The Transport Secretary's announcement wthiseek, that Greater Manchester had succeeded in a bid for money to upgrade public transport means the 7km "guided busway" from Leigh-Salford-Manchester is now one step closer.
The improvements in Leigh are part of a package of public transport improvements to be delivered across Greater Manchester ahead of planned congestion charging on cars visiting Manchester in 2013.
More seats would also be delivered on trains running through Atherton station, and plans to develop Golborne Station are also included in the package, as are plans for a park and ride scheme in Atherton.
As it stands, the bid has been approved for programme entry by the Department for Transport but the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) and the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA) will be asked to hold a wide ranging public consultation exercise over the coming months.
Leigh MP Andy Burnham welcomed the announcement and believes it could bing major benefits to the Leigh area.
He said: "I have listened to expert opinion and the views of local people and I would never jeopardise the future prosperity of the Leigh area by supporting a package that would put jobs at risk or fail to deliver on key public transport improvements.
"To ensure that people have real choices over how and when they travel, the majority of these improvements are planned to be delivered before the introduction of the local congestion charge. The charging scheme will operate only at peak times, when congestion is at its worst.
Leigh councillor Lord Peter Smith, Leader of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) said: "This announcement is great news for Greater Manchester. As a successful and growing economy, congestion is an increasing problem and one we cannot afford to ignore.
"Debate is vital, and now that we have had confirmation that the DfT are backing our bid, we will be proposing to enter into a period of public consultation to ensure everyone in Greater Manchester is fully aware of the proposals and able to have their say."