Proposals for expansion of key North West HS2 assets

Expansion of Manchester’s Piccadilly and Airport stations and an extra rail connection from Crewe to the North are among a range of measures being proposed by HS2 Ltd today to facilitate better journeys between the North and Midlands.

The government body has launched a public consultation, seeking views on plans for the design of HS2’s Western Leg between Crewe and Manchester and how it can be linked up with Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) to deliver seamless integrated services across the country.

Also proposed is the construction of a new HS2 rolling stock depot in Annandale, Scotland, which would create up to 100 jobs in the local area.

The consultation has been launched following recommendations from the Oakervee Review to deliver HS2 in smaller sections and consider how best to deliver the project alongside other schemes through the development of an Integrated Rail Plan, with the aim of improving capacity and connectivity across the North and Midlands and delivering services more quickly and effectively to people across the UK.

HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson said: “HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail are an integral part of this country’s future rail network, vital for improving connections between our biggest cities and regions, boosting jobs and kick-starting economic growth as we build back better.

“This consultation will ensure passengers and business have their say in delivering a rail network that meets their needs, providing better journeys across the Midlands and the North as quickly as possible.”

The outcome of the consultation will also inform the development of the hybrid bill for HS2’s Western Leg before it’s introduced in Parliament in early 2022.

It follows extensive work by the Department for Transport, HS2 Ltd and Transport for the North to propose infrastructure designs that will best integrate HS2 with NPR, reducing the amount of extra infrastructure required in the future.

This includes proposals to boost capacity in Manchester by doubling the number of platforms at the Airport station from two to four and increasing the number at Piccadilly from four to six.

In addition, an extra Northern service from Crewe could see five to seven HS2 trains per hour calling at the station, facilitating connections to NPR and bringing the vision of a Crewe Hub a step closer.

Transport for the North (TfN) has welcomed the move as further progress in delivering a step-change for rail travel in the North, and says it’s vital that plans to integrate the network on the East of the Pennines also need to progress at speed to deliver the best outcomes for the North’s towns and cities.

Under TfN’s current plans, HS2 and NPR would share 80km of rail infrastructure.

Tim Wood, Northern Powerhouse Rail Director at Transport for the North, said: “It is good to see proposals for HS2 moving forwards, as the North has waited too long for the new investment it needs in high speed rail lines found elsewhere in Europe.

“Together, the two projects will form the backbone of a futureproof rail network for our region.

“But we must ensure that this investment allows for benefits to be shared equally across the North.

“Northern Powerhouse Rail relies on parts of HS2 infrastructure being built to run its trains, too. Therefore, it is vital the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan commits to bringing forward plans for the HS2 Eastern leg connecting the Midlands with Yorkshire, including Sheffield and Leeds, and getting spades in the ground in the North as soon as possible.”

He added: “HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail, delivered together in full, would tackle head-on the productivity gap between the North and the South, and provide the modern, fit-for-purpose railway the North so badly needs.”

TfN – the statutory body representing the North’s civic and business leaders – believes that delivering HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail in full will transform connectivity and support the regeneration of Britain’s towns and cities.

In tandem, they will release rail capacity for freight and passenger services, help cut carbon emissions, increase speed and reliability of journeys across the North and beyond, and propel economic recovery.

Northern Powerhouse Rail will bring up to 10 million people within 90 minutes of four or more Northern cities, taking 64,000 car journeys off the roads every single day. It also expects to help generate 35,000 more jobs in Northern city centres.

In its bid to the Government’s plans for an Integrated Rail Plan, TfN says the North can’t wait at the back of the queue for investment and the benefits of construction work on Northern Powerhouse Rail, HS2 and other major rail projects must begin in the region as soon as possible.

Tim Wood

Tim Wood added: “Today’s consultation marks solid progress and further evidence of these projects becoming reality in the North.

“The Government’s Integrated Rail Plan must deliver a clear investment pipeline that shares benefits right across the North’s communities.

“It must also give meaningful consideration to proposals for transformational projects at key interchanges, like those on the table for Manchester Piccadilly.”

TfN has previously called for Northern politicians and business leaders to have a clearer role in the development and delivery of HS2, with representation on the HS2 Ltd board so that it can be planned as part of an integrated approach alongside Northern Powerhouse Rail.

The proposals for Crewe would represent a £200m investment in the town, and Clare Hayward, chair of the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) said: “HS2 represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Crewe and is a transformative infrastructure programme that supports levelling-up across the region as a whole.

“As part of our submission to the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review we set out proposals for a High-Speed Growth Corridor around the HS2 hub at Crewe.

“It will deliver high value jobs, housing and infrastructure in Crewe, Winsford and parts of Warrington, as well as making a significant contribution to wider economic growth across the sub-region.

Artist impression of Crewe railway station entrance

“Clarity and certainty around the Crewe North Connection, plus government support for the High-Speed Growth Corridor, will provide a bright future for Crewe.”

Alongside the new consultation, three additional Western Leg updates have been published today which also support the development of the Bill:

• Response to the June 2019 Design Refinement Consultation,
• A route-wide update, and
• An update to safeguarding

The response to the June 2019 consultation has confirmed four proposed changes to sections of the project in Manchester and Cheshire that will proceed subject to the outcome of the Integrated Rail Plan.

In addition, further route updates for local areas on the Western Leg and new safeguarding directions have been published.

Work on HS2 Phase One from London to Birmingham is already well under way at more than 250 active sites, stimulating the economy and set to create more than 22,000 jobs through the approximately £10bn-worth of contracts already announced, two thirds of which will go to small and medium sized enterprises.

Legislation for Phase 2a, from Birmingham to Crewe, is currently being considered by Parliament.