East West rail links in the North should be prioritised, says Andy Burnham

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:

1. Assigning HS2’s team in the North to NPR and bring forward benefits of the project to the 2030s
2. Build the full NPR network which will link Liverpool, Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly, Bradford and Leeds
3. Build a new underground station at Manchester Piccadilly on an East-West alignment
4. 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.