Call to unleash North’s potential by investing in its transport infrastructure

Ahead of the start of the General Election 2019 campaigns, Transport for the North has penned an open message to political parties, urging them to unleash the North’s potential and “rebalance decades of under investment”.

Transport for the North, which is made up of civic and business leaders and represents more than 15 million people who live in the North, calls for commitment to the full £39bn Northern Powerhouse Rail network and HS2, as well as devolved budgets and a clear pipeline of investment in infrastructure.

It says that doing so would deliver a rail revolution for the North and unlock the region’s pent-up potential.

The message from Barry White, the group’s chief executive, states: “We need Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2. For Northern Powerhouse Rail, this means the most transformational £39bn network spanning from Liverpool to Hull and Sheffield to Newcastle. A mix of new lines and significant upgrades bringing fast, reliable journeys to our main hubs. Millions of people better connected by rail.

“That should include new lines between Liverpool and Manchester via Warrington and Manchester Airport, and between Manchester and Leeds.

“Significant upgrades would create turn-up and go services between Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, the wider North East and Hull. All journey times slashed, each station location a chance to ignite regeneration and foster new enterprise.

“We believe any future Government should back this blueprint to improve people’s opportunities and their quality of life. Like those in our bold, youngest city Bradford, where we believe a central station would be the best catalyst for genuine transformation. A new Government should recognise this and back masterplanning of the city’s central station as soon as possible.”

White said there needs to be a conscious decision by a Government to commit funding from the mid-2020s, so people can expect work to start in a few years rather than decades.

And he said this must be fully integrated with HS2, adding: “For years, the North’s leaders have planned and prepared for HS2’s arrival to both sides of the Pennines. Future city-scapes have been planned around it, whilst the promise of more capacity on the existing network for local stopping services and vital freight movements has been embraced.

“The need for investment is clear. It’s evidenced in the daily slog of today’s rail passengers. Timetabling conundrums, packed trains, passengers left on platforms – a congested network buckling under the strain of its own success.

“Passengers travelling from Manchester to Sheffield still travel at half the speed of services between Milton Keynes and London. It takes more than double the time to travel from Liverpool to Hull by rail, than it does London to Paris.

“Delay or significant change to HS2 – and the half a million extra seats it would provide each day – would not only scale-back the economic opportunities for the North, it could delay both projects substantially. Right now, we need the future of HS2 to be resolved without delay.

“A future Government should respect and collaborate with the North to drive these projects forward, with strong early commitments to infrastructure spending and meaningful devolution discussions that give our leaders decision-making powers.

“These issues transcend party politics. That’s been compounded by passion and support from across the spectrum in the past year for this mission. We ask that all parties advance this agenda, putting right decades of under investment, and work with a united North to deliver the opportunity to rebalance the UK economy.”