Rail the key to economic boom

THE economy of the north will benefit by up to £16bn from improvements to Greater Manchester’s rail network, experts said today.

For the congested tracks around Piccadilly are holding up trains linking all the North’s major cities, they say.

The Northern Way group of Regional Development Agencies today published the first stage of a study into freeing rail congestion around the Manchester Hub which was announced by the then transport minister Rosie Winterton at Piccadilly Station in October, 2007.

Network Rail will study the Northern Way findings and produce its own report on how much the improvements will cost.

The Manchester Hub is the greatest single strategic transport issue facing the region, Northern Way officials said at the launch of their findings,

Professor David Begg, one of the country’s top transport experts who led the research, said: “The most significant finding from our work is simply this: a feasible package of measures that includes greater connectivity across Manchester would bring between £13bn and £16bn economic benefits.

The findings say the work should aim for:

::More capacity to meet forecast 39 per cent growth in demand by 2020.

::Reduced carbon emissions.

::Better performance of franchised rail services.

::60 miles per hour as a minimum for trains from Piccadilly and Victoria to neighbouring cities.

::Train journeys which are quicker than car journeys eg Liverpool and Preston in half an hour; Leeds, Sheffield, and Chester in 40 minutes; and Bradford in 50 minutes.

::Longer journey times to Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Hull cut to 133, 124 and 101 minutes respectively.

The improvements would support growth across Greater Manchester by improving access to the key town centres and Salford Quays, as well as the growth areas in and around the centre of Manchester.

They should promote more direct cross-Manchester trains or better interchanges where this cannot be done.

And Manchester Airport needs better links to towns and cities, with 95 per cent of the airport’s passengers to be able to get there by train seven days a week.

The three Trans Pennine rail corridors should be improved to support high frequency, high quality, regular express trains.

Professor Begg added: “If the North is to play its part in national economic recovery, it will be through business growth in our major cities which are interconnected by rail through Manchester.

“Given the scale of benefits on offer, it will be right for Network Rail to consider a full range of options in taking the next stage of work forward.

“Our work demonstrates Manchester Hub is a challenge to which it is worth devoting considerable resources.