THE Government has “unpaused” the electrification work on the TransPennine and Midland Mainline railways after receiving a new plan for the work from Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy.
The revised plan has promised to deliver “faster journey times and significantly more capacity between Manchester, Leeds and York”.
The upgrade is expected to provide capacity for six fast or semi-fast trains per hour, take up to 15 minutes off today’s journey time between Manchester and York and be complete by 2022.
When the work is finished, the intercity route from Liverpool to Newcastle, which takes in Manchester, Leeds and York, will be fully electrified.
Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin was forced to announce a “pause” in the scheme in June, which led to political rows about the Government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse and whether it knew before the general election that it would be stopping work.
In a visit to Leeds railway station, Mr McLoughlin said: “When I had to put it on pause it was an embarrassment and I didn’t much care for it, but it is far better when you are doing a job like this to make sure you do it properly.”
The revised plan has been designed to deliver “key passenger benefits as quickly as possible”, and is broader in its scope than changing the power supply of the trains.
Network Rail will also restart work to electrify the Midland Mainline route north of Bedford to Kettering and Corby by 2019 and the line north of Kettering to Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield by 2023.
Sir Peter Hendy added: “The temporary pause in the programme has given us the space to develop a better plan for passengers.
“People can expect more services and faster journeys. We face some difficult challenges, and there is more work still to do, but the Secretary of State’s decision means we can now move forward with our plans to electrify TransPennine and Midland Mainline”.
The news was welcomed across the region both for the direct benefits to passengers and for the commitment it shows in the northern powerhouse concept.
Chris Hearld, KPMG’s North Region Chairman, welcomed the reinstatement of the electrification project.
“The faster journey times and the greater capacity promised are music to the ears of employers and commuters who are at the sharp end of connectivity issues in the North,” he said.
“Of course, electrification is a component of the package of transport investment required to build a Northern Powerhouse rather than an end in itself but this news certainly holds out the prospect that the Powerhouse could be back on track.”
Stuart Watson, senior partner at EY in Yorkshire and Humber, said it “helps to return some momentum to the infrastructure plans behind the Northern Powerhouse vision”.
He added: “The next important steps for the Government will be delivering on its other infrastructure ambitions for the North, which will require significant funding and public support. It will be interesting to see how these progress, given the likely need for new funding sources and for cities with newly devolved powers to work together to deliver integrated transport initiatives.”
