England boosts public transport with £15.6 billion
Of the areas targeted by the £15.6 billion (18.5 billion euros) in national funding, Greater Manchester has perhaps the most ambitious target of fully electrifying its public transport system by 2030, with its £2.5 billion increase in government funding. The City will procure 1,000 new electric buses that will be powered by renewable energy, along with the city’s trams, trains, and a flotilla of publicly accessible e-bikes as part of an all-electric public transport network.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said, “This is a game-changing moment that will underpin Greater Manchester’s green growth for years to come. Building on our strong track record, we can now move at pace to deliver the next phase of the Bee Network – creating the UK’s first fully electric, zero-emission integrated public transport system by 2030.”
Greater Manchester will be providing better public transport access across Greater Manchester communities, which the City says will be the first outside London to be served by fully joined-up bike, bus, tram and train travel. The procurement of 1000 electric buses will enable the city’s Bee Network to connect more places by bus and further boost passenger numbers.
The City is already making significant efforts in the area of electrified public transport. The fully electric bus station in Ashton recently became home to 83 Volvo BZL MCV Double Deck electric buses. The vehicle combines a chassis from the Swedish manufacturer Volvo with a body from the Egyptian company MCV. In total, over 300 electric buses are already on the road in Greater Manchester. Transport for Greater Manchester also ordered two batches of 50 electric double-deckers each from British manufacturer ADL in 2022. Last month, Greater Manchester announced it had rolled out 300 new e-bikes as part of its expanding bike hire scheme.
In other areas too, Greater Manchester is making strides in electrification, not only in public transport, but also public electric car charging infrastructure, electric garbage trucks and emergency vehicles.
The overall national funding of £15.6 billion for public transport in England will benefit people across the North, the Midlands, and the South West in what the national government says is the biggest ever investment in buses, trams and local train infrastructure in city regions.
According to the UK government, the new national funding means that the Mayor of West Yorkshire can fully integrate cycling, walking, bus and rail into the West Yorkshire Mass Transit system, and the Mayor of the West Midlands can build a metro extension to Birmingham’s sports quarter.
UK Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said, “For too long, people in the North and Midlands have been locked out of the investment they deserve. With £15.6bn of Government investment, we’re giving local leaders the means to drive cities, towns and communities forward, investing in Britain’s renewal so you and your family are better off.”
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