The five largest cities in the north of England have joined forces to urge the government to commit to the £560 million Northern Hub scheme, in full, for delivery between 2014 and 2019.
The cities of Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield back the scheme because it would enable 700 additional trains to run daily across the north of England.
Railfuture Yorkshire chairman Chris Hyomes said: “I welcome this support by the
leaders of the city councils in pressing the Government to go ahead with the
full Northern Hub package.
"The first phase, the Ordsall Chord, which will enable trains from Leeds and Huddersfield to travel to Manchester Victoria and then via the new line to Piccadilly, was authorised last March.
"This chord, and the more recent announcement of electrification from Manchester
to York, are the essential first steps.
"But we now need to see the full Hub package implemented to meet the needs of rail travellers across the north and to enable the full economic benefits (including up to 30,000 new jobs) to be achieved.”
The Northern Hub proposals, developed by Network Rail, would unlock the capacity constraints of the north’s rail network – currently a significant obstacle to economic growth – and would enable 700 more trains to run every day across the region.
This equates to around 44 million more passenger journeys every year, making rail travel a more attractive option for commuting, business and leisure.
As well as the full support of the five biggest cities in the north, the Northern Hub
also has public backing, with over 83 per cent of those surveyed agreeing with the
scheme and 80 per cent saying they will be more likely to travel by train if the
plans are carried out.
In March 2011, the Government announced funding for the £85 million Ordsall Chord but last year's autumn statement by the chancellor offered no further money for the Northern Hub despite backing electrification of the north transpennine rail route, a scheme seen by many civic leaders as less important than the hub.
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: "This isn't a situation where we're competing for funding with other cities. We will all benefit from the boost to jobs and the economy that the Hub will provide.
"If Greater Manchester and the wider north are to reach their full economic potential, we need more capacity on our railways and faster, more frequent rail links between our cities, and that is what the Northern Hub can deliver."
In 2007, Steer Davies Gleave helped the Northern Way set out the evidence of why solving the Manchester rail capacity problem was so important to the North’s economy.
SDG has set up a website that will keep readily accessible the transport evidence base that they and others developed for the Northern Way: NWTC
More information: YRC