Cycle Rail Forum for the North – Update Oct 2025

Adrian Lord, Active Travel Network Manager

Context

Transport is an ‘enabling’ function for access to employment, education, leisure, healthcare and social opportunities that are fundamental to personal wellbeing.

Greater Manchester population will have grown by 10% (from 2017) by 2040

To accommodate this and keep moving we can have no more than 50% mode share for private car, meaning that we need to grow sustainable transport trips by about one million trips per day.

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To get that growth in sustainable transport we are investing in:

• Infrastructure and vehicles (New/improved routes plus more buses, trams, bikes, scooters etc) and ‘traffic management’
• Services - more frequent, extended hours, easier booking/payment systems
• Customer experience - better information, skills training, access to bikes, affordability, ease of use such as ‘tap and go’

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Bee Network Rail

Aim is to integrate local rail services into the Bee Network to accommodate:

• Growth in patronage – 6% increase in rail patronage at central Manchester stations (inc Salford Central, Deansgate, Oxford Rd) in last year, approx. 95,000 arrivals per day (rail/tram mode share is average 2% across the region, but 24% of trips into central Manchester)
• Land use intensification – development of ‘Northern Arc’ of employment and residential development areas and intensification in existing built environment with better joint planning of rail and new development
• Integration – easier multi-modal trips with bus/tram/rail/micromobility and active travel as one ‘Bee Network’

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Aims of the rail integration

• Expanding and improving services in a growing network
• Ensuring quality stations and supporting growth in the heart of our communities
• Seamless, safe, accessible and pleasant customer experience
• Strengthening connections beyond GM – across the north and national/international

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Active travel at stations

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Rail team is focussed on station only. Looking at passenger experience inside the station itself. All stations to be brought up to ‘Bee Network Standard’

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Currently reviewing existing cycle parking, wayfinding, information systems etc

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Active travel network team will pick up on the links to stations, working with the local authorities. In some cases that might include cycle parking at/next to the station where this is on highway land rather than railway land.

Other stuff

• Local Transport Plan – 2027-32. Draft being prepared jointly with local authorities, public consultation in early 2026?
• Strategic Cycling Network – review of the 2500km originally identified. What can realistically be delivered to Streets for All standard by 2037 (we’ve done 160km to date).
• Wayfinding trial – Branded signs for new routes, installation in early 2026 in Stockport and Trafford.

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Thank you!