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A report from the House of Commons’ Transport Committee has called on the government to reassess its plans for the rail network in the North and Midlands of England.
The report calls for the government to re-evaluate the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), the government’s plan for investment in the rail network, stating that while upgrades planned will bring benefits to communities across the region, further investment is needed for them to have a transformative effect on local economies and meet the government’s own goals of reducing regional inequality.
In the North of England, the Transport Committee report called specifically for the government to reconsider an underground terminus for HS2 services in Manchester. The report was critical that the land value and local regenerative benefits of a station below-ground were not given due consideration in the Department for Transport’s decision.
Plans for future East-West high-speed trains to bypass Bradford, the UK’s seventh largest city, also faced calls to be re-considered. The report also proposed a redevelopment of Leeds Stations, as well as further investment in other Northern cities including Liverpool, Sheffield, Hull and Newcastle.
The Transport Committee was also critical of the emphasis on journey time reduction throughout the IRP, and called for a detailed assessment to be produced of how proposals will achieve greater capacity for freight, as well as both local and long-distance passenger services.
Martin Tugwell, Chief Executive of Transport for the North, welcomed the report; he said:
“This report is a vindication of what TfN has been calling for for some time. London and the South East has seen vast sums spent on HS1, the first phase of HS2, on the new Elizabeth Line, and the Thameslink upgrade. Meanwhile the North’s ageing and creaking rail network has had little in the way of new infrastructure or expansion of services. And yet the North’s railway has recovered faster and stronger than the rest of the country, a sure sign of not only how important it is to our economy now but of its potential to be the catalyst for further growth.
“Our plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail are fully-costed and have a robust evidence base to underpin them – they will provide a good return on their investment by allowing the North to break free of the constraints that have held back our economy for too long.”