Mayors flesh out plan for Midlands-North West rail
A part private sector-funded 80km railway line aimed at improving connections between Birmingham and Greater Manchester city regions should replace the scrapped Northern leg of HS2, say metro mayors Andy Burnham and Richard Parker.
The recommendation for a new line between Lichfield in the West Midlands and High Legh in Cheshire is set out in a report commissioned late last year and published today.
Options were put forward in the report for rail connectivity between the West Midlands and the North West, reiterating what has previously been mooted by the mayors of the West Midlands and Greater Manchester; that a new line is the preferred option.
The line would be split into two parts – the Staffordshire Connector would connect Fradley in Lichfield with Crewe and the Cheshire Connector would link Crewe with High Legh and Northern Powerhouse Rail.
The mayors want the government to back the project in the Budget at the end of October to enable feasibility work to begin.
It is anticipated the line would generate a £70bn economic boost for the two city region economies and reduce congestion on the West Coast mainline and M6 between Birmingham and Manchester, which threaten to undermine economic growth.
In order to deliver the project, the mayors are urging the government to keep hold of land acquired for the Northern leg of HS2 between Handsacre and Crewe.
The report also states the proposal will be between 60% to 75% cheaper to deliver than the previously planned HS2 Northern leg – saving the taxpayer around £2bn – while delivering 85% of the benefits. However, it would also be slower than HS2; trains on the proposed link would have a maximum speed of 300kph compared to 360/400kph.
The project is billed as a “golden opportunity” to reposition the UK as a country that is open to institutional infrastructure investment, the report states. Burnham and Parker want the government and British Infrastructure Council’s help to attract investment for the project.
Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said failure to build a rail link connecting the two city regions would impact the economic growth of the whole country. He said: “There is a viable option to build a new rail line between Lichfield and High Legh, connecting HS2 to Northern Powerhouse Rail, with almost all of the benefits of HS2 delivered quickly and crucially at a significantly lower cost.
“Doing nothing is not an option as demand for rail services on the West Coast Main Line is set to exceed capacity within a decade. We are ready to work with government, colleagues in the West Midlands and the business community to build a railway fit for the 21st century. But we do need early decisions to end the uncertainty.”
Parker, elected Mayor of the West Midlands in May, added: “This report confirms what we’ve been saying – additional rail capacity to and from the North is vital for the West Midlands. It’s about more than quicker journeys; it’s about connecting people, communities, and businesses to jobs and opportunities.”
“I’ll work with the government to ensure this happens, but we must also learn from successful rail systems around the world to deliver the best network and real value to the public. Without this extension, we will continue to be reliant on the West Coast mainline, which is already maxed out and impacting on the people of this region and wider. We need to free up capacity and we need to get this right – for our future and our economy.”
The team that compiled the report was chaired by infrastructure expert Sir David Higgins and led by Arup alongside a private sector consortium of Addleshaw Goddard, Arcadis, Dragados, EY, Mace and Skanska.
Speed was never the issue it was additional capacity. A welcome proposal.
By Anonymous
No money for this
By Anonymous
All well and good but why haven’t other Northern mayors been involved in these discussions/negotiations, or is it that this line is only expected to be mainly for Manchesters benefit. Surely the original plans that were drawn up under Adonis were flawed, so here is a chance to put things right so any new line serves both NorthWest main cities and beyond.
In the meantime only a few days ago the Green Party said they would back the original Y plan which went to both Leeds and Mcr, so it’s all getting a bit confusing.
By Anonymous
It is utterly bizarre that this line supposedly connects with a line into Liverpool and yet not one mention is made. Does this mean that GM expects this to ridiculously only connect into Manchester?
If so, it’s time for the Labour Party to either stand up to the relentless grabbing, reject such a nonsense plan which would do nothing for rail capacity in the Liverpool region and port area, and force sharing as a nation. Or expose themselves as simply being tories in DM boots that are intent on continuing the discrimination this area has suffered for decades.
By Jeff
Need new rail capacity – try Blackwell Mill to Matlock and a bit of remodelling in Buxton – 11 miles and you get a second main line south again. Re-open Woodhead as far as the eastern portal and then new build to Morley and existing lines to Bradford connected northwards. That’s Trans Pennine sorted and with a Doncaster or Retford link a third line to London – not expensive enough for the consultants though albeit that it would link everywhere from Leicester to Leeds as well
By Anonymous
Ensuring as many people as possible benefit from the proposal is paramount and having platforms under Crewe Station within the tunnel would allow more trains to stop in Crewe and thus improve connectivity between major cities and secondary cities/smaller towns
By Anonymous
The map seems to indicate the new line will link into the Liverpool Manchester line at Manchester Airport….although as one of the comments refers no mention is mage . This is especially important given the need to shift goods from the growing Liverpool Freeport
By George
All these lines! A high speed train between Leeds and Liverpool, via Manchester, and Manchester Airport ,we are still waiting for a start. A high speed line between Liverpool and Manchester via Warrington, and Manchester Airport, we are still waiting for a start. Now we have this one. All these announcements but still no actual lines, nor start dates for these lines. NPR was announced in 2019. Burnham can rattle on about this latest venture but when will they start building it? The only action is the upgrading of the current line across the Pennines, which is beyond disruptive for passengers.
By Elephant
Jeff – the article references “a new rail line between Lichfield and High Legh, connecting HS2 to Northern Powerhouse Rail” – Northern Powerhouse Rail connects Liverpool to Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and so on…………………..Just joining the dots
By Anonymous
Not sure what the posturing is all about because HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester will happen eventually. When we get to 2030, people see the new service between London and Birmingham, new trains on existing lines that connect onto HS2, the fact we will have less seating on services between London and Manchester etc etc – completing HS2 to Manchester will be a no brainer once the first part of it is operational.
By Anonymous
The reason why the original HS2 business case has a high speed line into Manchester is because it makes sense and makes more money. Having a lower speed line means less capacity as there will be less trains an hour that can go back and forth. The proposal is better than nothing (as doing nothing will cost 28 billion in lost ticket revenue as less trains will run than currently!) but I don’t see why the North has to put up with this second rate suggestion with lower benefits to the economy when so much of our taxpayer money has been lavished via HS2 on the South East again?
By Dr B
A sensible proposal. The site work should be phased. The section to Crewe should start when HS2 is complete. This proposal will benefit the West Midlands the North West North Wales and Scotland.
By Mike Hodgkinson
Any failures of the now defunct HS2 plan are partly Andy Burnham’s fault for spending rather too much time ‘fighting’ the last Govt instead of working with it; is it any surprise that the London to Birmingham section of HS2 is going ahead, simply because Birmingham had a Tory Mayor ?
One of the first things he should have done – and should do tomorrow – is set up a Westminster/Whitehall office of the Mayor of GM and start working with the government departments (actually being a downright pain and agitating on our behalf every day of the week), and presenting them with proper plans and proposals instead of simply reacting with a hang-dog expression to everything handed out from the Govt of whatever party – the plans for a complete re-development and expansion of Manchester Piccadilly for example should have come from Burnham’s office, not London.
By AltPoV
@AltPoV I think it is unfair to blame the failings of the HS2 project on Burnham. Lord Berkeley, the deputy chair of the independent Oakervee review into HS2, published a dissenting report which outlined many serious concerns with HS2 in Jan 2020. The business case assumptions, technical performance, environmental impact assessments and even the review process were amongst the list of concerns, but none of these are related to regional politics.
Totally agree that the public transport network needs higher capacity (and lower ticket prices) and hope the mistakes of the past are avoided this time.
By RememberHowItStarted
How is this being funded?HS2 was scrapped because it was a total waste of money white Elephant why is labour resurrecting this white elephant? Not wanted not needed invest in LOCAL transport via buses would help many more people it’s utterly nonsensical
By Anonymous