Bury Interchange Phase 1

Putting public transport at the heart of Bury’s town centre regeneration

Bury Interchange has served the town for more than 40 years, and thousands of people pass through it every day. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is now transforming it into a modern, accessible gateway to the town centre – making it easier to travel on the Bee Network by bus, tram, walking, wheeling or cycling.

Willmott Dixon has been appointed through the SCAPE Construction framework to deliver Phase 1, a £17.9m scheme that starts on site in November 2026. It is the essential enabling stage of the programme: a new pedestrian footbridge over the Metrolink tram lines gives a direct link to Union Square and step-free access to Pyramid Park via a new route, while the tram platforms are comprehensively upgraded. Once the bridge is in place, passengers can keep reaching their trams while the existing interchange is cleared for Phase 2 - a full redevelopment, including new apartments, due to start in 2028.

Cornerstone of Bury Council’s town centre masterplan

The interchange sits at the heart of Bury Council’s town centre masterplan, alongside the Market Flexi Hall, Mill Gate improvements, Pyramid Park and new town centre housing. Phase 1 is the first physical step in that transformation.

What the project involves

• A new steel pedestrian footbridge spanning the Metrolink lines, linking Union Square and Pyramid Park
• A new lift and access stair providing step-free access to the Metrolink platforms
• Resurfaced platforms with replacement canopies
• Upgraded lighting, signage and CCTV, plus improved passenger information displays and ticketing facilities
• M&E services, infrastructure rationalisation and public realm improvements
• Better connections between Knowsley Street, the town centre and Union Square

Note: CGI of the proposed footbridge – artist’s impression, credit to: Hawkins Brown.

Our expertise

Building over and beside an operational tram network demands meticulous planning. Trams will keep running to Bury throughout most of the works, with any planned disruption communicated to passengers well in advance. Most of the Metrolink car park also stays open, with part of it used as our site compound. The footbridge installation, planned for 2027, is the critical moment of the programme and is being sequenced to keep the network and the town moving.

This is repeat business with a client we know well. Willmott Dixon and TfGM delivered the award-winning £140m Stockport Interchange (below), which turned Stockport’s bus station into a modern transport interchange and mixed-use destination when it opened in 2024. We have since worked together on a £40m programme of bus depot electrification projects for Greater Manchester’s integrated transport network – much of it, like Bury, delivered through SCAPE.

Our wider transport portfolio includes the £17m net zero North Shields Transport Hub, the £16m Halifax Bus Station and the renovated gateway to Darlington Train Station, part of a £140m masterplan. We are currently delivering £36.8m of new bus stations in Dewsbury and Huddersfield. Phase 1 at Bury is being led by our Oldham-based team in the North, alongside architect Hawkins Brown.

What people are saying

“We are proud to be working alongside Transport for Greater Manchester once again on another vital investment in local transport facilities in the heart of Bury, creating a key piece of infrastructure to help enable plans for the wider regeneration of Bury Interchange. This is an exciting time for Bury with the ongoing Bury Town Centre masterplan, and we’re excited to be playing our part in helping re-shape Bury Interchange.”

Anthony Dillon, Managing Director, North, Willmott Dixon

“The redevelopment of Bury Interchange will make journeys easier for people using Bee Network trams and buses and deliver vast improvements for Bury town centre … we will begin to turn this outdated facility into a modern, accessible and welcoming place, putting public transport at the heart of the town’s regeneration.”

Vernon Everitt, Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester

“We are proud to be building on our positive, collaborative relationship with Transport for Greater Manchester. Alongside Willmott Dixon, we have successfully delivered several transformative projects on behalf of TfGM, including seven bus depots. This latest scheme is another important milestone in our partnership and will play a significant role in providing passengers and local people with improved transport links and facilities.”

Mark Robinson, Group Chief Executive, SCAPE