Make it happen: NW bosses’ verdict on rail plan

BUSINESS leaders from across the region have welcomed the proposed West Coast high speed rail link.

Enthusiasm is tempered thought by the fact that £35bn will have to be found to pay for the overhaul which will slash journey times from the North West to London.

If the finance is found and the improvements are made, it would take just one hour and six minutes to travel between Manchester and London and an hour and 20 minutes between Liverpool and the capital city.

Welcoming the proposals Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the North West Development Agency said:”The challenge now will be to build a strong case for Government investment to ensure this project happens.”

John Simpson, senior investment director at stockbrokers Rensburg Sheppards in Manchester, said: “High speed connectivity to the capital will guarantee future prosperity for Britain’s second city.

“It will give London-based institutions a realistic choice  for relocation and give Northern businesses better access to markets in the south” 

Phil Jones, sales and marketing director, Brother UK based in Audenshaw:

“The thought of getting to London from Manchester in an hour is incredible and Network Rail’s proposal should be warmly welcomed by everyone in our region.

“But we’ve had many false starts to grand transport projects in the past and all eyes should now turn to the Government and its forthcoming high-speed rail plan for the detail on how this big, brave proposal can actually be delivered.”

Paul Lupton, head of corporate finance advisory at Deloitte in the North West, said: “The level of investment in infrastructure proposed by Network Rail will make the UK a still smaller place, which can only be good news for business.

“Such a large capital expenditure project will also bring significant benefits to areas of the construction industry. But aside from that, the reality is that the new rail link will be in operation by 2025 at the earliest so, while the news is good, the impact will not be felt by the North West business community for some time.”

Michael Shaw, managing partner at law firm Cobbetts, pictured, added: “We cannot be selfish and not share access to this wonderful region to people who have to live in London!

“Seriously, it has to make absolute sense as we endeavour to compete effectively as a country in a global market that we harness the economic output of our prime commercial centres and work as one team.”

Frank McKenna, chairman of the business lobbying groups Downtown Liverpool and Downtiwn Preston in Business was more guarded in his reaction, arguing that transport links across the North must be a priority.

“On the face of it, it would seem churlish not to welcome this planned investment and improvement.

“However, if this comes at the expense of improvements to better rail connectivity between cities from across the North, Liverpool, Preston, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle, then I’m afraid I have concerns.

“We have an unhealthy obsession with the South East and London, and this will be seen by many as enabling ‘us’ to travel quicker to ‘them’.

If we can reverse that psychology, and increase traffic from London to the North, then we potentially have a great opportunity to demonstrate that we can offer equal quality service provision in many sectors, often at a more competitive price. “

A spokesman for US-owned cereal maker Kellogg’s, which has its UK headquarters in Old Trafford, Manchester said:”The Network Rail plans would make a big difference to day-to-day business here at Kellogg’s – now getting to London and back for a meeting within the space of a morning could be a reality.”

Paul Rice, chief executive of the Liverpool Commercial District Partnership said the city must be part of the first phase of improvements.

 “Once the funding resources and plans are in place, it’s essential that the Liverpool link is included in the main project, and not part of a later phase thereby leaving us at a disadvantage compared to other cities.”

Damian Walmsley, partner at Moore and Smalley Chartered Accountants in Preston said: “If this goes ahead it will have significant benefits, both in terms of Preston businesses being able to connect to the English and Scottish capitals in far shorter times and by putting Preston onto a better commercial footing with the rest of the UK.

“Because commercial property is priced more competitively in Preston than in some other regions of the UK it could mean that companies in Birmingham and the South East may look favourably on Preston as a potential North West hub.”