The Snake Pass is not good enough to serve two small villages nevermind major cities like Sheffield and Manchester
No other nation in Western Europe would ever cut two of its major cities adrift from one another as a result of infrastructure paralysis but the lack of connectivity between Sheffield and Manchester is a microcosm for generations of failure to solve the transport conundrum and the economic asphyxiation that has accompanied these failings.
Both cities are proud of their individual identities but both are equally cognisant of the prize that is on offer of reliable connectivity between them, by both road and rail.
Anyone who has been over Snake Pass will attest to not only the hair raising nature of the drive but also the constant disruption caused by landslips. It isn’t fit enough to service two small villages, nevermind two of the biggest cities in England.
The Prime Minister describes the current transport links between Sheffield and Manchester as “ridiculous”, the people of these two cities would use far more colourful language than that.
Andy Burnham has a unique perspective, having served as the Mayor of Greater Manchester for nine years. The PM’s pledge for action on both road and rail is to be welcomed and there’s no doubting his sincerity. The big question is will he have the stomach to fight Whitehall and the Treasury to deliver on this promise.
Rail is the low hanging fruit with a direct line from the Steel City to the North’s largest airport being considered as part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project. A road tunnel under the Pennines would be harder to deliver. Given the repeated failures to deliver transport infrastructure in the North, maybe it is time for some maverick thinking.