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OIdham's economic prospects have been greatly improved by its excellent links with the UK's principal road and rail networks, port facilities and air passenger and cargo services. This connectivity has been strengthened in recent years by the completion of the M60 Manchester Outer Ring Road and major investment in terminal facilities and new scheduled services at Manchester Airport, where the Borough is one of ten equity partners. The Council has also kept pace with Oldham's transport needs by investing in a new central bus station.
Voted ‘European Airport of the Year’ in 2001 with high praise for its first-class business services, Manchester Airport is only 20 minutes drive time from Oldham. It handles 19 million passengers a year and flies to significantly more destinations than any other UK regional hub. New services have been launched in 2002 to London City, Barbados and Trinidad with increased frequencies to Prague and Zurich. Malaysia Airlines and Air Canada have also returned to Manchester. A £60 million fully-integrated transport interchange, due to open in 2003, will bring together rail, bus and coach services and a new 13-mile arm of the Metrolink Light rail system.
Local, regional and national rail networks link Oldham, via Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria, to all parts of the United Kingdom, and through the Channel Tunnel to all major European destinations. Oldham is also within easy access of a number of international freight terminals, including Trafford Park, Manchester.
Oldham's appeal as an easily accessible business location has been greatly enhanced by the opening of the final eastern section of the M60 Manchester Outer Ring Road which runs through the southern part of the Borough and connects with the M62. The A627(M) also provides a direct link to the transpennine motorway network from the north of the Borough.
Maritime links to global markets are provided on the west coast through the Port of Liverpool and on the east coast by the ports of Hull, Grimsby and Immingham. At Liverpool schemes worth £100 million have greatly enhanced the port's efficiency. A new roll-on, roll-off river terminal has been opened at Birkenhead for Irish Sea traffic and new warehousing space has been provided within the port complex. Two of the world's largest container lines, Maersk Sealand and MSC, have also introduced services from Liverpool that link into their hub ports in North America, Europe and the Mediterranean.
Detailed plans have been drawn up to extend Greater Manchester's 36 km Metrolink Light Rail Network into Oldham and Rochdale. The existing Altrincham, Bury and Eccles routes currently carry 18 million passengers a year. 0ldham's proposed link enters the Borough in Failsworth and runs on the existing line through Hollinwood to Werneth where it leaves the rail track to follow a new on-street route through the town centre along Union Street and back on to rail track at Mumps.
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