First trains to join Manchester’s Bee Network by end of 2026

Andy Burnham unveils next step in transport system, allowing contactless travel with fares capped across trains, buses and trams

The first passenger trains in the Bee Network will join by the end of 2026, after Greater Manchester disclosed the next steps in its ambitious transport system.

Unveiling a yellow-branded Northern train, the regional mayor, Andy Burnham, said two lines from central Manchester - to Glossop and Stalybridge - would join the network in a year, allowing contactless travel with fares capped across trains, buses and trams.