‘Express’ bus on detour to take in a new town

CHARLOTTE GREEN

APOPULAR ‘express’ commuter bus service is to take an extra ten minutes after it was re-routed to service a new town.

From April, the X41 Red Express bus will divert from Haslingden and Helmshore to stop at Ramsbottom, which currently has no public transport linking it to Manchester.

Operator Transdev says the service, which runs every 30 minutes, will rejoin the M66 after calling at Ramsbottom but journey times are also expected to increase by an ●● Bus company Lancashire United launching the new Red Express bus service in Accrington. average of 10 minutes to account for the diversion.

Bury North MP James Frith had met with bus bosses to ask for Ramsbottom’s inclusion in the service.

He said he was ‘delighted’ that the bus will now be re-routed, adding it gives residents a ‘fast, regular service into Manchester and up into Lancashire’.

Mr Frith said: “I hope this is the first in a series of positive changes to improve public transport connectivity and services across Bury, Tottington and Ramsbottom.”

Bus bosses also say the Manchester to Blackburn return link will also be terminating at Accrington as of April, because they are seeing ‘very few people’ travelling along the entirety of the route and are struggling to compete with the enhanced train link.

Shaun Walmsley, general manager for The Blackburn Bus Company, which is part of Transdev, said with the recently doubled rail service between Blackburn and Manchester they are now seeing very few people travelling between both those destinations, with most people using it along the section of route from Accrington.

He added: “We’re focusing our efforts instead on improving the service between Accrington and Manchester, including the creation of a brand new link from Ramsbottom into the heart of the city.”