Leigh-Salford-Manchester BRT

The Leigh-Salford-Manchester Bus Rapid Transit scheme is a project in Greater Manchester, England to provide improved transport connections between Leigh, Tyldesley, Ellenbrook and Manchester city centre via Salford. The bus rapid transit scheme is being promoted by Transport for Greater Manchester and is scheduled for completion by 2015. The scheme includes a 4.5 km guided busway between Leigh and Ellenbrook.

Background
Leigh is one of the largest towns in Britain without a railway station since the closure of the Tyldesley Loopline in 1969 and suffers from poor connections to neighbouring towns.

The Leigh-Salford-Manchester busway was proposed to improve access to Manchester city centre from Leigh, Tyldesley and Ellenbrook and regenerate areas of the former Lancashire Coalfield. The proposed 22-kilometre route on either off-road or segregated from the road carriageway would use "trambus"-type vehicles generating 2 million passenger journeys per annum and cut journey times between Leigh and Manchester from 62 minutes to 45. A public inquiry was held in 2002 and the decision delayed because of Great Crested Newts occupying a site on the route. The Department for Transport granted powers to build it in 2005 and it was projected to be built by 2009 but preliminary work only started in 2012.

The proposal is not universally popular. Some residents are vocal in their criticism of the route which does not improve links to Little Hulton and Walkden. It has been branded the 'Misguided Busway' by residents. The route has also drawn criticism for reducing road traffic capacity on an already crowded route into Manchester city centre. The roadworks will take approximately 2–3 years and cause traffic chaos according to a local councillor.

Route and service
The BRT route will begin at Leigh bus station on a guided busway via Tyldesley to Newearth Road in Ellenbrook. An improved bus route from Atherton will join the route at Tyldesley. From Ellenbrook the route will continue via bus lanes alongside the East Lancashire Road, serving Worsley and Swinton before joining the A6 road and will pass Salford University/Salford Crescent railway station in central Salford before continuing to Manchester city centre.

The busway will have seven stops, three in Leigh at East Bond Street, Holden Road and Higher Folds Estate, Tyldesley Interchange, Hough Lane and Sale Lane in Tyldesley and at Newearth Road in Ellenbrook. At least eight buses per hour will operate in each direction on the busway. Park and ride facilities will be provided at East Bond Street, Tyldesley and at the M60 motorway/A580 junction.

Construction timescale
There was a long legal process before the construction of the scheme, including a public inquiry in 2002. The powers to build the scheme are set out in the Greater Manchester (Leigh Busway) Order 2005 under the Transport and Works Act.

Site clearance for the dedicated busway section took place between November 2012 and March 2013. Balfour Beatty began construction work in September 2013 and it is due to open in 2015.