Talks on town's tram upgrade plan

Oldham Council said the scheme, if agreed, could start at once

An £84m investment plan to upgrade Metrolink trams and rail services in Oldham has been earmarked for approval by councillors.

The plans form part of a £1.5bn transport expansion scheme agreed by the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) executive.

At the meeting on Wednesday councillors will be asked to agree the plans.

The new Metrolink line is set to have six stops in Oldham, including the town centre, and will extend to Rochdale.

The tram system was launched 17 years ago, connecting Altrincham in the south with Bury in the north via Manchester city centre.

'Shovel ready'

The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) is meeting most of the cost from existing budgets.

The expansion was initially tied to the proposed congestion charge but went on hold when it was rejected in December.

Councillor Howard Sykes, council leader, said: "This decision gives Oldham £84m to invest to get the trams running. A considerable amount of the preliminary work has already taken place.

"This means that if cabinet approve it then the scheme is pretty much, 'shovel ready'."

He added that work to "transform the state of the council's finances over the past 12 months" meant that people would not see a "dramatic spike in council tax to pay for this once in a lifetime project".