Party conference hits bus services

9:10am Wednesday 17th September 2008

Nearly 20 bus services, including some serving Bolton, Bury and Leigh, will be affected by diversions in Manchester city centre during the next two weeks for the Labour Party Conference.

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) is advising passengers coming into the city to allow extra time for their journeys.

The conference is being held at Manchester Central near the G-Mex Metrolink stop. Trams will continue to run through the city centre as normal and all of the stops will remain open.

Passengers at the G-Mex stop will need to use the stairs to Whitworth Street West or the bridge to Deansgate train station as there will no direct access between the stop and Manchester Central.

Parts of Lower Mosley Street, Oxford Street, Peter Street and Mount Street will also be shut to traffic in the run up to and during the conference.

Michael Renshaw, GMPTE’s Interim Service Delivery Director, said: “We’ll have extra staff on duty at G-Mex to guide people to the exits, and we’re putting up posters at bus stops to tell people about the diversions.

“There will obviously be some disruption to people’s journeys if they’re coming into the city centre during the next few weeks. The best thing to do is to plan your journey in advance and to allow a bit of extra time.”

The 33 bus service to Wigan, 63 to Brookhouse and the 258 to Flixton are following diversions in the city centre until Thursday, September 25. Some Nightbus services will also follow different routes this weekend. They are the 8 to Bolton, 17 to Rochdale, 39 to Leigh, 67 to Cadishead and the 135 to Bury.

From Thursday, the X40 to Great Harwood, X41 to Blackburn, and the X43 and X44 to Nelson will be diverted. The free city centre bus service, Metroshuttle 3, will also change its route, missing out Peter Street and Oxford Street.

And from Friday , the 42A to Reddish, 46 to Chorlton, 47 to Withington, 50 to East Didsbury, 191 to Middlewood, and the 197 to Stockport will be diverted.

Several demonstrations are also expected to take place between Saturday and Wednesday, which are likely to affect some city centre bus services.

Information about public transport services in Greater Manchester is available at www.gmpte.com, or by calling Traveline on 0871 200 22 33. (Calls cost 10p a minute. Mobile and landline networks may charge more. Lines are open from 7am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and from 8am to 8pm at weekends.)