“Kick-starting” HS3 with a new Trans-Pennine route and fast-tracking improvements on the M62 to reduce journey times between Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds are two of the priorities identified in High Speed North, the latest report from the National Infrastructure Commission.
The report was commissioned by the government in October 2015.
It argues that the development of the north’s rail network should begin between Manchester and Leeds, the two largest cities in the region that together account for 46% of the population in the Northern Powerhouse region, and 50% of its economy.
According to the report: “Manchester and Leeds are the largest cities, have larger economies than the other cities, are relatively close to each other, and have economic compositions more skewed toward services that make them the greatest candidates for a focused effort to increase agglomeration by improving connectivity between them.”
By rail, the overall aim is to reduce the journey time between the two from 49 minutes to 30 –with a plan to create a new Trans-Pennine rail route needed by 2017.
At the same time, enhancements to the M62 – to reduce journey times on the 40-mile route between the two cities by 20% and capacity by one third – should be fast-tracked, says the report.
It says: “Very substantial capital funding should be brought forwards, so that both schemes can be accelerated, with work beginning between Liverpool and Manchester in Roads Investment Strategy year 2017/2018 – two years ahead of schedule – and work between Manchester and Leeds also significantly fast-tracked.”
“If the north is to become a powerhouse it has to be better connected. Leeds and Manchester are just 40 miles apart but there is no quick and easy way to travel between the two. In rush hour it can take more than two hours by car, by train it can be almost an hour.”
Lord Adonis, NIC chairman
NIC chairman Lord Adonis said: “If the north is to become a powerhouse it has to be better connected. Leeds and Manchester are just 40 miles apart but there is no quick and easy way to travel between the two. In rush hour it can take more than two hours by car, by train it can be almost an hour.
“So we should kick-start HS3 across the Pennines and slash journey times to just 30 minutes. But we must not wait decades for change, journey times should be cut to 40 minutes by 2022.”
In total, the report makes 11 recommendations, including developing a masterplan for the future of Manchester Piccadilly station and its surroundings, upgrading Liverpool Lime Street, and integrating the northern section of HS2 with HS3.
Commenting on the report, Richard Threlfall, chair of the ICE’s Northern Powerhouse Steering Group, said: “This report takes the Northern Powerhouse another step towards reality. The analysis the Commission has undertaken showing how poor connectivity between the north’s major cities is constraining growth is particularly welcome and underpins the need for a step-change in investment in the north.
“The Commission is also right to stress the importance of Transport for the North developing an integrated plan, and taking decisions today which are consistent with the long-term vision, however we would like to see this plan – which underpins the Northern Powerhouse delivery – developed much sooner than the end of 2017.”
Commenting on the North’s rail and road networks, Threlfall added: “The Commission’s support for developing HS3 is encouraging, but we would like to see more ambition. Transformational change requires bold thinking, including an entirely new dedicated high-speed line, and a door-to-door journey between the centres of Leeds and Manchester quicker than the currently proposed 30 minutes.
“After years of being at the back of the queue for government investment, the north will welcome the Commission’s request to accelerate key schemes in the Roads Investment Strategy. We call on the chancellor to make the required funds available in Wednesday’s budget or agree the re-prioritisation of spend towards the north.”
Nicholas Evans, partner in the planning and infrastructure department at law firm Bircham Dyson Bell, said: “This is one of the most important reports in a generation. It will turn the Northern Powerhouse from a glint in the eye of George Osborne into a programme that people can get behind and which has the potential to transform the prospects of the north.
“The NIC has shown that action is needed and now there are projects to deliver. The government rhetoric can now become reality.”
