Bolton moves a step closer to Metrolink as £1.5m study gets green light

Plans to extend Greater Manchester's Metrolink network towards Bolton have taken an important step forward after funding was approved to begin developing a business case for the long-discussed expansion.

The Bee Network Committee has allocated £1.5 million to examine future rapid transit options linking Manchester with Bolton and Wigan, alongside proposals to improve connections between the city centre, Salford Crescent, Salford Quays and MediaCity.

The funding will support the preparation of a Strategic Outline Case, assessing potential routes, engineering solutions, environmental impacts and value for money before any decisions are made on how the scheme could be delivered.

Bolton South and Walkden MP Yasmin Qureshi welcomed the announcement, describing it as the first time the town has been part of a "serious, funded conversation" about extending the Metrolink network.

She said improved rapid transit links would provide residents with better access to employment, education and public services across Greater Manchester, adding that emerging technologies such as tram-train could help make a Bolton extension more achievable.

The feasibility work will include early route modelling, engineering assessments, carbon analysis and cost estimates, although Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has stressed that no preferred route or technology has yet been selected.

The project is being funded through the Government's City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, with TfGM stating the study will examine how improved public transport links could support economic growth, strengthen regional connectivity and integrate with the wider Bee Network.

While a tram extension to Bolton remains a long-term ambition rather than a committed project, the latest funding represents the most significant progress in several years, moving the proposal from aspiration into formal development.