Greater Manchester: Popularity of Bee Network's Tyldesley park and ride in Wigan drives huge expansion
The popularity of Bee Network night buses means a Wigan park-and-ride station will more than TREBLE in size.
A planning application to expand Tyldesley’s ‘travel hub’ has been formally submitted to Wigan council, which will add 99 car parking spaces and electric vehicle cahrging points for bus users.
That means the park-and-ride will go from 49 to 148 spaces, a nearly three-times increase. New spaces will be built on Astley Street, south of the Leigh Guided Busway the original facility was constructed for.
The guided busway opened in 2016 to serve as the main connection between Manchester and Leigh, one of the largest towns in the country without a railway station.
The busway has proved a hit — with mayor Andy Burnham saying it’s so popular, especially after a night bus trial started last year, expansion is required.
“Park and Rides play a vital role within the Bee Network by encouraging more people to use our integrated public transport system, while also reducing congestion on our roads and improving air quality,” said the mayor.
“The success of the Leigh Guided Busway, including the trial of night buses, has seen demand for parking increase at Tyldesley Park and Ride.
“This expansion will improve access to bus services and provide the capacity needed to encourage more people to travel more sustainably.”
To help night-time passengers, the project will also ‘improve pedestrian access to the guided busway’ with ‘new street lighting and CCTV to help people feel safer’.
Leigh and Atherton MP Jo Platt also believes the expanded facility will curb parking problems in Tyldesley town centre. She said: “With more than three times the current parking capacity, this new provision will improve access to public transport and help to alleviate the existing parking pressures in Tyldesley town centre.”
Should the planning application be approved, it’s expected building work will start in early 2026 and be completed by summer.