Introducing the ‘Wigan Grand Circular’, a potential new wigan bus service? Possibly linking Winstanley, Orrell, Pemberton, Ashton-in-Makerfield, and Wigan town centre. Providing public transport links between the four wards without having to change in town to another service, it opens up a new set of destinations for the benefit of locals and hopefully increases trade for local businesses too. So the purpose of the article isn’t necessarily to suggest a polished completed route, but to get people thinking if there is any merit in it. If so then use your experience, local knowledge and desires to enhance the route that will make it popular and therefore successful.
Proposed Route and Key Stops – Initial Thoughts
The proposed service could operate as a continuous loop in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions. It provides residents of these areas with a direct, single-bus journey to the main shopping district, council services, and the borough’s primary bus and rail stations, before continuing its loop. The clockwise route below illustrates the new, enhanced journey:
1. Winstanley;
- Winstanley Parade: Serving the local shopping precinct and community hub.
- Winstanley Arbour: Farm Shop and on to the Bag and Bean.
- Winstanley College: Providing a link for students and staff.
Thoughts: could it be extended to Billinge Higher End providing a link to Billinge directly from Winstanley?
2. Orrell;
- Orrell Station: rail services to Liverpool, Orrell Water Park.
- Orrell: Local shops and bars on Church Street.
Thoughts: could it be adapted to include John Rigby, Gathurst and / or Orrell Post?
3. Pemberton;
- Pemberton High Street (Ormskirk Road): Serving the main commercial and health/other facilities in Pemberton.
- Pemberton Station: Providing another key rail interchange.
4. Robin Park;
- Providing better access to the retail park. Particularly for those who do not drive or do not wish to.
- Wigan Pier and Cotton Mill: Perhaps making the occupation of Wigan Pier more viable to commercial companies?
5. Wigan Town Centre;
- Wigan Wallgate & North Western Stations: A crucial stop for national and regional rail connections.
- Wigan Bus Station: The central interchange for the borough’s entire bus network, including the Bee Network.
- Grand Arcade/Market Place: Providing direct access to Wigan’s primary retail and leisure core.
5. Ashton-in-Makerfield:
- Leaving the town centre, the service heads towards Ashton.
- Ashton Town Centre (Gerard Street): Connecting with the main shopping area, library, and local services.
- Bryn Station: Offering a further rail connection.
6. Return to Winstanley:
- From Ashton, the route would travel via Landgate, serving residential areas before returning to Winstanley Parade to complete the circular journey.
Enhanced Benefits of the “Wigan Grand Circular”
This revised route offers all the benefits of the original proposal, with several significant additions:
- Central Hub Connectivity: Directly links four major residential areas with the town centre, eliminating the need to change buses for shopping, work, or leisure trips.
- Superior Transport Integration: By stopping at Wigan Bus Station and the two town centre train stations (as well as Orrell, Pemberton, and Bryn), it creates a powerfully integrated service connecting communities to the wider transport network.
- Increased Economic Opportunity: Makes it easier for residents in the four wards to access jobs and services in the town centre, while also making it easier for people to travel from the town centre to businesses in Pemberton or Ashton.
- Reduced Congestion: Provides a compelling and convenient alternative to driving into the town centre, potentially easing traffic on key roads like Ormskirk Road and Warrington Road.
Implementation Considerations
Clearly this article is just a starter for 10. To maximize the chance of such an enhanced service, a thorough examination would be required. Not just to cover the wishes of locals and independent businesses, but also the revenue it may bring to the council, operation costs. The impact to the council could further demonstrate its commitment to get more people off the road whether they drive or not. Some thoughts include;
Prominent Branding: Marketing the route as the “Wigan Grand Circular” could help create a strong identity and raise public awareness of the new, travel option available to them.
High Frequency: A service running every 20-30 minutes would be wonderful to make it a truly convenient option for commuters and shoppers. It could be timed into providing additional part journey services to the existing 601, 602, 610, 611
Clear Timetabling: The schedule should be easy to understand and integrated with train times at all five stations on the route where possible.
Other Thoughts and Over to You
Potential Extension to create a figure of 8 route: The thought here is to provide a loop from the town centre out to Shevington, Parbold, Standish, Aspull, Scholes back to town before onwards to Ashton. While this seems a long route a comparable service is the 23 and 24 circular routes in St Helens that have been popular and well used going back as far as the 1970s.
Impact on the 639 service: There is an existing circular route that takes in;
Worsley Hall
Pemberton
Goose Green
Marus Bridge
Poolstock
Wigan
Could this be extended to include Winstanley and the additional stops covered in this article? Or would it make the 639 route to long? Also how would it impact the number of passengers?
While Hawkley is clearly a large development, it seems ironic that the often labelled larger estates of Wigan and Highfield are not included?
So there we have it. Some ideas to encourage refinement from others. Hey and if there are no takers right now, there’s nothing lost.