THE government will today finally sign off a £520m funding package for the Metrolink `Little Bang'.
It will mean work can begin immediately extending the tram network as far as Droylsden in the east, Rochdale train station in the north and Chorlton in the south.
The cash was originally offered by the government for a bigger expansion programme - only to be withdrawn by the then Transport Secretary Alistair Darling in 2004 when costs spiralled.
The money was reinstated after a massive Manchester Evening News-led campaign. Mr Darling's successor, Douglas Alexander, agreed to allow the money to be used on the `Little Bang' in 2006.
But the funding was to be handed over in several parts - and conditional on local transport chiefs proving they could keep costs under control.
The government is now satisfied and will announce today that the final slice of the `Little Bang' money, running into hundreds of millions of pounds, will be signed over.
The Droylsden line in now expected to be complete by 2011, and the Rochdale line a year later.
In all, the extensions are predicted to boost Metrolink passenger numbers by 50 per cent, adding an extra 10 million journeys a year by 2012.
The announcement comes as Greater Manchester councils wait to hear if ministers will back their bid for £3bn improvements from the Transport Innovation Fund.
The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) wants £1.2bn of grant, plus permission to borrow £1.8bn more, in return for introducing a congestion charge of up to £5 a day at current prices.
Transport minister Rosie Winterton had been expected to announce by the middle of this month whether the government would back the proposals. A decision is now expected at the end of the month.
The £3bn would fund a `Big Bang' extension of Metrolink - as far as Manchester Airport, Ashton under Lyne and Rochdale town centre - plus massive investment in buses and trains.
AGMA chiefs are likely to herald today's announcement as good news - but warn that more money is needed to give the region a world-class transport system.
What do you think? Have your say.
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ace, manchester (16/05/2008 at 11:42)
Jimc (16/05/2008 at 11:49)
Watch this space.
Chris, Irlam (16/05/2008 at 11:56)
So you CAN get money from central government without agreeing to the Toll Tax eh?
And is a Toll Tax a price worth paying for a world-class PT system?
Consider the privacy, debt & economic issues....
Hmmm - why not ask the public & find out?
Kurt Stephens, Sale (16/05/2008 at 12:03)
No doubt today we will get some ill informed comment about how the government had originally promised to build the whole of Phase3, and are now reneging on that promise, only to allow them to ‘force through’ the TIF proposals.
The accurate tale is slightly different though, in 2000 the Department for Transport promised £228 towards the construction of Phase 3, i.e. to Rochdale via Oldham (including the town centres), to Ashton via Droylsden and to the airport via Chorlton.
However, by 2002 the costs had risen to £540m, after plenty of pressure from Manchester, approval was given for the scheme at the higher costs, however, and very importantly, the DfT made it very clear at the time not a single penny extra would be made available should the prices rise again, and it was down to the local authorities to develop a scheme costing £540m.
Phase 3a – which has been approved today, was developed, and as it complies to the 2004 funding allowance it has been approved.
However, to deliver the full, original plans, i.e. to airport, through the town centres in Oldham and Rochdale and to Ashton, along with lines to Trafford Centre and Stockport we have never been promised the funding, and it has always been very clear that the only way to deliver these much needed transport improvements is if we raise the money locally. Hence TIF was born.
For those who claim that the government should be coughing up no matter what the costs our transport improvements will bear in mind that the DfT budget, which is set for the next decade – even under a Tory government as they’ve signed up to the same spending plans – is £700m / year for everywhere in England outside of London. Do people really think that after this huge sum of money we are likely to be getting any further substantial funding – that most agree is needed – is likely to be coming our way? Surely the other cities with smaller or no tram networks will see it as their turn, and we’ll be stuck with the same transport infrastructure 30 years down the line.
Kurt Stephens, Sale (16/05/2008 at 12:05)
Surely, after all the failures of cities like Portsmouth, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool we should be extremely happy that the Greater Manchester authorities have managed to secure this investment that the rest of the country would absolutely love to be happening in their cities.
Watch property and business locations increase in value along these routes in the next couple of years.
Kurt Stephens, Sale (16/05/2008 at 12:11)
Since then, NO major money has been given to any project anywhere in the country. It is VERY clear that to improve local transport the money MUST be raised LOCALLY.
In Nottingham they are going to introduce a work place parking levy to pay for their tram extensions.
In Birmingham they have cancelled their tram extension plans as they have no money.
By in no doubt whatsoever, the £700m / year for the regions will not pay for the transport improvements that we need so desperately.
ace, manchester (16/05/2008 at 12:13)
Tell me one thing that came within the budget that this council was involved with?.
Kurt Stephens, Sale (16/05/2008 at 12:14)
It is a Network Rail train station, a part of the national transport infrastructure, as opposed to LOCAL transport, which is so important to the LOCAL economies.
ace, manchester (16/05/2008 at 12:17)
After seeing how trams work right across europe and how our trams work here what do you expect.ours will cost us a fortune and cost a fortune to ride on.And those concrete monstrosities in the city centre we call stations..bloody awful design.
Kurt Stephens, Sale (16/05/2008 at 12:17)
You want one thing that the PTE has delivered on time and on budget?
How about the track renewals of phase 1 last summer? They were done on time and on budget were they not?
Kurt Stephens, Sale (16/05/2008 at 12:21)
I presume you want low floor trams?
How do you suggest we fund lowering the 18 high level platforms on the Alty and Bury lines?
To improve the service, to european tram levels we need HUGE investment in the system, I am sure you'd agree?
In europe they heavily subsidise their tram systems, in the UK the fare has to cover all the costs.
So, if you want large investment in the system, to improve it to european standards, and you want cheaper subsidised fares, the ONLY REALISTIC option is congestion charging as central government will simply NOT fund what you want.
Kurt Stephens, Sale (16/05/2008 at 12:32)
Tell me a project that GMPTE have ran, that has gone over budget and was delivered late.
ace, manchester (16/05/2008 at 12:32)
Track renewel? we have train/tram tracks older than this that used in the last century. just shows you the quality of the new tram system we have in manchester.
Karney for head of GMPTA(formerly MC Spanner) (16/05/2008 at 12:32)
I would hazard a guess if they planned to do it for £228, it may end up over budget.
It does look like a buggers muddle with all these little offshoots. I can see one for mediacity:uk. Is there extra funding for this out of the budget to move the BBC up north?
Munkey Boy, Audenshaw, Manchester (16/05/2008 at 12:32)
Chris, Irlam (16/05/2008 at 13:10)
This is only government policy - not the law of the land.
Policies & governments can be changed very easily....
And avoiding the referendum question as usual I see.
rammylad, ramsbottom (16/05/2008 at 13:19)
However I find it somewhat discourties to refer to the scheme as the little bang. We are getting £520m, other cities are getting £0. I suspect most cities would be very happy with £520m of central government funding yet all we can do is refer to £520m as the little bang.
As for other cities not getting cash, well Edinburgh is getting it's tram system without having congestion charging.
As people have always said, put the services in place and they will be used.
Put taxes in place and you will lose your job like Roger. Who now blames everybody but his own arrogance. The man needs a close friend to point out his flaws and I don't mean Richard.
Did the MEN run a campaign? Maybe they did, afterall it would help their relationship with the council.
Kurt Stephens, Sale (16/05/2008 at 13:19)
You asked for an example of GMPTE delivering a project to cost (and on time).
The £54m project last summer replaced miles and miles of old track on time and on budget - showing that they can deliver projects - something that you were suggesting was not the case.
Now, you provide an example of a project, managed by the GMPTE that has gone over cost.
Oh, and if you agree that we should have a better transport system, how on earth do you suggest we fund that?
We've got the £540m for the little bang, if you truely want a transport system that is as good as those in Germany, France, Switzerland etc etc then we need to spend the same amount of money on our transport as they do in those countries. Now given it is very clear that money will not come from central government how do YOU propose we raise the money for the transport system that you appear to wish we had?
Octavius Tinsworth Ace (16/05/2008 at 13:33)
(Oh, by the way, Kurt: Ace would blame the council if his cornflakes went soggy. I have literally never seen a positive comment from him on this site, and given the sheer volume of posts from him, that really is saying something.)
Kurt Stephens, Sale (16/05/2008 at 13:35)
I have answered the referednum question a million times, I do not agree with them on complex issues such as TIF as I do not believe people will have a good enough understanding of the entire issues at hand, and only those with views at either end of the spectrum will tend to vote, those in the middle, with weaker opinions will not bother.
I take it those in favour of the referendum in Bolton (and elsewhere) would expect Bolton to abstain from any AGMA vote if more people in Bolton do not vote in the referendum than do vote? After all, it would suggest that most people are not bothered either way, and as such, the council should take the same position?
Kurt Stephens, Sale (16/05/2008 at 13:40)
Some very very simple, that only need yes / no answers...
1) Would people be happy with our transport system in 30 years if little bang is the last major investment we get in that time?
2) If no, how do we fund that?
3) If you are saying through central government, what on earth makes you think that either the Tories or a Labour government would fund the project? Both are signed up to very limited funding for transport in the English regions for the next decade, which would be insufficent to pay for what I believe we do need.
4) Why should someone in Devon fund public transport improvements in Manchester?
Octavius Tinsworth Ace (16/05/2008 at 14:02)
Besides, if that's unfair, what does everyone think about the £33 BILLION that was allocated by the Department of Transport to Transport for London for improvements over the next ten years? That's the sort of thing that really irks me, and you can bet your bottom dollar that those London projects WILL be late and over-budget.
Timberman, MANCHESTER (16/05/2008 at 14:53)
out'. After all that you must need a rest, or are you going out looking for Pat Karney.
Kurt Stephens, Sale (16/05/2008 at 14:56)
For me, the DfT should fund national transport schemes, such as New Street , Piccadilly improvements, I'd love them to concentrate on schemes such as High Speed Rail 2, but they don't, they get involved in micro managing how each penny that they allocate gets spent.
For me, I'd want all local transport funded locally, that way local authorities can pick and choose how much they'd spend on local transport (I personally think it'd be much higher than it is now).
If we want to spend £3bn in Manchester on transport, but the Devon authorities chose they'd rather have lower taxes then so be it.
I'm one for powers being devolved locally, and each area making their own choices independently of Whitehall.
TIF is a great oppurtunity for that, not only do we get the money that we'd raise locally, but we'd get the added bonus of £1.2bn from the TIF pot.
Karney for head of GMPTA(formerly MC Spanner) (16/05/2008 at 15:24)
If there is one thing that sums up those supporting the charge, it is their elitist anti-democratic stance regarding a referendum.
"I do not agree with them (referenda) on complex issues such as TIF as I do not believe people will have a good enough understanding of the entire issues at hand"
A. Those without your degree of brilliance are trusted when it comes to a General Election and Local ELections - Also very complex.
B. I think even the knuckle draggers of life understand paying £2000 to drive to work and back
C. I have a degree, I am a qualified chartered accountant and I am a director of an engineering company. Why have I not been consulted. Surely I might just understand the issues at hand.
Could it just be that the likes of Jolly Roger and you just know that the democratic process will prevail and we do not want to pay anymore tax to have something we already pay for in VED, VAT, IPT, Company Car Tax etc. etc.etc.
As for you comments on Bolton - You obviously show your true fear that the unwashed in Bolton will comprehensively reject this nonsense once and for all - Funnily enough if you look at the Metrolink map they don't have a lot to gain for their money as they will get very little out of it. Look at how it splits by borough
Bolton - No planned Metrolink - Going to vote against the Con charge in a referendum
Stockport - Gains nothing at all from Metrolink - Against it.
Bury & Trafford - No additional Metrolink expansion - Council Voting against it
Tameside, Salford, Manchester, Oldham & Rochdale - All getting large extra bits and all currently in favour.
Wigan - God knows other than Labour cronyism.
Top of the list Manchester are getting another 13 stops nowin addition to the 12 they already had and another 18 if TIF goes ahead. No wonder Tricky Dicky wants everybody else to pay for it and not vote for it