Plans for high-speed rail links beneath the Pennines are to be developed after the government backed proposals from HS2’s chairman to radically reduce journey times between Manchester, Leeds and cities across the north.
David Higgins’s review of the second phase of HS2 endorsed the two planned routes joining the first London-Birmingham line to Manchester and Leeds, but stressed that urgent additional work was needed to forge “transformational” connections from west to east.
Higgins said either a new tunnelled high-speed route or an upgraded rail link through existing but unused tunnels through the Pennines were possible options. He will help draw up detailed proposals for what Downing Street is calling an HS3 link by March. The government backed his call for a unified transport body to match London’s by announcing the creation of Transport for the North, covering five city regions – Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Hull – as part of a wider strategy to boost the northern economy.
Higgins said: “Improving connectivity is vital if Britain is to compete in the knowledge economy, in which this country has a competitive advantage, but in which ease of travel is an essential element.
“Reducing the journey times between and within our cities isn’t just desirable for both passengers and freight. It is a strategic necessity.”
Higgins concluded that a revamped rail link could cut the journey time between Leeds and Manchester by half.
He said the line should be a priority, with the journey of 40 miles currently taking as long as 55 minutes, often on crowded, unreliable trains. Initial studies from Network Rail suggest a route comparable to Crossrail in London could be feasible, making Liverpool an hour from Leeds instead of two.
David Cameron said Higgins’s report would help ensure HS2 had the maximum economic benefits for the north: “Improving connectivity and reducing journey times between our great northern cities is a crucial part of our long-term economic plan for the north to boost businesses and create more jobs and security for hardworking people. That’s why we are backing HS3.”
The chancellor, George Osborne, added that his vision of a “northern powerhouse” was on its way to becoming a reality. The Campaign for Better Transport said the announcement on devolving responsibility for transport was good news but warned that passengers would want to see progress across current services as well as high-speed rail: “Many passengers are still travelling on ageing diesel Pacer trains and some have even seen ticket prices double on evening Northern Rail services.
“They will be hoping for coherent improvements from the new Northern and TransPennine Express franchises this year, not just grand plans for HS3.”
Higgins said he believed the option of a Manchester airport station should be developed, although no decision will be taken on the proposed Heathrow spur on the London-Birmingham HS2 link until after the airports commission makes its recommendation for a new runway.
The government will set out its detailed plans for phase two of the £50bn HS2 scheme in 2015. Higgins rejected calls from local leaders in Stoke to alter the western route via their city, reaffirming his earlier call to extend work to a superhub station in Crewe as part of the first phase of HS2, originally linking London to Birmingham, to open in 2027. However, the precise location of stations in Leeds and at Toton, the East Midlands stop between Nottingham and Derby, will be further reviewed.
