The report commissioned by the government says the lion's share of £22bn should go towards transport in big cities like Manchester
Greater Manchester should cover around a quarter of the costs of public transport upgrades over the next 30 years, a new report has recommended. The government-commissioned report identifies the city-region as a priority area for £22bn of the investment required.
The new report names Greater Manchester as one of four city-regions that should get the lion's share of a £22bn boost for public transport. It notes that just 20 per cent of the 'urban' population can reach the centre of the city by public transport within 30 minutes. The NIC recommends that city-regions should make a financial contribution of at least 15 to 25 per cent of capital costs. This money could be raised through a range of mechanisms such as local areas retaining business rates revenue and a windfall tax on land values.
But the Labour mayor has called for subsidies for the day-to-day public transport costs to continue. The NIC report recommends that financial support for public transport stays in place over the next to years as passenger numbers remain below pre-pandemic levels. He said: "Growing the size and productivity of Greater Manchester will help rebalance the country’s economic geography as well as create more well paid jobs locally. Better public transport and easing traffic congestion is key to that. Greater Manchester is one of four city regions with a clear case for significant government investment in a step change in transport capacity.