In July 2022, the government confirmed over £1 billion of capital funding for Greater Manchester from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS). CRSTS funding will deliver investments in local roads, bus, train and tram services over the five years to March 2027: with new quality bus corridors, walking, wheeling and cycling routes and improved transport infrastructure and connectivity for towns across Greater Manchester.
The CRSTS programme includes several schemes in Bury such as a new state of the art interchange in Bury town centre, funding to develop plans for a new Metrolink Stop and Travel Hub/Park and Ride at Elton Reservoir and funding to investigate new tram-train technology between Bury, Heywood, Rochdale and Oldham. Funding is also available to help improve bus routes so that buses are more reliable and can become a real alternative to the car, with proposals being developed to upgrade key routes between Bury and Bolton and Rochdale town centres.
The CRSTS programme also includes funding to improve walking, wheeling and cycling routes in Bury town centre and to deliver some of the active travel improvements identified in the Radcliffe Strategic Regeneration Framework and the Ramsbottom Town Plan. Once completed, these routes will be part of the wider Greater Manchester Bee Active Network.
There is also money allocated to invest in resurfacing some of the Borough's main roads and for road safety improvements.
Bury Interchange
The redevelopment of Bury Interchange will be Greater Manchester's first operationally carbon neutral transport interchange. The £81 million scheme (£45 million CRSTS in the initial tranche, £36 million future CRSTS funding post 2027) will include full multi-modal integration including capacity for bus, cycle/active travel parking, Metrolink and vertical circulation upgrades. This scheme is a key element of our Town Centre Masterplan, and we are working closely with Transport for Greater Manchester to bring it forward.
Bury Town Centre
For Bury Town Centre, £4.1m is available from the CRSTS fund to deliver proposals to provide improved walking and cycling facilities in the town centre, improving north/south and east/west routes and linking to onward routes. This will significantly improve the attractiveness of sustainable travel modes to access Bury town centre.
Radcliffe
For Radcliffe, £9m is available from the CRSTS fund to deliver proposals which will provide improved walking and cycling facilities in the town centre and connecting routes linking the Metrolink Stop to the proposed Civic Hub and new Radcliffe Star Academy.
Ramsbottom
For Ramsbottom, £2.3m is available from the CRSTS fund to deliver proposals to enhance and improve active travel and sustainable travel modes so they offer a real alternative to private car. A pedestrian friendly environment will be created with improved footways and public space. Cycle routes into and through the town centre will also be improved.
Bus improvements
The CRSTS programme includes schemes to improve bus routes and make buses more reliable so they can become a real alternative to the car, with proposals being developed to upgrade key bus routes, including the A58 between Bolton, Bury and Rochdale town centres, and to address pinch points where buses experience delay on other routes in the Borough.
There are also plans to give bus passengers a better experience by upgrading bus stops and improving the routes to bus stops.
Investment in bus priority measures and bus stops sits alongside the ambitious plan to bring Greater Manchester’s bus services back under local control through the bus franchising scheme. Franchising is being rolled out in three phases and will be complete by January 2025, with all Bury’s bus services back under local control by March 2024.
Tram-train
The CRSTS programme also includes investigation into the potential for new tram-train technology between Bury, Heywood, Rochdale and Oldham, which would allow Metrolink vehicles to travel along heavy rail lines.
New and improved Metrolink stops
There is also CRSTS funding to develop plans for new Metrolink stops, including a new Metrolink Stop and Park and Ride/Travel Hub at Elton Reservoir which is needed to support proposals in the Places for Everyone Plan and enable a large proportion of trips generated by the development to be made by sustainable modes.
The programme also includes funding to improve Metrolink stops, including stops on the Bury line.
Highway maintenance
There is also funding in the CRSTS programme for maintaining roads and other highway infrastructure. Bury is getting £17 million to invest in road maintenance over the 5-year period to March 2027, £4.5 million of which for the Key Route Network, which is made up of some of the busiest roads in Greater Manchester. Alongside this, Bury Council has been investing heavily in repairing and maintaining the highway network and by 2025, Bury Council will have invested £35 million through its Highway Investment Strategy.
Road safety improvements
The CRSTS programme also includes funding for local road safety improvements, such as new pedestrian crossings and traffic calming measures.
CRSTS2
Government has announced an even bigger CRSTS2 fund for 2027/28 to 2031/32, which could mean another £2.5 billion for Greater Manchester and more investment in Bury’s transport network. Further details of this new funding are awaited.