The TransNorth wishlist: The transformational rail and road projects

THE TransNorth plan announced today includes £88bn worth of changes to existing rail lines, new routes and improvements to roads.

The report sets out a long terms strategy in a ‘TransNorth’ network, with sections capable of speeds up to 140mph, will link Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and Hull.

Network journey times between Liverpool and Manchester could be as low as 20 minutes; Manchester to Sheffield and Leeds could both be 30 minutes; Leeds to Hull could be just 45, and Sheffield to Hull 50 minutes.

Journey times from Manchester to Newcastle could be cut by 25%.

Supporting studies by Network Rail set out for the first time the different options for creating such a network and set out indicative costings. Options range from radically upgrading existing routes to building completely new lines.

Other measures set out today include:

• Earlier delivery of HS2 Britain’s with a dedicated hybrid Bill during the next Parliament. This is with a view to bringing HS2 to Crewe sooner than planned, subject to further analysis and final decisions on preferred route. It will also look at the case for accelerating the construction of the route between Leeds and Sheffield, and allowing it to be used by for fast regional train services.

• Immediate action to simplify rail fares across the North, by streamlining the system of regulated fares. Regulated fares include most commuter fares and some off-peak fares and season tickets.

• Contactless ‘Oyster’ travel cards that can be used across Northern cities as well as on providing simpler, more unified information for passengers, making it easier for them to plan and make their journeys.

For the highways, the Government has proposed to expand the M62 to four lanes between Leeds and Manchester, upgrade the M6 to four lanes, improve the A1 to provide continuous motorway standard between London and Newcastle and widen the M1 to four lane running in Yorkshire and Humber.

As part of TransNorth, work will begin on better connecting Manchester airport to neighbouring cities in order to boost international links and make the North more globally competitive.

There will also be a review for regional airports affected by the recent devolution of air passenger duty.

Details and costs of individual networks:

• Leeds to Newcastle times of around 50 minutes (compared to a best time of 87 minutes currently) for an emerging estimate of between £8.5bn and £14.0bn – Option 1

• Sheffield to Manchester times of around 27 minutes (compared to a best time of 48 minutes currently), and Manchester to Leeds in around 30 minutes for an emerging estimate of between £12bn-£19bn – Option 2

• Manchester to Leeds times of around 30 minutes (compared to a best time of 49 minutes currently) for an emerging estimate of between £6.5bn and £10.0bn – Option 3

• Liverpool to Manchester times of around 20 minutes (compared to a best time of 32 minutes currently) for an emerging estimate of between £8.0bn and £13.0bn – Option 4

• Leeds to Hull times of around 28 minutes (compared to a best time of 55 minutes currently) for an emerging estimate of between £5.5bn and £9bn – Option 5

Emerging estimates are provided at Q1 2015 prices, and are the result of early work.

Each of the options has been estimated as a stand-alone proposal.

Work on developing these options will be jointly commissioned, including asking HS2 Ltd to take forward the new line options to Liverpool and across the Pennines, as well as the use of the Sheffield-Leeds HS2 line for fast regional services.