Liverpool Manchester rail route set to anchor NPR phase one

The Liverpool Manchester rail route sits at the heart of the Government’s plans for the first phase of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), the Department for Transport says. The proposal would run via Warrington and Manchester Airport and is framed as part of a wider push to improve connections across the North.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Liverpool Manchester rail route in Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) phase one

According to DfT, the scheme is intended to support growth and living standards across the north of England and help unlock nearly 40 billion GBP of economic potential. Phase one would also include improved routes across the Pennines between Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Sheffield, alongside upgrades on routes serving Leeds, Bradford, York and Sheffield.

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New stations and upgrades along the Manchester Airport and Warrington route

As set out in coverage by Railway-News, phase two would add three new stations at Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly and Warrington Bank Quay Low Level on the corridor, with delivery set to begin in the 2030s. In parallel, the Government is considering improvements at busy stations including Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool Central, while working with the city region on a major city-centre regeneration scheme.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “For too long, the North has been held back by underinvestment and years of dither and delay – but that ends now. This new era of investment will reignite the economy across Liverpool and Manchester, helping their iconic sport and cultural industries to thrive, and cementing Manchester Airport as the gateway to the north. This exciting new line will not only speed up journeys, it will open up new jobs and homes for people, making a real difference to millions of lives.”

Separately, plans have been approved to lengthen platforms at Manchester Airport so the station can accommodate longer and more frequent trains, backed by 115 million GBP in funding. A new plan for the North is due to be published this coming Spring, including proposals for a northern growth corridor from Liverpool to York and measures linked to economic opportunities across the region, including clean energy, defence and advanced manufacturing.

Transpennine Route Upgrade and the wider 45 billion GBP NPR programme

Alongside NPR, the Transpennine Route Upgrade aims to reduce journey times between York and Manchester and between Manchester and Leeds. The programme is also intended to create more than 5,000 new jobs and support the development of 6,500 homes in the region.

For NPR as a whole, the Government has set a 45 billion GBP funding cap, including 1.1 billion over the current Spending Review period allocated from existing budgets first, as reported by Reuters. Ministers say they will work with local partners to ensure planning processes are carried out efficiently and approvals are streamlined, with the aim of reducing delays and preventing projects from going over budget.

The Government has also set out a long-term goal to construct a full new north-south line from Birmingham to Manchester, intended to expand capacity and improve connectivity on the West Coast Main Line. It has stressed this will not be a revival of HS2 Phase 2 and will instead be an incremental programme, with improvements in the Northern Growth Corridor prioritised first and land already purchased between the West Midlands and Crewe retained in the interim.

Reacting to the plan, RIA Chief Executive Darren Caplan said: “Today’s announcement is a significant declaration of intent from the Government on future rail investment in the North, that Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) will now be initiated. Both rail suppliers and users will welcome any plans to improve connectivity between Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford and options for electrifying those routes, as well as ambitions for a new line between Liverpool and Manchester via Warrington and Manchester Airport. RIA is also pleased that a north-south railway along the lines of the original HS2 Birmingham to Manchester route will eventually link to NPR. With the West, Midland, and East Coast main lines all filling to capacity, we have always said that to get the full benefits of HS2 you need to build the full scheme. Whatever the scheme is eventually called, bringing Manchester and Leeds back into play via both NPR and extension to HS2 is crucial to deliver the economic growth and connectivity the UK needs in the years ahead.”

Caplan added that RIA and its members want to see detailed plans, timescales and committed budgets for all three phases of the Government’s proposals, to ensure the programme is delivered well within its 2040s deadline.

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