Public transport needs a multi-billion pound boost - and Greater Manchester should cover a quarter of the cost, report says

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 National Infrastructure Assessment, which sets out the biggest priorities for the long-term future of the country's key networks, has made recommendations about energy, water and digital connectivity. The latest five-yearly review published on Tuesday (October 18) also describes the decision earlier this month to cancel the Manchester leg of HS2 as 'leaving a major gap in the UK's rail strategy'.

It comes more than a year after Sir John Armitt, who chairs the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), visited Manchester as part of a nationwide tour meeting local leaders ahead of writing this report. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, he said that Greater Manchester should not have to rely on 'handouts' from London, but rather raise money itself to fund some of its investment plans.

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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.

This is worse than many European cities of a comparable size, according to the NIC. The assessment also found that the local public transport network is expected to be overcapacity by an additional 10,000 passengers at peak times during the working week by 2055.

The report