Transport for the North (TfN) has agreed a £69bn 30-year strategic plan for the region with civic and business leaders, identifying seven key ‘corridors’ and two pan-Northern priorities for investment.
Northern Powerhouse Rail and 'Integrated and Smart Travel' come top of the list of regional priorities in the plan, which is set to be published on 16 January with a public consultation running from mid-January to early April 2018.
A street in Manchester
TfN said the cost of the 30-year plan equates to less than £150 per northern citizen per year, or £2-2.3bn per year. This only amounts to '£50 per person per year (£700-£900m per year) additional spending', TfN claimed, when adjusting for ongoing standard investment.
Calling for sustained prioritised investment in the region’s railways and roads over a 30-year period, the transport corridors highlighted by TfN 'link important assets and major economic centres' and are 'currently in need of improved connectivity'.
TfN highlighted the ‘Connecting the Energy Coasts’ corridor, which will explore ways to improve connectivity between some of the UK’s important non-carbon energy and research assets in Cumbria, Lancashire, North Yorkshire, the North East and Tees Valley.
Among the issues to be addressed with national bodies is road connectivity across the Southern Pennines from Liverpool to Hull.
TfN revealed thyat it has begun work with Highways England and the Department for Transport to explore 'how a revised proposal for the Trans-Pennine Tunnel could provide better value for money and deliver enhanced benefits'.
The proposal 'would see a shorter tunnel than originally proposed under the Pennines, combined with major upgrades to the Woodhead Pass route and new road links east of Sheffield'.
Short-term priorities include contactless smart ticketing across the North and in the medium-term, Northern Powerhouse Rail to provide 'rapid, regular and reliable East-West rail connections to complement the improved North–South connections which will be offered by HS2'.
John Cridland, TfN chairman, said: 'Our plans would revolutionise travel around the North, particularly East–West links, which have previously not received enough attention, and, by extension, will improve how the region does business.
'For decades, the North has underperformed compared to the rest of England. Robust evidence shows that investing in quality infrastructure, as well as in other important areas such as education, skills development and research, could lead to more than 850,000 additional jobs in the North by 2050 and £100bn additional Gross Value Added.'
Northern Powerhouse Rail:
A Strategic Outline Business Case for the Northern Powerhouse Rail network will be submitted to government by the end of 2018.
TfN will outline its vision within the draft Strategic Transport Plan including work to integrate the line with HS2 following confirmation of government funding to ensure that planned HS2 infrastructure can accommodate the future needs of the Northern Powerhouse Rail network.
TfN said it will work with HS2 to ensure the following requirements are recognised in the HS2 Phase 2b plans:
- Junctions in the Leeds area, enabling trains from Manchester, Sheffield and the Midlands to travel via Leeds and on to York, Teesside and the North East. This could also release capacity for more local and commuter services east of Leeds
- Junctions in Cheshire to serve Liverpool via a new line, enabling services between Liverpool and Manchester via the HS2 Manchester spur, and offering the potential for faster Liverpool – London HS2 services
- Junctions at Manchester Piccadilly which, combined with a range of other interventions, would enable services from Manchester Airport and Liverpool to use either an underground Northern Powerhouse Rail through station or a surface turn-back station to continue east towards Leeds and the North East
- A junction north of Sheffield at Clayton, enabling trains to run through Sheffield and re-join the HS2 mainline to Leeds.
Transforming journey planning and payment
TfN is working to introduce new initiatives that will make travelling on public transport easier and quicker for passengers across the North.
Last month the Government approved £18.5m of funding for the first phase of this programme, to introduce smart ticketing for rail season ticket holders in the North next year.
Long-term rail strategy for the North
The plan also includes an update of the long-term rail strategy outlining priorities for investment in lines, stations, services and franchise operations across the whole of the North’s railways to deliver greater connectivity, capacity and cost-effectiveness. This reflects the planned integration of Rail North into TfN when it becomes a statutory body next year.
Statutory status
TfN is set to become England’s first statutory sub-national transport body in the next few months, with the legislation giving it statutory status expected in Parliament shortly.
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