A controversial £76m busway plan in Greater Manchester has been put on hold.
A review has been ordered into the Leigh Guided Busway project – which has been on the drawing board since 1996 – even though contracts for vital preparatory work worth £1.3m have already been awarded.
The move comes after Richard Knowles – an Oldham councillor and Salford University professor of transport geography – was sent to Cambridge to see a similar scheme.
The Cambridge busway is infamous in the transport world for spiralling costs and delays. The bill for the 25-mile busway, between Huntingdon and Cambridge, has risen from £54m to £116m and could even reach £160m by the time it opens.
Now, the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition which controls the Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority has voted to review the Leigh busway – despite Labour opposition.
The project – linking Wigan, Leigh, Salford and Manchester – would see a special lane built for buses on the East Lancs Road. Four miles of the route – between Leigh and Ellenbrook – would see specially-adapted buses using ‘guided’ concrete tracks along the path of an old railway line.
Keith Whitmore, vice-chairman of the authority, said: “We are talking about a review which will take weeks rather than months. It would look at the costings and the way it operates in the light of what has happened in Cambridge.
“I visited Utrecht where they rejected the building of a second busway and decided to build a tram line instead. There is also the question of how the Leigh busway would operate – who
exactly will use it has never really been tackled.
“If the review shows that everything is fine, then it can go ahead. But there has never been unanimous support for it.”
Dubbed the ‘misguided busway’ by opponents, the project has been seen in some quarters as a sop to Wigan and Leigh – which are not included in plans to expand the Metrolink.
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just reinstate tracks on the old railway that this busway would run on! its probably the cheapest option! even recycle items remove from the now defunct oldham loop line!
come on now! common sense please!
Excellent news, let's hope it gets knocked on the head completely.
The people of Leigh voted overwhelmingly against this stupid busway. When will these elected councillors take notice of the people? Beware their next elections.
It was never a realistic idea. It was surely put forward as a sop to we in the north-west sector of Greater Manchester who were never to be offered any extension of the metro.
"Offer them a guided busway and they'll vote for the congestioncharge".
Well we didn't, because we could see what a silly idea it was. To remove one third of the width/capacity of the A580, to take the busway, for a service with restricted capacity was sheer madness. Unless it could guarantee accommodating one third of the A580 commuters it would simply have added to the road congestion. Furthermore for much of its route it was not that close to residentilal areas and potential passengers.
Good riddance.
Thank god for that. What a waste of money. Bus drivers shouldn't need to be guided by concrete tracks. If they've passed their test then they should be able to steer a bus. It would save a lot of money!
How hard must it've been to see this was an idiotic scheme. Typical though, stopping it halfway through (rather than before starting) the work at the proposed junction on Newearth Road.
The day they scrap this misguided bus lane altogether can't come quick enough. Enough taxpayer's cash has been wasted already on this white elephant,the majority of people to the west of mcr don't want it,the feeling is that this scheme would just bring further congestion to the east lanc's come rush hour.
Why can't the etro be run along this old line instead? It can link up with the Eccles line by on street running and would also offer a Metro connection for the Wigan area and even Bolton if it is run through the old Roe Green Jct along the original Patricroft Wigan formation. It's all intact, there is even an old station still at Worsley!
Busways are supposedly cheaper in first cost, though their over run of costs seems to discount this. But since the capacity of a tram is about three times that of a bus - whether guided or not - operating costs are generally less, and figures from the USA appear to indicate that the operating costs are about halved compared to a bus system.
Figures are obtainable - if you look deep enough - on US Government websites.
This being so, it would be probably much better to reinstate rail services using trams which can happily operate on the old railway and on road.
Dudley Horscroft, Banora Point, Australia,
The term "misguided busway" is correct and what real purpose guided busways serve even Norman Baker, Minister for Transport does'nt know.
The Leigh line was proposed because there was not enough money for Metrolink. This should be a Metrolink TramTrain line going out to Haydock P + R which will syphon off vast numbers of cars coming down the M6 into Manchester and will pay its way especially if it connects with the TramTrain potential that is being considered for the Marple/Glossup/Stockport area. The Metrolink TramTrain will be able to serve Wigan using other lightly used heavy rail lines.
The Public Inquiry held last year in Parliament (www.applrguk.co.uk ) identified low cost methods of construction including not moving the utilties but giving access when required. Using these methods will make Metrolink very affordable and link Leigh & Wigan into the network.
Trams because they are electric are clean & green with locally produced green electricity which will give security of supply and not be at the mercy of any oligarchy or despot.
Councillors must remember that Trams mean positive votes!
Jim Harkins FCILT
Recently the Transport Minister Mr Norman Baker stated in Parliament that he did not know the purpose of a guided bus!
A Metrolink TramTrain would especially if it is linked in with the proposed Marple/Glossup/Stockport TramTrain project would be very sensible. e "Misguided busway" should be a Metrolink TramTrain running out to the Haydock Area as a Park & Ride. Wigan & Bolton can be served by TramTrain using the old line from Paricroft.
Parliamentary Light Rail Group identified in their Public Inquiry (www.applrguk.co.uk)tramway construction such as not moving the utilities but stopping the trams and giving access such as they do on the continent. This alone will bring down significantly the cost of building the line especially as tramways have a working life of 100 years +, security of power supplies which can be generated green and local.
So come Councillors future proof the citizens of Leigh/Wigan/Haydock & Bolton by connecting them to the Tram Network for around the same kind of money and dont isolate them with a one line "misguided busway"
Remember - People in the Greater Manchester Area like and support Metrolink and Trams mean positive votes!
It would have cost less to reinstate the railway!
As a resident of Leigh I'm delighted that the mis-guided busway scheme could yet be cancelled. It is a ridiculous ploan that would do nothing for the transport needs of the largest town in the North of England without access to the rail network.
this busway is the biggest joke ever, £100million plus to get a few hundred people from Leigh to Manchester 5 or ten mins faster a day seems like a good use of our money. It was only 12 months ago First Buses were wanting to cancel the 32 bus route( the only bus serving Wigan to Manchester) as it was not profitable. Why not add extra buses at peak times it would be a lot cheaper.
Plus if it does get scrapped what about the enviromental impact this work has already had in the Ellenbrook area the site where the works have started looks a disgrace.
To ensure economic growth with result wealth for a region it is essential that the region has suitable infrastructure especially in the area of transportation. As such, I am pleased that the potential for a guided bus is being reviewed as its use of the main highway seems to be at odds with giving a viable transport infrastructure that offers the maximum potential for all forms of transport to be used to help create wealth in the region.
Given that the proposed guided bus route intended to use an old rail line I am forced to ask why consideration has not been given to using a tram train to enhance the connectivity between cities. A tram train could provide an enhanced capacity, make use of the disused rail and current rail infrastructure and offer the potential to link up with the Manchester Metro. All of which could be achieved without impacting the A580.
It is urged that the review considers in detail how to maximise on the current road and rail infrastructure by extending what is there by making use of new technologies such as tram train which has found wide spread successful applications in Europe.
Finally it is urged that consideration is given to the viability of the concept of the guided bus. Buses in general are viable because they are flexible and can respond to changes in demand quickly and to lock them to a large fixed infrastructure element such as a guided bus way seems very counter intuitive.
I live within 200 feet of the proposed route and I’m not totally against it (1% for it and 99% against it) but what I am against is the total devastation it will cause to the wildlife, trees, and plants. The route is full of wild life, owls, bats, and newts etc which are a joy to see in their natural habitat, to destroy this is a crying shame. When they changed it from a railway track to the current walkway they spent £1.5million on trees and shrubs for the route. These are now well established and they are going to destroy these and replace them with a concrete slab with fancy street lights. I’m involved in construction and anyone knows to build a concrete slab 20 foot wide you need 60 foot wide to construct it. "Stop dreaming forget the idea and spend the money on something far more useful, particularly in view of the current economic climate".
Jacko - Tyldesley
Metrolink tram-train or a trolleybus scheme.
Anything else is second rate.
Have your say http://www.gmpte.com/LTP3/introduction.cfm
I attended the Public Enquiry almost everyday in 2002. This busway was a joke then and an even bigger one now. The estimated cost at that time was £32 million now the estimate is £76 million.
Although they say that it will get you into Manchester quicker,(by4minutes was the time stated at the enquiry) leaving Manchester is a different story. There are no plans to give a dedicated bus lane on the A6/A580 and therefore the only gain would be from Ellenbrook to Leigh.
It would have been nice to see more people at the enquiry and if there had been louder voices this would not be at the stage that it is now.
I am very concerned about the destruction of the habitat for wildlife ,as it was stated by one environmentalist ,that it could take up to ten years for the area to be back to the stage that it is now.
I am not a Ludite by any stretch but this as I understand was a promise to a now deceased councillor who first saw the idea in Australia. Let us learn that it is not working in Cambridge and it did not work in Chester.
Hopefully in this economic climate there will not be sufficent funds for what would become a white elephant.