A new railway line between the northern cities of Liverpool and Manchester has been proposed by regional leaders to significantly reduce travel times and a substantial economic boost to the region.
Mayors Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham, joined by former rail minister Huw Merriman, are championing the project and seeking government backing.
A report outlining the proposal, titled the Liverpool-Manchester Railway, details how the new line could slash journey times between the two city centres to just 32 minutes, down from the current average of 49 minutes.
This improvement would also expand the number of people living within a 30-minute commute of both cities by over half a million.
The proposed route would connect Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly, incorporating stops at a newly constructed Liverpool Gateway station, Warrington Bank Quay, and Manchester Airport.
Beyond the immediate benefits to commuters, the construction phase is projected to inject an estimated £15 billion into the economy and generate 22,000 jobs.
The railway would be a major component of the Northern Arc, which is described as “an emerging economic corridor stretching from the Mersey to the Pennines and beyond”.
Analysis by consultancy Metro Dynamics suggested infrastructure investment in the region could boost the UK’s economic output by £90 billion over the next 15 years.
The Conservative government committed £17 billion to a new railway line between Liverpool and Manchester following the cancellation of HS2’s northern leg in October 2023.
Boosting rail infrastructure between the cities was included in the Labour Government’s High Speed Rail Bill in last year’s King’s Speech.
Mr Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said there is “hardly a person in the North who hasn’t felt the frustration of slow, unreliable journeys, or missed out on things because of creaking, outdated infrastructure”.
He went on: “We’re putting forward a serious, deliverable plan that does things differently – developing plans at a regional level instead of a top-down approach.
“Not cap in hand, but shoulder to shoulder with Government.
“We’re offering a new way of doing things: faster, fairer, and better value.
“With the right backing, we can get spades in the ground in the early 2030s and deliver the world-class railway we deserve.”
His Greater Manchester counterpart, Mr Burnham, said: “A new Liverpool-Manchester Railway would be shorter than both London’s Elizabeth line and East West Rail connecting Oxford and Cambridge, but would punch well above its weight in both growing the UK’s economy and better connecting our high-growth sectors.”
He added: “We want to work hand in hand with Government to plan and deliver this railway from the ground up, enabling us to maintain our growth momentum.”
Mr Merriman, who chairs the Liverpool-Manchester Railway Partnership Board, said: “The Government must invest in infrastructure to achieve its number one priority of growing the UK economy.
“With years of concentration in the South, there needs to be a fair balance of where that’s targeted, and the time is ripe to rebalance the nation.”
Mr Merriman was rail minister in Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government from October 2022 until the general election in July 2024.
