Train journey times between the north of England’s biggest cities could be halved after proposals put forward today by the chairman of the £50 billion HS2 high-speed rail project, Sir David Higgins.
He said in his report that better rail links in northern England were "desirable" and "possible" after being asked to look at ways of maximising the benefits of HS2.
The plans, which have been backed by prime minister David Cameron, showed that journeys from Manchester to Leeds could be cut from 48 to 26 minutes.
He did not reveal specific proposals for how to achieve faster times, but said a mixture of current and new projects would make them possible.
Higgins added that improvements to rail services across the Pennines between Leeds and Manchester could involve a doubling of trains per hour, with either a new high-speed track and tunnel under the Pennines, or an upgrade to the existing line.
“Improving connectivity is vital if Britain is to compete in the knowledge economy, in which this country has a competitive advantage, but in which ease of travel is an essential element,” said Higgins.
“Reducing the journey times between and within our cities isn’t just desirable for both passengers and freight. It is a strategic necessity,” he said.
The controversial HS2 project, which has come under fire from both political sides, is expected to link London to Birmingham by 2026, with tracks to cities including Leeds and Manchester built in a second phase, originally pencilled for completion by 2032-33.
Higgins said HS2 could be “our generation’s equivalent of the motorways programme of the 1960s and 1970s”.
The report’s four main proposals are:
• The need to take forward both legs of the proposed HS2 Y-shaped network, with an eastern leg from Birmingham to Leeds via the east Midlands and south Yorkshire and a western leg from Birmingham to Manchester and Crewe. Alternatives will not bring the same capacity, connectivity and economic benefits, it argues.
• Improved east-west rail services, cutting journey times in the Liverpool-Hull corridor.
• Formation of a new Transport for the North body by northern cities.
• A timetable for a new transport strategy for improved rail and road connectivity north of Birmingham.
The report’s proposals were welcomed by David Cameron, who said Higgins’s plans would help ensure HS2 had the maximum economic benefits for the north: “Improving connectivity and reducing journey times between our great northern cities is a crucial part of our long-term economic plan for the north to boost businesses and create more jobs and security for hardworking people. That’s why we are backing HS3,” said Cameron.
The government will set out its detailed plans for the next phase of HS2, following Higgins’ report, which will be published in March 2015.
Higgins rejected calls from local councils and business leaders in Stoke to alter the western route via their city. Instead it will bring forward its plans for a hub station at Crewe to 2027.