Transport for Greater Manchester has announced plans to bring train services into the Bee Network.

Andy Burnham’s plan with the Bee Network is to bring a ‘London-style’ transport network with integrated bus, tram and train tickets.

The plan will see eight commuter railway lines and 64 stations brought onto the Bee Network in three phases.

The first two lines, connecting Glossop and Stalybridge with Manchester, will join by December 2026, and the project will be completed in full by 2030.

Stations will have Bee Network branding fitted, and trains will also be trial fitted with Bee Network branding.

The eight commuter lines would be:

• Rochdale stoppers, calling at stations between Manchester and Rochdale
• Ashton-under-Lyne and Stalybridge
• Glossop, Hadfield and Rose Hill Marple via Guide Bridge
• Alderley Edge and Buxton via Stockport
• Airport stopping services (Local trains that call at stations between Manchester and Manchester Airport)
• Wigan via Golborne
• Wigan via Atherton (Local trains continuing on to Southport)
• Wigan via Bolton (Local trains continuing on to Southport)

“Our rail system today is acting as a brake on growth and, as the UK’s fastest growing city-region, Greater Manchester deserves better. We need a railway that is reliable and fully integrated with the rest of the Bee Network to drive growth and deliver new homes with public transport connections on the doorstep.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham