bus priority enhancements incorporating a cycle hire scheme in Stockport Town Centre in addition to the one planned in Manchester City Centre.  Pedestrian facilities and infrastructure enhancements, a dedicated travel plan co-ordinator pedestrian and locations for car club sites.
  • New park and ride sites serving the Leigh – Salford – Manchester bus Rapid Transit service at Leigh, Tyldesley Interchange, Tyldesley (Hough lane), Ashton West Metrolink and the M61/A580 junction – these will be paid for through Local Transport Plan funding
  • A working group is being established to assess elements of the package through a Behavioural Change Stakeholder Group.

NEW Improvements for Passengers

  • SMS text messages linking bus, rail, tram and road information on request.
  • More security staff on the tram network.
  • Help with travel planning to make public transport services easier to use.
  • Improved links between Stockport rail station and the new bus station allowing step free interchanges.
  • Improved linkages between Wigan Wallgate and Wigan North Western stations together with better interchange with bus services.

NEW Improvements for Car Drivers

  • Traffic signals and signs co-ordinated across Greater Manchester to improve traffic flow and journey times.
  • Information for all drivers on local traffic conditions, incidents affecting journeys and support for journey planning
  • Co-ordinated incident management to improve traffic flow and journey time reliability.

NEW Congestion Charging Scheme

The charge would affect vehicles travelling towards Manchester city centre between 7am and 9:30am which cross one or both of the charging rings. The charge would then affect vehicles travelling away from the city centre which cross one or both of the charging rings between 4pm and 6:30pm.

Cost: Weekday Mornings

£2* if crossing the Outer Ring in-bound, towards Manchester city centre between 7:00am and 9:30am

£1* if crossing the Inner Ring in-bound, towards Manchester city centre between 7:00am and 9.30am

You would only pay once regardless of how many times you cross each  ring in the charging period, e.g. you would only be charged £2* to cross the outer ring and £1* for the inner ring in the morning even if you were to cross it several times on the same morning.

Cost: Weekday Evenings

£1* if crossing the Inner Ring out-bound, (away from Manchester city centre), between 4:00pm and 6:30pm

£1* if crossing the Outer Ring out-bound, (away from Manchester city centre) between 4:00pm and 6:30pm

You would only pay £1* for each ring you cross regardless of how many times you cross it on the same evening .

This means the maximum charge for regular users is £5* regardless of how many rings are crossed in any one day.

Vehicles would not be charged at weekends or on Bank Holidays, for travelling around the M60 or if they do not cross one of the charging rings. No vehicles would be charged outside the times currently being considered.  

  • New discounts  to the charge for vehicle recovery services
  • Also Trafford Park employees would receive a 100% discount on the outer ring boundary charge until the public transport package is completed
  • Charging on HGV’s would be deferred for 12 months pending the outcome of a study on journey time savings and other benefits in relation to costs. A new partnership would be created with the Road Haulage Association to examine ways to reduce the impact the industry makes to congestion.
  • A Partnership Board would be established with neighbouring authorities to review and align transport priorities and to ensure effective coordination of investment programmes.
  • The refined package updates the routes of the outer and inner ring boundaries:
  • Outer Ring
    • Stockport – Brinnington and Travis Brow would be outside the outer ring, and the boundary would follow the River Mersey between M60 Junction 1 and Junction 4
    • Manchester – the boundary would follow the River Mersey between Junction 4 and Chorlton Water Park
    • Trafford – the boundary would follow the River Mersey between Chorlton Water Park and the A56 Stretford Road
    • Oldham – in Semple Way – Hollingwood station – Kaskenmoor School would be outside the outer ring
    • Tameside – Lord Sheldon Way, Moss way and the Snipe Retail area would be outside the outer ring (please refer to relevant maps)
  • Inner Ring
    • The inner ring would follow Alan Turning Way, Slade Lane, Moseley Road, Wilbraham Road, Withington Road, Seymour Grove, Trafford Road, Albion Way, the River Irwell between the Crescent and Frederick Road, camp Street, Great Cheetham Street, Elizabeth Street and Queen’s Road (please refer to relevant maps)

To summarise, as well as the above new changes, the following paragraphs outline the revised TIF plan.

TIF Bus Improvements

These changes are in addition to the original TIF package which offer major enhancements to the bus network with more than a 10% increase on bus services including radial routes, extra buses running especially in the morning, evening and weekends; improvements in frequency and reliability at peak times -resulting in a genuine alternative to the car.  

Fast ‘Rapid Transit’ high quality buses are also in the TIF package that would connect Leigh- Salford-Manchester, Bolton-Farnworth-Manchester and Didsbury-Manchester via the university.

New bus stations at Altrincham, Bolton and adjacent to Salford Central with direct links to rail services and new bus stations in Manchester City Centre and Stockport.  Furthermore a new coach station adjacent to Piccadilly train station in Manchester City Centre is planned as part of TIF.

Fares and Ticketing Proposals

New smartcard tickets would allow pre-payment of fares on trains, trams and buses, similar to London’s Oyster card. This simple pocket size card would help speed up journeys as drivers would spend less time issuing tickets and giving change.

Rail Services

The TIF rail element of the package is committed to deliver sufficient additional rail carriages to allow many more journeys to be made every day, providing for over 7,000 (through the Government’s HLOS and TIF programmes combined) extra journeys in the three hour morning peak period.  

Improvements at 31 minor stations that would include new facilities, designed for the requirement at each station; including shelters, seating, help points, CCTV, public address systems, passenger information, signage and other general refurbishment. As well as major Improvements to stations at Altrincham, Bolton, Hattersley, Rochdale, Salford Central and Manchester City Centre (Piccadilly, Victoria and Oxford Road) with improved connections to buses where needed.

These are in addition to a new station at White City in Trafford and funding towards the reconstruction of Salford Crescent station with two additional platforms, longer platforms and improved connections to buses.

Further new platforms at Lostock station allowing services between Bolton and Wigan to use the station.

Planned Metrolink Improvements

The Metrolink network is due to treble in size (as part of 3a and TIF 3b plans). Significant expansion of the tram network would bring 41 new stops, 20 miles of additional track capable of carrying 30,000 additional passengers in the 2.5 hour morning peak period, resulting in considerable increases in connectivity/ accessibility across Greater Manchester.

62 new trams would provide capacity with more seats on existing tram lines and new trams to service the extension of the lines.

Tram lines would run to the new destinations; East Didsbury, Manchester Airport, Oldham and Rochdale town centres, Ashton-under-Lyne and an additional line across Manchester City Centre, to ensure robust frequencies across the fully expanded network. Funds are also available to connect Metrolink to Trafford Park and The Trafford Centre.

The 41 new stops would have modern ticketing machines equipped for smartcard ticketing, and payment by debit/credit cards as well as cash and all the ticket machines at existing stops would be upgraded for smartcard use.

Frequency of trams would be improved with services running every six to 12 minutes to enhance capacity at peak and services operating earlier from 6am to at least 11:30pm on Monday to Saturday.

Finally, TIF would bring electronic real-time display boards at stops.

Cycling

The TIF package already proposed a programme for cycling improvements with 125 miles of safe and convenient cycle routes, more than 2,500 extra cycle spaces at rail, bus and Metrolink stations and a bike hire scheme in Manchester city centre and Stockport town centre.

Park and Ride

Park and ride plays an important role in encouraging people to switch from car to public transport and strong provision is to be made within the rail, Metrolink and bus networks. Metrolink Park and ride sites would be at Ashton Moss, Sale Water Park, Shaw and Crompton and close to the Trafford Centre.

Park and ride would be extended at Atherton, Stalybridge, Rochdale, Mills Hill, Horwich Parkway, Heald Green, Cheadle Hulme, Hazel Grove, Romiley and Birchwood rail stations.

Improvements for Passengers

TIF would deliver significantly improved connections allowing people to change more easily between buses, trams and trains.  

Improved technology including real time electronic displays showing when the next tram, train or bus would arrive, CCTV help points and better lighting at stops and stations for bus, Metrolink and rail; improving safety and security.

Congestion Charging Scheme

A weekday, directional, peak-time only congestion charging scheme has already been outlined in the consultation documents which is designed to tackle congestion at the time, and in the place and direction where it is at its worst.  The system is based on two rings. A vehicle would be liable to pay a charge if it would cross a ring heading towards Manchester on a weekday morning (7am – 9:30am) or outward away from the Manchester city centre on a weekday evening (4pm-6:30pm).

The congestion charge would not be introduced before the summer of 2013 and until 80% of the public transport improvements are in place and there have been significant improvements in public transport in each district in Greater Manchester.

The outer ring charging points would be located just inside the M60. Traffic would not be charged for going around the M60. The second set of charging points would be positioned to form an inner ring between the M60 and the centre of Manchester.

The maximum daily charge would be £5 at 2007 prices and would be no more than £6 in 2013. The estimated average daily cost is £3, in 2007 prices.

There would be no charge if you do not cross a ring and no charge if you only drive across rings in the opposite direction to congestion.

Vehicles would not need to stop to pay a charge; the charging process would be automatic and triggered by a vehicle crossing a charging ring at peak time and in the direction of peak flow.  Most vehicles would be identified using tag and beacon technology, a backup system of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras would identify the rest.

Regular users would have a tag in their vehicles which would automatically trigger payment.  Alternatively day pass options would be available for visitors who wish to travel across a ring in the morning, evening or both charging periods.

A wide range of payment methods including credit/debit card, would be available supported by an enforcement policy to ensure that drivers who do not pay would be fined.

Many journeys would not be charged including:

 

  • All emergency service vehicles
  • ‘Blue badge’ holders
  • Motorcycles
  • All public transport, services buses and registered community transport services
  • All Taxis – Licensed Hackney Carriages and private hire vehicles that are registered with a Greater Manchester Authority
  • Patients who attend hospitals or specialist health facilities within the M60 for regular treatment
  • Vehicle recovery services
  • Trafford Park employees, until the public transport package to Trafford Park is completed

Low paid workers (statutory minimum wage) journeys would have a reduced charge of 20% for a minimum period of two years.  During this period, analysis would be undertaken to validate the impact of the discount on the congestion charge for low paid workers and the discount for low paid workers on public transport at peak, against the AGMA tests.