§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Minister of Transport if she will now announce her decision on the city of Manchester's request for a financial contribution by the Government towards the cost of the monorail feasibility study.
§ Mrs. CastleI have decided, with the Manchester City Council, to commission a comparative study of the costs and274W environmental aspects of several forms of rapid transit, including a monorail. It will be undertaken by consultants, and the Exchequer will contribute 75 per cent. of the cost. The study will add to our knowledge of new systems of rapid transit, and make possible a comparison with conventional rail and bus systems.
The study will also show the particular costs and environmental considerations of some of the possible ways of meeting demand on a particular route in Manchester, between Ringway Airport, Wythenshawe, the City centre, and the northern suburb of Langley. More generally, the need for a rapid transit system to serve these areas, and the ways in which this need might be met, is under consideration by a Joint Working Party which Manchester has formed with my Department and British Railways.