‘Drawing the line in the sand’: demands for Metrolink expansion to Leigh

In Wigan Town Hall’s council chamber, Coun Dane Anderton proposed to write to the GMCA and TfGM to bring forward a business case for the inclusion of Leigh as a Metrolink terminus.

Although Leigh is mentioned in Transport for Greater Manchester’s 2040 plan, Coun Anderton believes this will not happen fast enough unless they as a council “draw the line in the sand”.

GMCA’s ambitions for metro/tram-train services sets out that they hope to develop options to potentially extend Metrolink to Bolton, Wigan and Stockport.

The full council meeting heard how Leigh had “limitations” when it came to transport – with those going to Manchester having to choose between Leigh guided busway or travelling by car.

Coun Anderton said: “Now is the right time to address this. This is the moment we are seeking to bring Metrolink to this borough.

“This is happening, it’s gone to Trafford, it’s gone to Trafford Park, it’s gone to Manchester Airport, it’s supposed to be going to Stockport. It’s going north, it’s going south, it’s going east, but it isn’t going west – why?

“We want to get this as a priority.”

There was huge support for the motion given complaints about the reduction of service of the V2 on the busway from Coun Stuart Gerrard and Coun John Harding.

Leigh is notoriously known as one of the largest towns in the North West without a railway station, after it was axed in 1969.

Plans have rolled on for a station in the Leigh constituency with Golborne seen as the chosen location given its close proximity to an active railway line. That is now only a Government sign-off away from becoming a reality.

Although the Golborne plan has moved along at pace, ever since Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham suggested in 2019 he would like to see Metrolink extend into Wigan, Bolton and Stockport, nothing has changed.

This is why the council voted with Coun Anderton’s motion to write to Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and TfGM to speed up this process and, in the councillor’s words, “put our foot down and draw our line in the sand”.