HS2 scrapping could pave Metrolink extension to Bolton

The announcement was made today just minutes after PM Rishi Sunak said the high speed rail link would not reach Manchester.

The government now says that nearly £4billion will instead be spent on improving connectivity in Northern cities.

The government claims this could see the Metrolink extended to Bolton as well as Wigan and Heywood.

Dr Paul Salveson, visiting professor of logistics at the University of Bolton, said: “We don’t know the details as yet but its something that everyone in Bolton is keen to get.

“It looks like it will be an extension of the exiting line, probably to Radcliffe.

“What it would mean is that people living in the eastern parts of Bolton, like Breightmet and areas like that, will have another route into Manchester.”

A Metrolink tram in operation (Image: Newsquest)

He added: “It won’t replace the existing trains, which are much quicker but it gives people another opportunity to get access to Manchester and the employment opportunities there.”

But Dr Salveson, a former head of government and community strategies at Northern Rail, said that people should not automatically assume the new line will be connected to Radcliffe.

He said he has also argued for a connection from the south of the borough to Royal Bolton Hospital and on to areas like Little Hulton and Walkden.

Paul Salveson

Bringing tram services to Bolton has long been proposed and debated by government and opposition figures at local and national level.

In 2019, the then transport secretary Grant Shapps said that if re-elected, his Conservative government would commit to spending millions on extending the Metrolink to both Bolton and Stockport.

But earlier this year Bolton South East MP, Labour’s Yasmin Qureshi, pointed out that there was still no progress more than three years on.  

After today’s announcement Bolton Council leader Nick Peel said he wanted to see more of the details involved in the scheme.

The Bolton Labour leader also hoped that if realised the scheme would benefit the borough more widely rather than just the town centre.

Cllr Peel said: “We have very good train connections to and from Manchester so the Metrolink needn’t replicate that but there will be opportunities to come in from the east and west of the borough rather than the Manchester corridor.

“I think people haven’t been using their imaginations, for example I think bringing the Metrolink to Westhoughton could be a possibility, which would be great for the people of Westhoughton.”

He added: “I’d be interested in seeing the details about this because we’ve heard all this before, its been a long term ambition and we’d like to actually see how this will work in reality.”

Mark Logan MP with transport secretary Mark Harper (Image: Office of Mark Logan MP)

Bolton North East MP Mark Logan said he was glad to see a project he had long supported come closer to fruition.

He said: “Bringing Metrolink to Bolton has been a priority for me since being elected.

“Despite the obstacles of 2020, we made tracks with a feasibility study that I initiated to assess the scope of the extension, aiming to revive disused track beds connecting Bolton to the rest of Greater Manchester.

“Today’s news that £36billion will be redirected to revolutionise transport in Bolton, as part of Network North, further bolsters our case for bringing Metrolink to Bolton.

“This doesn’t mean that Bolton-South of England/London cannot be better served; rather, HS2 isn’t the best way to deliver this for our community.

“Putting Bolton on the Metrolink map can boost productivity, economic growth, and provide our town with infrastructure fit for the 21st century.

“I will ensure that Bolton North East’s calls for better transport links are taken directly to the Transport Secretary on my return to Westminster.”

Conservative opposition leader Cllr Martyn Cox argued that extending the Metrolink would have a more immediate benefit on people in the borough than HS2 would have done.

He said: “It was always unrealistic to be spending £100billion on HS2, which would not have been delivered until 2045, and think there would still be resources available for extensive infrastructure investments in the North.

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“And I’ve always said that given the choice between a HS2 connection between Manchester and London and extending the Metrolink to Bolton I would choose the latter.”

He added: “I think that extending the Metrolink to Bolton will bring more benefits to residents here in Bolton than HS2 ever would.”

These thoughts were echoed by Bolton West MP Chris Green.

He said: “With the costs ballooning, by changing the project the Prime Minister has managed to take £36billion and ensure that every penny of that is going to be spent on local projects.

“I’m locally forward to hearing more details about what that could be used for locally but £36billion could make a huge difference whether that be improvements to the trainlines, the Metrolink or improvements to our roads.”

Source – INDIA TV