Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has called on the Prime Minister to prioritise the East-West Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) link, connecting cities across the North with a high-speed train service.
The Prime Minister is set to confirm plans for HS2, which may include a delay or downgrading of the Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds sections of the route to mitigate spiralling costs of the project. In his statement, Andy proposes bringing forward the East-West rail link, and then connecting NPR with HS2 once completed.
Mr Burnham also criticised the idea that the North and Midlands would get a second-class link compared with London.
The Greater Manchester Mayor proposed a four-point plan to upgrade the North’s rail links and reduce some of the costs of HS2:
- Assigning HS2’s team in the North to NPR and bring forward benefits of the project to the 2030s
- Build the full NPR network which will link Liverpool, Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly, Bradford and Leeds
- Build a new underground station at Manchester Piccadilly on an East-West alignment
- Continue building HS2 southwards from Manchester Airport once NPR has been completed
Andy Burnham said:
This could bring fast, modern rail links to the Northwell ahead of the HS2 timetable. That would reduce journey times between these cities by an average of 30-45 minutes, and it would transform rail connections to Manchester Airport for millions of people and thousands of businesses.
“Crucially it would take traffic off our roads, supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy.
“Our current rail system was designed and built by the Victorians. The decisions we make now as a country will affect us for the next 150 years.”
Andy Burnham’s full statement is available on the GMCA website.