Northern MPs and civic leaders make case for rail investment

The UK must have a high-speed rail network linking North to South by the early 2030s, unlocking a £100bn boost to the North’s economy, Northern MPs, civic leaders and businesses will say today (Tuesday, February 27).

The Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP) is calling on Government to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) at the same time as HS2 as a major step to narrowing the North-South divide, opening up much larger potential labour markets for businesses and enhanced leisure and social activities for families.

International connectivity would also be transformed, with 10 million people within two hours of Manchester Airport – the Northern Powerhouse’s international hub – compared to three million today.

Dramatically cutting journey times to cities and towns in the Northern Powerhouse would create thousands of jobs, increasing productivity and attracting significant overseas investment.

Establishing an NPR station in Liverpool alone, alongside HS2 would create 20,000 new jobs and £703m towards the economy.

Redesigning Manchester Piccadilly to create an underground station, to allow high-speed trains to pass through without delay, is also critical to achieving significantly quicker journeys across the North.

Phase 2b of HS2, linking Manchester and Leeds to London and the West Midlands, is set to open in 2032/33. Opening NPR at the same time would mean that children born last year could explore further education, apprenticeships or job opportunities throughout the UK, without the barrier of poor connectivity.

This could see spades in the ground on NPR as early as next year.

The Northern Powerhouse All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) meeting this afternoon will hear from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, and Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, about the transformational effects the proposed high-speed networks will have on their cities by connecting them to rest of the North, as well as Lord Jim O’Neill.

Currently, travelling from Manchester to Bradford by train takes 61 minutes – bringing in NPR would slash this to just 20 minutes.

Crucial to this transformational improvement is building a tunnel to accommodate NPR in an underground station at Manchester Piccadilly, ensuring that HS2 trains can seamlessly link with NPR trains and link with a second Greater Manchester station at Manchester Airport.

The current proposed alignment of HS2 track will force a ‘turn-back’ option for NPR with the station remodelled on a piecemeal basis.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority claims the underground station represents a once in a century opportunity for Piccadilly and for ongoing connections across the wider North.

In Bradford, the UK’s youngest city, much-needed investment in education and skills could create a highly-skilled workforce with greatly-enhanced connections across the North and wider UK.

By the time today’s pre-schoolers in Bradford are entering the world of work, they could travel to Manchester in 25 minutes, Hull in 53 (down from 91 currently), London in 92 (down from 171), Newcastle in 68 (down from 123) and Sheffield in 38 (from 85).

In parallel to the APPG meeting, Julie Elliott, MP for Sunderland Central, will use a keynote speech at a conference in Leeds to launch a campaign for NPR services to link to Sunderland.

Crucial to the overall economic benefit to the North is not simply connecting the core cities, but ensuring major towns such as Sunderland, Preston, Carlisle, Middlesbrough and towns like Barnsley and its neighbours in South Yorkshire are included in high-speed connections.

Northern Powerhouse Partnership vice-chair Lord O’Neill said: “Getting Northern Powerhouse Rail delivered to the recommendations of Transport for the North is crucial for the success of the Northern Powerhouse.

“Without connecting as quickly and efficiently as possible the many closely-located towns and cities of the Northern Powerhouse, it will not be able to create the agglomeration benefits that would transform the economy of the UK, never mind just the North.

“Indeed by doing it, the financial investment justification for central government would vastly exceed the usual cautious value for money criteria, and be one of the most exciting things for post Brexit Britain, notably for an area that has many disillusioned voters.”

Cllr Hinchcliffe said: “Supporters of the Next Stop Bradford campaign have made the case for why a new line between Manchester and Leeds will have the greatest benefit if it includes a City Centre stop in Bradford.

“It is right that Bradford is now on the preferred route and that this route should be built sooner, rather than later, and will be most impactful if this is by when HS2 arrives in Yorkshire.

“At least £1.3bn of additional economic benefits will come from a Bradford city centre station and will be unlocked through the direct connections to Manchester in 20 minutes and Leeds in seven minutes, as well as dramatically-improved connections to cities like Sheffield, Hull, Newcastle, Sunderland, Darlington and Middlesbrough.

“It is vital that Northern Powerhouse Rail brings the maximum benefits for the North by putting the UK’s youngest city at the centre of an area which will see at least 1.3 million people within an hour of four major cities in the Northern Powerhouse.”

Burnham said: “Westminster has failed the North and given us a transport system which is simply not fit for the future. People here are no longer prepared to put up with the packed out roads and clapped out trains that we’ve endured for decades.

“We need the Government to deliver East to West Northern Powerhouse Rail alongside HS2, with a revamped Manchester Piccadilly station at its heart.

“This is a clear call from the Northern Powerhouse Partnership and our job now as political leaders is to gather the whole of the North behind this call, speaking with one voice to Government to demand the rail system the North deserves.

“We’ve has a lot of talk from Ministers but now is the time for them to show their commitment to the North of England and gave us the infrastructure we need to create jobs, boost productivity and tackle the North South divide.”

Elliott added: “Delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail to cities and towns like Sunderland, Carlisle, Middlesbrough and Preston is the right aspiration for the Northern Powerhouse to get the maximum productivity benefits from this extension to the UK’s high-speed rail network beyond what HS2 will provide. Driving the North’s ambitions is a national priority.

“The economic assets of Sunderland in key sectors like digital can be fully realised when fellow Northern cities like Leeds are part of the same ecosystem – genuinely collaborating, not competing.”

Meanwhile Jessica Bowles, director of strategy at property company Bruntwood, endorsed the Northern Powerhouse Partnership’s case.

She said: “Connecting our great Northern cities such as Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester with faster, more frequent, high quality rail links is a high priority for many businesses. Northern businesses and leaders have come together to make the case based on how the economy really works.

“Committing to delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail alongside HS2 would be an incredible endorsement for the Northern economy, creating thousands of jobs and opening opportunities for people to benefit from living and working in new ways. The economic gains could be £100bn and play a huge role in narrowing the North-South economic divide.

“Securing Government support for delivering new infrastructure – like the redesign of Manchester Piccadilly to accommodate high speed trains, a new 30-minute connection between Leeds and Manchester via Bradford and a new station in Liverpool – which alongside HS2 would create 20,000 new jobs – is vital and I urge all Northern businesses to endorse this campaign.”

Steve Gillingham, director for the North at international construction company Mace, said: “Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) will be game changing for the North – it is the greatest connectivity opportunity of this generation. Connecting the North to a faster and more frequent rail network that ensures 1.3 million people are within one hour of four of the largest cities will transform the way labour markets work and where people chose to live.

“This is an opportunity the government should grasp with both hands to deliver a truly transformational infrastructure project that will better connect people to places and take the pressure off our current groaning railways and overcrowded road network.”