Why Metrolink 3b only needs one more DfT approval
Tags: greater manchester transport fund, alistair darling, gmita, manchester airport, mpact, twa, metrolink, thales
Metrolink funding announcements this week return development plans for the network to much the same state they were at in 2004 before then transport secretary Alistair Darling withdrew funding for the 'big bang' expansion 406 and all sorts of hoop-jumping exercises were introduced for Manchester's authorities.Despite the good news on funding there's a bad taste left by the fact residents had been told that voting for a congestion charge would allow the tram extensions to go ahead. As it turns out they're going ahead anyway. I suppose the main thing is that they are going ahead.
So where do this week's two Metrolink announcements leave the network expansion plan? After the big bang funding bid failed, phase three development was split into two phases - a and b. Phase a is currently being built and consists of four line extensions - east Manchester, south Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale, and the MediaCity spur - all due to open by summer 2012.
Phase 3b consists of six further tram line extensions to be funded out of the £1.5bn Greater Manchester Transport Fund - a vast money pot formed by pooling the Regional Funding Allocations, Local Transport Plan money, Metrolink profits and other income due to Manchester's 10 local authorities. The fund is expected to pay for 15 major transport schemes including the six 3b tram extensions - East Didsbury, Ashton-Under-Lyne, Oldham town centre, Rochdale town centre, Manchester Airport and the second city crossing.
Government approval for the East Didsbury and Ashton extensions was required (this week's first announcement 6646) because £121m of RFA money is being used to take these two projects (costing £85m each) forward. As funding for the other four lines is already earmarked from the Greater Manchester Transport Fund and not RFA linked, there's no need to wait for central government approval.
Another hurdle for transport infrastructure that isn't much of a problem for 3b is Transport and Works Act powers - orders have already been secured through the original big bang development work. The only one of the six which needs TWA approval from government is the second city crossing. Public consultation on this route begins later this year and there's an interesting comparison of two route options here, option two apparently only included to show how good option one looks!
News that £26m has been allocated to the airport line extension (this week's second announcement 6648) doesn't indicate that this line is more advanced than any of the others. In fact it's likely to be the last of the six to open - its length means it is more of a challenge to build than the three short 3b routes we didn't hear about this week.
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive stresses that all six routes are being developed in tandem and all should be open by 2016, some well before. No firm timescales are being given before contractual arrangements are firmed up - one option is to allow the MPact-Thales consortium building 3a to simply carry on and build 3b.