Earlier this week; the Government announced new plans to construct a new rail route between Liverpool and Manchester, effectively reviving the long-dormant Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project.
The new route, which will run services via Manchester Airport and Warrington; will form part of the first phase of the project, which will also see improved connections across the Pennines.
The project will aim to unlock £40 billion of economic potential
© Network Rail
The news has been met with a wide range of largely positive reactions from the rail industry, not least from Greater Manchester figureheads, with Mayor Andy Burnham stating that the announcement signifies a ‘significant step forward for Greater Manchester’ and Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director of Manchester Airport claiming that ‘[The project] will unlock the full capacity of Manchester’s existing two full-length runways’.
Confirmation of plans has also given indication that a number of paused projects may once again commence – with Cllr Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council expressing satisfaction that Rotherham’s proposed Gateway Station will ‘sit at the heart of investment plan’, stating that [the announcement] ‘marks a big and important step forward’ for the area.
Whilst requesting detailed future plans; RIA Chief Executive Darren Caplan said that the announcement is a ‘significant declaration of intent from the Government on future rail investment in the North’, and that ‘both rail suppliers and users will welcome any plans to improve connectivity between Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford and options for electrifying those routes’.
Issuing a word of warning; Sam Gould, Director of Policy and External Affairs at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) said that the Government and other stakeholders ‘must learn the lessons from HS2’, expressing that ICE is ‘ready to work with government to ensure the right pieces are in place to stay the course and deliver this vision successfully’.
Colette Carroll OBE, Managing Director of Transportation, UK & Ireland at AtkinsRéalis, said that the new commitment represented ‘good news for businesses across the North’, stating that the industry ‘is ready to move at pace to deliver projects underway and keep Northern Powerhouse Rail on track to help realise the full benefits of improved transport links offer to communities across the North’.
A spokesperson from the High Speed Rail Group (HSRG) also expressed satisfaction, stating that the the decision ‘is essential and the right decision’, and that it ‘will maximise the benefits of the investment already made into HS2 and avoid locking in Britain’s biggest bottleneck north of Birmingham’.
Meanwhile; Maggie Simpson OBE, Director General at the Rail Freight Group, expressed approval, but said that the project ‘must not delay the successful completion of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, which will provide transformative capacity and gauge capability for rail freight’.
The scheme looks to boost growth and living standards across the north of England and aid in the unlocking of nearly 40 billion GBP of economic potential.
Other aspects of phase one will include upgrades on routes across Leeds, Bradford, York and Sheffield, with long-term goals set to include construction a full new north-south line from Birmingham to Manchester, expanding capacity and improving connectivity on the West Coast Main Line.