Business groups welcome HS2
KEY regional bodies, including Greater Manchester’s LEP, have welcomed the government’s green light for the multi-billion pound High Speed 2 rail project.
Transport secretary Justine Greening announced the first phase of the £32bn project, which will slash journey times between Birmingham and London to 49 minutes by 2026. To appease environmental concerns and protect the countryside phase one will include around eight miles of tunnels.
A second phase of Y-shaped track would link Manchester and Leeds by 2033. Journey times would be cut to just 80 minutes when completed.
Mike Blackburn, chair of the Greater Manchester LEP said: “High Speed Rail is crucial to the future of UK plc. It will ensure that cities such as Manchester remain economic powerhouses of Britain as well as creating and securing thousands of jobs across the region.
“The city’s current rail infrastructure, whilst greatly improved in recent years, cannot match the impressive pace at which Manchester continues to develop. We need a rail network the envy of other countries around the world and improved connectivity with London will open up a whole range of additional business opportunities.”
Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and transport, Cllr Malcolm Kennedy, said: “We look forward to approval being given to the next phase, providing a high speed link from Liverpool and other North West cities, to London and the major cities of the south.
“HS2 will address the capacity issues which affect not just passengers, but freight, and hinders our economy. And it will not only connect people with jobs, but freight with port and airport, helping create much needed jobs.”
Emma Antrobus, transport policy manager at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said the announcement was the the “first step towards improved capacity on a 21st century railway.”
She added: “The benefits for Greater Manchester and the North West are essential to complement regeneration plans and support job creation through increasing capacity for vital journeys for both passengers and freight.”
“The devil will be in the detail as to specific routes and timetabling, but we see today as the first step towards improved capacity on a 21st century railway. It is important though that now the correct decision has been made by government, the appropriate legislation is pushed through as quickly as possible so that work can start.”
Andrew Stokes, chief executive of Marketing Manchester, also backed the decision, stating: “The decision brings HSR that bit closer to Manchester and I would encourage the secretary of state to make a firm commitment to phase two of the project sooner rather than later.”
Bob Prattey, chief executive of ACC Liverpool, agreed. He said: “Whilst we support the latest HS2 developments, we would like to see improved connectivity between London and the north west sooner than the current proposal of 2032/33.
“Since opening in 2008, ACC Liverpool has generated £500 million in economic benefit to the Liverpool city-region.
“Our transport network is a vital component to attracting new events to our venue and the feedback we continually receive is the perception of our distance from London. Although travel time is now two hours eight minutes, perceptions will not change until this is less than two hours.”
