Manchester Expands Bee Network With New Light Rail And Tram-train Routes, Including Stockport And Salford Connections: Here Is The New Update

Published on August 27, 2025

Greater Manchester is receiving an finance of £6 cardinal which will beryllium utilized towards important caller ray rail, tram-train connections, and moreover an underground exploration. This caller backing is group to revise immoderate of nan cardinal routes, extending nan Metrolink to Stockport, adding nan Western Leg of nan Airport Line, arsenic good arsenic caller connections to Salford, Wigan and Bolton. Aimed to grow nan scope of nan Bee Network, these will greatly heighten nan easiness of travelling astir Greater Manchester and connection an replacement to travelling via cars.

Key Expansion Projects

The £6m finance will chiefly support nan pursuing proscription initiatives:

Metrolink Extension to Stockport: The Strategic Outline Case (SOC) for extending Metrolink’s ray obstruction web from East Didsbury to Stockport will beryllium finalized this autumn, pinch building slated for 2030. This hold could besides see tram-train connections to areas specified arsenic Hazel Grove, Tameside via Denton and Reddish, and Manchester Airport.

Western Leg of Metrolink’s Airport Line: Work will commence this twelvemonth connected nan SOC to complete nan Western Leg of nan Airport Line. This description will link nan Airport, Wythenshawe Hospital, and Davenport Green, while besides exploring tram-train links to Stockport, Altrincham, and nan Mid-Cheshire Line.

Salford and Northwest Expansion: Starting successful summertime 2026, nan metropolis will statesman preparing nan SOC for expanding Metrolink services to Salford Crescent, Salford Quays, and nan northwest areas of Greater Manchester, including imaginable links to Leigh, Wigan, and Bolton.

Further Developments for Middleton and Trafford: The metropolis will besides analyse options for expanding connections to Middleton & nan Northern Gateway, Trafford Waters, Port Salford, and nan Western Gateway, pinch further attraction connected shaping nan business cases for these areas.

Protecting Long-Term Routes: Efforts will proceed to safeguard routes for early description s to areas specified arsenic Glossop, Hadfield, Marple, and Warrington.

Underground Transit System: Early stages of improvement for a projected underground carrier strategy will besides commence. This caller strategy would support east-west connections, complementing nan Liverpool-Manchester Railway project.

Additionally, nan improvement of nan Oldham – Rochdale – Heywood – Bury tram-train way is moving forward, pinch building expected to statesman by 2028.

Fleet Renewal for Growing Demand

In statement pinch these description projects, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) will procure a caller fleet of Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs). These vehicles will beryllium double nan magnitude of nan existent ones and characteristic full-width gangways, which will thief summation capacity and meet nan increasing request for nan Bee Network services.

Greater Manchester’s Vision for nan Future

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, emphasized nan value of guardant readying to accommodate continued organization growth. “This latest backing ensures we tin create a pipeline of caller tram lines, tram-train extensions, and, ultimately, underground infrastructure to build a nationalist carrier strategy worthy of a world metropolis region,” he said.

Burnham continued, “As much group clasp nan Bee Network, it is important that we scheme up to supply viable alternatives to car use. By adding much tram, bus, and train routes, we will meet nan city’s early carrier needs.”

Conclusion

In ray of nan City of Manchester’s plans to grow nan nationalist carrier network, nan completion of respective projects wrong nan Manchester Transport Strategy will alteration nan nationalist carrier systems to amended service nan steadily expanding population, whilst decreasing automobile usage. The disposable £6 cardinal assistance will importantly lend to gathering these goals, which, erstwhile attained, will amended inter-regional carrier connectivity considerably.