Stockport

How the public transport investment would affect Stockport

As part of the transport investment proposals, Stockport’s town centre would benefit from a £42 million investment package to improve road layouts and bus journey times.

Enhancements would include:

• new bus lanes and bus priority measures
• new and improved cycle paths and walking routes
• a cycle hire scheme in Stockport town centre

In addition a new state-of-the-art bus station would also be built in Stockport town centre, connecting buses with safe and easy access via a covered walkway to trains at Stockport railway station.

Stockport would also see improvements to rail and bus services and park and ride facilities.

Links: Rail | Bus | Cycling | Infrastructure | Park and Ride | Metrolink | Improvements for Passengers

Rail Improvement

Some Manchester to Hazel Grove trains would be extended to New Mills Newtown, and some Manchester to Sheffield services via Stockport would stop at Hazel Grove.

The TIF package would also fund a study to review increased frequency and new rail stations along the Altrincham - Stockport corridor e.g. Baguley, Cheadle, Gatley North and Timperley East.

The service between Manchester Piccadilly and Marple, via Bredbury, would run every quarter of an hour under the TIF proposals.

Bramhall, Woodsmoor, Reddish North, Brinnington, Bredbury and Rose Hill stations would all be improved with enhancements like CCTV, customer information screens, seating, shelters and help points.

There would be extra seats on peak-time rail services to reduce overcrowding with station improvements at Bramhall, Woodsmoor, Reddish North, Brinnington, Bredbury and Rosehill.

Additional rail carriages would also be introduced for services across Greater Manchester with capacity for an additional 2,950 passengers in the three hour morning peak period. This is as well as the additional capacity for 4,100 passengers in the three hour morning peak, which would be funded by the Government without TIF.

Bus Improvement

The bus network would also be enhanced, examples include:

• simplified routes for Woodley and Romiley, with more frequent services to Stockport and Hyde
• simplified routes for Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme, with more frequent services to Stockport and an improved 10-minute daytime frequency to Manchester
• the 173 from Heaton Chapel and Reddish North to the universities would be increased from hourly to every 15 minutes during the day
• a direct service from Stockport and Manchester Road to the universities and the city centre would run every 20 minutes in the day
• a new service along St Anne’s Road, in Heald Green, to Manchester Airport, Didsbury and Manchester would run every 30 minutes during the day
• additional circular (orbital) bus services to connect areas outside the city centre

180 Yellow School Buses would be introduced across Greater Manchester providing customised services to schools, with seats allocated to pupils and drivers dedicated to the service.

These are some examples of proposed bus service and facility improvements, with Greater Manchester seeing an overall increase of 10% to bus services with more services starting earlier, running later in the evening and at weekends.

Cycling

Improvements for cyclists with 125 miles of cycle routes and cycle parking across Greater Manchester and cycle hire schemes in Stockport and Manchester. Cycle routes planned for Stockport include:

• a continuous cycle route from Stockport town centre to Manchester city centre
• additional cycle lanes between Reddish and Stockport town centre
• additional cycle facilities in Stockport town centre

Infrastructure

A further £15 million would be provided for Stockport through re-allocated Local Transport Plan (LTP) funds – money that might be invested elsewhere in Greater Manchester without TIF.

These additional funds would be invested in transport infrastructure projects such as bus priority measures, bus stop and rail station mprovements, cycle routes, traffic management work and pedestrian facilities.

Park and Ride

The TIF proposals would double the existing number of Park and Ride spaces serving Greater Manchester.

Money has already been dedicated to this and positive feedback in the recent consultations has resulted in additional funds being set aside in re-allocated Local Transport Plan budgets for further sites across the region – funds that might have been invested elsewhere without TIF.

Park and Ride facilities would be expanded at Heald Green, Cheadle Hulme, Romiley and Hazel Grove.

Metrolink

There would be a major expansion of Metrolink across Greater Manchester with the capacity to carry an extra 30,000 passengers in each of the morning and evening peak periods.

Metrolink would get 20 miles of additional track, 62 new trams and 41 new stops equipped with new ticket machines for Smartcard ticketing as well as debit and credit cards.

Improvements for passengers

Further passenger improvements would include:

• a 20% reduction on public transport fares at peak times for low paid workers (statutory minimum wage)
• better and more timely travel information via real-time electronic displays and improved safety and security with CCTV, help points and better lighting at stops and stations
• an integrated ticketing and simplified fare structure using a new ‘Smartcard ticket’ would allow prepayment of fares for travel on trains, trams and buses

80% of the public transport improvements would be in place across Greater Manchester with a significant improvement in public transport in Stockport, before the peak-time congestion charge would begin in summer 2013.