PASSENGERS’ experiences of getting off at Greenfield station left Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham amazed, he has revealed.
Documents from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority reveal it aims to incorporate the Saddleworth facility into the Bee Network by 2030.
And hearing how some people with mobility issues travel as far as Huddersfield and get the next service back just to exit the facility opened Mayor Burnham’s eyes.
He told a meeting of the GMCA’s Bee Network committee after appearing on Mike Sweeney’s Radio Manchester show: “Mike made the point that on his train to Greenfield, if you’re elderly and you want to get off at Greenfield, you have to go to Huddersfield and then come back and get off.
“This was 2025 for goodness’ sake.
“The rail industry has not been progressing at a pace we’d consider acceptable when it comes it accessibility improvements.
“One of our calls on it is to move quicker and more effectively. We’ve all been waiting too long for improvements to stations.
“It’s ridiculous where we’re not in a position where we have simple accessibility and decent lighting and good safety features at all our stations. We’re going to get stuck in.
“It’s a failure of the Department for Transport to prioritise the whole question of accessibility.
“To me, it’s a first order issue. If some of our residents cannot use a railway station, you fix that before you fix anything else because it’s not public transport if it’s not available to all of the public.
“About half of our stations don’t have step free access. We need to increase the urgency of the conversation around this as Bee Network Rail comes into being.
“When’s the rail industry going to prioritise accessibility? I still don’t see it. This is a battle we’re going to have to win in 2026.”
Accessibility at Greenfield Station is a key part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, with step free access to both platforms as it is remodelled.
And according to documents, it will become part of the Bee Network by the beginning of the next decade, with an aim of having it region-wide by 2050.
And Mayor Burnham outlined the knock-on effect, adding at the meeting: “We all know, because we all use the railways, the last decade has been pretty miserable – across the country, but particularly in the north.
“We’ve drawn a line and said, ‘Right, can we get into the business of having a big solution to what we’re all experiencing?’
“Remember, transport is a means to an end and the end is growth. Growth of people in terms of the connections they have to be able to live a good life, but also the growth of places.
“If you’ve got the right infrastructure and the right services, that growth becomes possible. If you don’t have that, you’re limiting the possibilities for people and places.
“The yellow and the bee is the symbol we’re now taking control of. It’s what should’ve been ours all along in my view – a service that works for us and works for people here.”
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