Greater Manchester's 'rail revolution' starts this weekend as Andy Burnham hopes to double passenger numbers, build 75,000 homes, and boost the economy by £90bn.

The mayor plans to transform the way Greater Manchester residents get about by bringing commuter rail lines and 96 stations into the Bee Network, so by 2030 passengers can hop between tram, train, or bus and pay the lowest fare possible. 

Moves to draw people back to the trains begin on Sunday (December 7), when tickets are simplified and reduced in price.

"Financially, [trains] are finally competitive with the car," the mayor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. "People's options have widened flexibility and affordability. The car domination of being cheapest and most reliable is going to end."

Dozens of tickets only eligible for one company, such as Northern, will be replaced with four fares: Single anytime, single off-peak, return anytime, return off-peak. The new prices are 5pc lower on average.

In a year's time, passengers on four railway lines between the city centre and the Airport, Stalybridge, Hadfield, Glossop, Middlewood, and Cheadle Hulme will not even need to buy a ticket, as the Bee Network's tap-and-go technology, used on buses and trams, will become available. 

While plans to 'integrate' eight Greater Manchester lines and 96 stations by 2030 were announced earlier this year, Mr Burnham unveiled a much bigger '2050 vision' for the railways on Wednesday (December 3). He hopes to double passenger figures and boost the north west's economy by £90b.

The pink and white lines show parts of the railway which will become part of Bee Network Rail by 2028 (Image - GMCA)

But the vision also reveals plans to build 75,000 homes in the city-region on unused parcels of land owned by Network Rail and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) — and the mayor has identified two towns which could be big winners.

He added: "The government explicitly identified Ashton and Stalybridge as transport-led regeneration exemplars. There's railway land around those stations and they are the first to come into the Bee Network.

"Stalybridge I have always felt is waiting to grow. The potential is huge. We want to unlock that.

"When you buy a ticket in Ashton it's not good value for now because you get to Victoria, and pay again to get the tram. But once it is on the Bee Network you will get quicker into the city, but stay in the same system.

"It uplifts the offer for these places overnight the minute they come in. As a location to invest and live, they become much more attractive."

Although figures in the rail industry call Mr Burnham's plans 'ambitious', the mayor is adamant there is 'alignment' among big players, so leaders will avoid the issue of protracted legal disputes which blighted Bee Network buses' gestation.

"We are more aligned than we were with the bus industry," the ex-Leigh MP went on. 

"Northern is under public control, so is TransPennine Express. Network rail is supporting us with the vision.

"The plan we have signed off on is with all of the rail industry. They have all put their name to it."

However, some aspects of the plan remain a distant dream within TfGM towers, such as a new underground Piccadilly station connecting up with three tram and train tunnels underneath the city centre, meaning parts of the vision are still far from becoming reality.

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