Travel & Tourism

Plans to bring Greater Manchester’s rail services onto the Bee Network unveiled

"Our rail system today is acting as a brake on growth."

Emily Sergeant - 22nd January 2025

Ambitious plans to bring all rail services in Greater Manchester onto the Bee Network have been unveiled this week.

After the success of all the region’s buses returning to local control at the start of the year, Mayor Andy Burnham has set out Greater Manchester’s step-by-step plan to bring rail into the Bee Network by 2028, working alongside the rail industry to do this as the next part of his joined-up ‘London-style’ public transport system, which is intended to boost passenger numbers, and drive growth across the region.

Developed in partnership with the rail industry, Department for Transport (DfT) and Shadow Great British Rail, Mr Burnham says his plan is aimed at not only improving transport but unlocking major regeneration and housing opportunities on land around the region’s stations too.

Greater Manchester’s proposition is for eight commuter rail lines, covering 64 stations, to be brought into the Bee Network in three phases over the next five years.

Mayor @AndyBurnhamGM has unveiled step-by-step plans to bring rail into the #BeeNetwork by 2028. 🚆🐝

Find out more: https://t.co/Yl4vFtbOyA pic.twitter.com/AHNAkrX5SY
— Bee Network (@BeeNetwork) January 21, 2025

Under the plan, the first two lines – which will work to connect Manchester to Glossop and Stalybridge, in Tameside – will join the Bee Network by December 2026, and then a further 32 stations, and all lines within Greater Manchester, would join by 2030.

According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), by 2028, the plan for Bee Network rail integration is scheduled to deliver the long-awaited ‘tap in, tap out’ contactless ticketing system, and simpler integrated capped fares across all bus, tram, and train services.

Not only that, but Greater Manchester leaders have also committed to working with the Government and the rail industry to “improve reliability” and “implement service changes” to help drive growth too.

If all goes to plan, the first branded Bee Network train will be running by the end of 2026.

Bus, tram and train will finally be united in a tap-in, tap-out payment system with a daily cap offering much better value for money than existing rail fares.

2/8 pic.twitter.com/gewuCqPvU2
— Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) January 21, 2025

Another major change is that TfGM has said it will work with the rail industry to accelerate the delivery of accessibility improvements – with more than 60% of stations on the eight lines set to have step-free access by 2028, compared to 43% at the end of 2024.

“Our rail system today is acting as a brake on growth and, as the UK’s fastest growing city-region, Greater Manchester deserves better,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham, as he unveiled his plans this week.

Andy Burnham urges Greater Manchester residents to ‘switch to the Bee Network’ in 2025

“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.

“Our plan puts passengers first by delivering a simplified, joined-up public transport network, with better services, stations and overall experience. Only by making travel by train more reliable, simpler, flexible and accessible to everyone, will we convince more people to leave the car at home and make the switch to the Bee Network.”

If everything goes according to plan, it’s expected to boost the number of trips by train by 1.3 million each year.

Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons