The North West Development Agency has welcomed the news of plans for a High Speed Rail network in the UK, which the organisation says will benefit Lancaster and the rest of the North West when it is completed in the 2020s.
The plans call for the developing of a 335 mile ‘Y’-shaped network would bring the West Midlands within about half an hour of London, and deliver journey times of 75 minutes or less from Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester to the capital.
Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis today announced proposals earlier today, proposing an initial core high speed rail network – which it’s estimated could cost some £30 billion to build – linking London to Birmingham, Manchester, the East Midlands, Sheffield and Leeds, with trains running at up to 250 miles per hour.
Connections onto existing tracks would be included, allowing direct high speed train services to be operated to cities including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Liverpool as soon as the line opens. Further consideration will also be given to extending the network subsequently to these and other major destinations.
The first step in building such a network would be a high speed line from London to Birmingham, for which the Government has today published details of High Speed Two Ltd’s recommended route.
Full public consultation on that route, and the longer term strategy for high speed rail, will begin in the Autumn and detailed planning work will now also begin on the route options from Birmingham to Manchester and to Leeds to allow consultation on these routes in 2012.
“The NWDA warmly welcomes the government’s visionary proposals for high speed rail,’ commented the agency’ Chief Executive Steven Broomhead. “We know that by 2020 capacity in the region’s existing rail links to London and the South will be exhausted, whilst our motorway link via the M6 is heavily congested, so a new rail link is certainly needed.
“It makes sense to build the new link to modern high speed standards, reducing journey times to the capital and releasing capacity on the existing rail network for vital freight and local services.
“We know that places within a one hour travel time to London benefit significantly from its wealth and economic power and we can expect that Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and our other major centres in the Northwest will benefit significantly in the future from the economic stimulus and environmental benefits which high speed rail services would bring.”
“The time has come for Britain to plan seriously for high speed rail between our major cities,” said Lord Andrew Adonis. “The high speed line from London to the Channel Tunnel has been a clear success, and many European and Asian countries now have extensive and successful high speed networks. I believe high speed rail has a big part to play in Britain’s future.
“Over the next twenty to thirty years the UK will require a step-change in transport capacity and connectivity both to promote and respond to long-term economic growth. However, this must be delivered sustainably, without unacceptable environmental impacts, and in line with the Government’s strategy to promote a low carbon economy.”
The proposed routes are considered partly controversial: The Guardian notes the line will run through the Chiltern hills in Buckinghamshire, past picturesque villages such as Wendover, before arriving at an intermediate stop near Birmingham airport.
The Government has formed its proposals after consideration of a detailed report from HS2 Ltd, the company set up by the Government in January 2009 to investigate the case for high speed rail, who have also provided the estimated cost of £30 billion for the core ‘Y’ network — but also found that construction costs for major projects in the UK are higher than for comparable projects elsewhere in Europe. As a result, Infrastructure UK – the body set up last year by Chancellor Alistair Darling to help ensure that publicly funded infrastructure is effectively prioritised and delivered – will work with the Department for Transport to consider whether and how construction costs can be reduced. Further work on HS2 Ltd’s cost estimates may be required following the completion of that work.
The Government proposes to secure the powers to deliver any high speed network by means of a single Hybrid Bill. Depending on the outcome of consultation and Parliamentary timescales and approval, this should allow construction to start after the London Crossrail scheme is completed from 2017 with the high speed network opening in phases from 2026.