Hopes to extend tramlines to Bolton have proven to be a 'train wreck', opposition leaders claim after a report branded them “poor value for money.”

Extending the Greater Manchester Metrolink to the town has long been an aspiration supported by Bolton North East MP Mark Logan since his election in 2019.

But in the face of a Transport for Greater Manchester report claiming that options for extending the line would not be cost effective, Mr Logan says he still believes he can make a case for the plans.

He said: “Bolton deserves its place firmly on the Metrolink Map. 

“With the recent announcement redirecting HS2 funding to Network North, more money is being pumped into localised, this only strengthens the case for Metrolink services in Bolton.

The Bolton News: Mark Logan MP with transport secretary Mark Harper MPMark Logan MP with transport secretary Mark Harper MP (Image: Office of Mark Logan MP)

“I'm continuing to work with the transport secretary to get connectivity boosted in Bolton, which, coupled with over £70 million investment for town regeneration projects will change the face and pace of Bolton for the better.”

Mr Logan has frequently called for the Metrolink to be extended to Bolton and last June used his column in The Bolton News to again make the case for the investment this would need.

He has said he hopes to convince his Conservative colleagues in Westminster to make these plans a reality.

But Mr Logan’s opponents have said that the business case has been “destroyed” by the poor value for money assessment made by TfGM.

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Labour candidate for Bolton North East Kirith Entwistle said: “In 2019, just before the last General Election, Mark Logan MP and Cabinet Member Grant Shapps said clearly that if people in Bolton voted Conservative, they would get a Metrolink to our town.

“It’s a claim he’s reminded people about every year since, including when Rishi Sunak scrapped HS2 in the autumn of last year. 

“But the reality is, the promise to deliver Metrolink hasn’t just gone off the tracks, it’s an absolute train wreck! 

“They’ve spent the HS2 money on filling potholes in London and the south of England, killed Northern Powerhouse Rail and Mark Logan has repeated his Metrolink plan despite knowing full well that the business case had destroyed his 2019 promise to Bolton.”