Former chancellor George Osborne has called on the prime minister to commit to HS3, a high speed rail line across the north from Liverpool to Hull.
The scheme is one of the key transport planks of Mr Osborne’s brainchild the Northern Powerhouse. He has now become the chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, a lobby group for the agenda.
George Osborne
While Theresa May’s government has not officially dropped the Northern Powerhouse project, Mr Osborne, writing in the Financial Times this week, was reacting to reports of a campaign to ‘eradicate all mention of the initiative’ behind the scenes.
The enmity between the former chancellor and the current prime minister, who sacked him, is well-known. Mr Osborne made pointed remarks suggesting the powerhouse plans could be a way to get her flagging premiership back on track.
He wrote: ‘Northern Powerhouse Rail, or HS3, must be included in the next stage of the Government’s high speed network. Specifically, ministers should include the planning for the future connections when they set out the design for Phase 2b of HS2 later this year, remodelling four junctions to ensure they are complimentary with the Northern Powerhouse Rail proposals, start the detailed planning work on the line itself and allocate a long-term capital budget.’
He adds: ‘This new railway would transform the northern economy. It would bring 7m people – and three times the number of businesses – within a 90-minute journey time of one of the northern cities.
‘It will not be cheap – I have seen estimates of around £7bn for the Pennine construction – but such investment would be spread over many years and the transport budget was set to accommodate both this and other key projects, such as Crossrail 2.’
Mr Osborne was writing a difficult time for the Department for Transport when it comes to regional spending. The Government was heavily criticised for dropping electrification plans in the Midlands and North as a result of fallout from Network Rail’s troubles, while at the same time giving support to London’s £26bn Crossrail 2 scheme.
Andy McDonald MP, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for Transport, said: ‘It takes longer to travel by train from Liverpool to Hull than from London to Paris, yet the Government spend £1,500 more per head in London than the North.
'Rather than addressing these disparities, the Conservatives have abandoned the North, having just pulled the plug on the full electrification of the TransPennine route.
‘Labour has pledged to upgrade the rail network throughout Britain, including a £10bn commitment for Crossrail for the North.’
A spokesman for the Department for Transport told the media that the Government has made a commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail, giving £60m to Transport for the North to develop plans.
‘[We] look forward to working with them once proposals are submitted later this year.’
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