Northern gateway transport agreed

A MAJOR transport vision including Metrolink extensions and a new tram-train link for north Manchester has been endorsed by Rochdale town hall bosses.

- BY GEORGE LYTHGOE

The long term vision for the Northern Gateway Transport Framework

The new transport links will help connect homes and people to the incoming Northern Gateway project, which is set to become one of the largest and most accessible employment and innovation hubs in the region, driving substantial investment into Greater Manchester.

It will be complemented by the delivery of new homes and infrastructure within the wider Atom Valley scheme, requiring a robust transport network to connect all areas together.

Metrolink extensions to Middleton as well as the new tram-train are seen as key in these plans.

The tram-train would be a new public transport vehicle that could travel on both rail lines and tram tracks, without being connected to the overhead lines.

Atom Valley is one of six growth locations in Greater Manchester and includes significant parts of Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.

It is a vast area of 17m sq ft employment space, with the potential to offer 20,000 'highly skilled' roles in the technology and manufacturing sectors as well as thousands of new homes.