Transport for the north under one strategic plan

July’s announcement by the Department for Transport that a number of electrification projects were to be dropped was condemned by figures across the political spectrum, including the north west’s new Metro Mayors Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham.

This week the Northern Powerhouse Partnership has stepped in, calling on government to back ‘Northern Powerhouse Rail’, including ambitious plans to reduce travel times to 30 minutes between Manchester and Leeds. While a petition asking for more investment in transport schemes in the north has received almost 70,000 signatures, demonstrating the depth of feeling amongst long-suffering northern commuters.

As Crossrail 2 looks to get the go-ahead in the south east, it’s understandable that many of us here in the north feel somewhat short-changed when it comes to transport. However, it’s important we channel these frustrations into practical, long-term strategic thinking about the purpose of rail connectivity in northern England. That means developing a Northern Powerhouse economy with transport infrastructure at its heart, and not getting bogged down in debates about specific schemes going ahead or otherwise.

Northern Powerhouse Rail has to be the cornerstone of this vision. A modern, high-speed network connecting our great northern cities has the potential not only to radically transform our region, but also address the poor productivity that hampers the UK’s economic performance.

As well as reducing the journey between Manchester and Leeds to half an hour, it would mean a 60-minute journey from Leeds to Newcastle, and 20 minutes between Liverpool and Manchester. This would dramatically widen the jobs market for millions of workers in the north, making realistic the prospect of living in Leeds and commuting to Manchester, for example.

For employers, it means clients within easy reach on a modern rail network. For international investors, a population of over 10 million people within an hour of Manchester Airport.

A single, interconnected network of cities might seem like a pipe dream if you’ve ever travelled on one of the infamous diesel pacer trains that operate across the northern network. At present, the north’s urban economies largely operate in isolation from each other.

According to the 2014 One North study, commuting between Manchester and Leeds city regions is 40 per cent slower than expected given their proximity, and a reduction of just 20 minutes in journey times between the two cities is estimated to be worth almost £7bn to the northern economy. Improvements like these should be more than achievable, given that the distance between Leeds and Manchester is lesser than the entire length of the Central Line in London.

This is why Transport for the North (TfN) gaining statutory status is so important. In becoming England’s first sub-national transport body, TfN has the potential to properly co-ordinate the whole of England’s transport network, bringing the current hotchpotch of schemes together under one strategic plan.

Not only will Northern Powerhouse Rail reduce commuting times, it could also transform our town and city centres. Rail hub improvements can be the spark for urban regeneration, but despite the renaissance of our great northern cities since the 1990s, there remain significant opportunities for new housing and commercial development around our historic stations.

There’s also the jobs-creating potential brought by improving connectivity to our great northern ports, and making Manchester Airport a genuine international hub on a par with Frankfurt, or Amsterdam’s Schiphol.

Too often our national conversation on infrastructure is preoccupied by short-termist, ‘bang for your buck’ analyses which prioritise immediate improvements to capacity, at the expense of longer term strategic thinking. It’s this kind of logic which encourages arguments about whether Crossrail 2 or Northern Powerhouse Rail should be prioritised.

The reality is that we need both. Investment in pan-northern infrastructure will benefit not just our region but the whole of the UK, by helping to rebalance the economy. So, let’s not be too disheartened by those recently cancelled electrification projects, but continue to push for a modern, integrated, digital rail network connecting our Northern cities, ports and airports.

Northern Powerhouse Rail could be the catalyst for finally addressing the UK’s long-standing North-South divide. Let’s make it happen.

Betrayal as government drops rail electrification projects Ministers accused of backing Crossrail 2 at expense of rest of UK Leaders gather in Leeds for Transport for the North summit