Patrick McLoughlin seeking improvements to Integrated Rail Plan after 'over-promises'

In his first newspaper interview since being appointed, Lord McLoughlin told The Yorkshire Post it was “very important” HS2 services reach Leeds and set out his intention to help convince the Government that an expanded high-speed Northern Powerhouse Rail network “is the longer-term solution” to the region’s connectivity problems.

But the Tory grandee, a former Transport Secretary and Conservative Party chairman, indicated that he will be taking a more conciliatory approach with the Government than has recently been adopted by TfN, which labelled the IRP as “woefully inadequate” when it was published in November.

However, Lord McLoughlin said he would not be accepting the IRP as it currently stands.

“We will work with the Government to deliver this but will also work to improve it,” he said.

The Department for Transport is understood to be open to further talks, on the basis that “realistic and costed” options for improvements are offered.

The IRP saw the HS2 Eastern leg curtailed so it will no longer reach Yorkshire with the line stopping in the East Midlands rather than Leeds as had been originally planned.

The plan also failed to deliver the envisioned Northern Powerhouse Rail network, which had been proposed to have a new high-speed line between Leeds and Manchester via Bradford at its heart. Instead a new line will be built between Warrington and Marsden on the outskirts of Yorkshire before joining existing track.

It followed years of repeated Government promises that both HS2 would go to Leeds and a new line from the city to Manchester would be created as part of an NPR network.

Lord McLoughlin said that over-promises in the run-up to the IRP’s publication had overshadowed the positive elements of it.

“There was a disappointment when the plan was published and that was partly because I think expectations had been built up too much.

“There’s a lot in the IRP that is very good and very useful.”

He added: “There’s nothing wrong with having big ambitions, it is then how do you make sure those ambitions are carried through and what is the reality of those ambitions.

“I am pleased that we’ve got a Prime Minister and Transport Secretary who do think big about transport policy and transport issues.

“We’ve now got to win some more arguments about what is best for that interconnectivity.”

The Government has committed to looking at how to connect HS2 services to Leeds as part of a £100m study and still has legal protections in place on the Eastern leg route through Yorkshire.

Lord McLoughlin said it was “very important” HS2 reaches Leeds in some form and he wanted to “assist” the Government study to help make that case.

“It is going to Manchester, it should serve Leeds - it should go up the east coast, as well as going up the west coast,” he said.

On Northern Powerhouse Rail, Lord McLoughlin said: “We need to try to convince the government that's is the longer term solution. But if we can't get that soon, what improvements can we get that have a more instant solution?

“We’ve also got to work along with the mayors and say what can we do that convinces the Government that this investment pays off for the area, economically, socially and as well as for some of our international commitments like reaching net zero.”

He added: “I think we've got to build the case, show the case works, show why we think it's important. Some people say Crossrail is three years late, it isn't three years late - it's about 35 years late from the original plans. Big infrastructure projects do take a long time and getting the funding into place can also be a big challenge.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Our Integrated Rail Plan outlines an historic £96bn investment in our railways, delivering upgrades faster and at better value to the taxpayer than any other plan which came before it.

“We’ve adopted the National Infrastructure Commission’s recommendation to take an adaptive approach to investment, potentially opening up future opportunities to consider building on the core pipeline of the IRP.”

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