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Tuesday 16 Feb 2010

£530m RAIL INVESTMENT PROPOSED FOR NORTH ENGLAND CITIES (Greater Manchester)

Region & Route:

A £530m investment package to transform rail travel in the north of England through better stations and quicker, more frequent services was unveiled by Network Rail today, with direct benefits for Greater Manchester.

The “Northern Hub” study identifies what needs to be done to respond to the significant growth seen in the region and to help drive economic prosperity. The plans include:

• A 40% increase in trains per day across the region – 700 extra services
• Capacity for a further 3.5m passengers per year
• Quicker, more frequent services for Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield

Iain Coucher, chief executive of Network Rail, said: “Rail is already a massive success story in the north with many thousands of people travelling with us every day and more than 90% of services arriving on time.

“Through better connections, faster services and improved stations we want to trigger wider growth in the north which in turn will support local jobs and businesses.  Our ambitious vision includes miles of track, new platforms and electrification to keep driving up passenger demand while keeping freight on the rails – and lorries off our already congested roads.”

The Northern Hub proposes significant investment in rail over the next 10 years to build on work which is already underway.  By removing historic bottlenecks – such as at Manchester - it would allow faster line speeds, reducing journey times.  New track would give greater timetable flexibility - allowing fast trains to overtake and run at speed while still providing space on the network for vital local stopping services and freight.

Key benefits for passengers in Greater Manchester could include:

• Two new through platforms (numbered 15 and 16) at Manchester Piccadilly
• A new line at Ordsall to directly link Piccadilly and Victoria
• Trains every 15 minutes to Liverpool and Yorkshire
• Faster journeys between Manchester and Liverpool (33 mins)
• More frequent services from Manchester to Liverpool South Parkway, Widnes and Birchwood
• Direct services from Manchester Airport to Chester
• A doubling of trains between Manchester and Knutsford
• Journey time reduction of 12 minutes from Wigan Wallgate to Manchester
• More peak trains to Marple and Rose Hill

When considering options, Network Rail has been careful not to propose anything that would prevent a Todmorden Curve being built at some time in the future, to connect Burnley with Manchester.

It has also made sure that it will be possible to double the number of peak trains from Blackburn and Darwen to Manchester if passing places on the line are improved.

"Councillor Keith Whitmore, chair of GMITA, said: “Rail patronage in Greater Manchester has grown by 82% in the past decade, and rail travel is the safest and most sustainable form of transport available, so we welcome the Northern Hub report’s proposals to improve the rail network.

“If put into practice these proposals would be of huge economic benefit – not just to Manchester but to the north as a whole. Faster, more frequent and more reliable rail services across the north of England are essential to boost the region’s growth and could lead to £4bn worth of benefits.”

Commenting on the ‘Northern Hub’ proposals, Chris Fletcher, deputy chief executive of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said:

“The proposals outlined by Network Rail are extremely positive for businesses not only within Greater Manchester, but across the North of England.

“In expanding and improving the rail network, there will be greater cross-conurbation connectivity, reduced journey times and more frequent services, which will benefit companies locally, regionally and nationally. The cost of these proposals will ultimately be outweighed by the benefits they will bring to businesses over the years to come. 

“All political parties now need to commit to the full implementation of Network Rails proposals in support of the economy and future of Northern England.”

Freight has not been overlooked because Network Rail wants to double the number of slots in the timetable for trains on the west coast main line into Trafford Park.

Allowance has also been made to accommodate freight trains from the Chat Moss line into future developments at Port Salford and Parkside.

The Northern Hub study will be developed over the next two years.  Members of the public can view the study and comment via the website www.networkrail.co.uk/north.