Embargo: 00.01 Friday 24 April 2009

MANCHESTER HUB IMPROVEMENTS VITAL TO THE NORTH’S ECONOMIC GROWTH

The Northern Way is today publishing the first stage of work considering how best to increase the capability of the rail network in and around central Manchester – the “Manchester Hub”. The Manchester Hub is the greatest single strategic transport issue facing the North of England. It impacts on rail services across the North as most passenger train journeys linking the North's major cities together pass through the Hub and the movement of freight is also affected. It also impacts on Manchester commuter services.

Professor David Begg, Chairman of the Northern Transport Compact said:

“The most significant finding from our work is simply this. A feasible package of measures that includes greater connectivity across Manchester would bring between £13bn and £16bn economic benefits for the North of England and beyond.”

The Northern Way has identified 10 conditional outputs that Network Rail, in collaboration with their rail industry colleagues, should seek to meet when developing and then identifying the way forward for the Manchester Hub. These relate to:

1. Capacity and flexibility – more capacity and greater capability that can be used more flexibly to meet forecast 39% growth in demand by 2020. After this, or if there is higher growth, train lengthening rather than further infrastructure works would provide additional capacity.

2. Carbon Reduction - In terms of in-service operation the aim should be to contribute to the trajectory of reduced carbon emissions as set in national level overall targets for the transport sector.

3. Performance - performance of franchised rail services should be kept consistent with the targets set nationally by the Department for Transport.

4. Journey Times – to achieve regular interval city centre to city centre times that are recognisably faster than by car, and adopting 60 miles per hour as a benchmark, these are target journey times for the key corridors, from a Manchester City Centre station (either Victoria or Piccadilly) to the principal adjoining city regions: • Leeds 40 minutes (and Bradford 50 minutes, recognising route

characteristics) • Sheffield 40 minutes • Chester 40 minutes • Liverpool 30 minutes • Preston 30 minutes. • Assuming dwell times at Leeds and York are also minimised, this

would give journey times to Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Hull of 133, 124 and 101 minutes respectively.

5. Access to Growth Centres in Greater Manchester – Support growth across Greater Manchester by improving access to the key town centres and Salford Quays, as well as the growth areas in and around the centre of Manchester.

6. Connectivity to deliver economic benefits - improved connectivity should be achieved:

(a) by promoting direct cross-Manchester movements (for which train service provision and franchising costs will also generally experience cost efficiencies), and (b) where this cannot be done, convenient passenger interchange should be achieved.

7. Manchester Airport - to maximise rail’s share of journeys to the Airport, account needs to be taken of the potential to improve links from the Airport to destinations across the North as well as North Wales and the West and North Midlands. Connecting the Airport with each of the North’s city regions, on a 7 day/week basis, service start and finish time should give 95% of air passengers the option of using rail for their inbound and outbound legs.

8. Trans Pennine - The three Trans Pennine rail corridors form the spine for City Region to City Region links across the North: to and from Liverpool and Central Lancashire in the west through to Tyne and Wear, Tees Valley and Hull and the Humber in the east via Leeds or Sheffield. The Trans Pennine corridors should support high frequency, high quality, regular interval core express services that link all of the Northern City Regions in a way designed to maximise the number of direct city region to city region linkages, and meet the enhanced journey times and performance targets.

9. North South Links and High Speed Rail – provision should be made to meet forecasts and requirements for a doubling of West Coast Main Line demand by 2026 and to accommodate High Speed 2 options to and beyond central Manchester, together with a possible parkway station.

10. Freight - Provision for a doubling of freight tonnage from existing and new origins and destinations to/from the multi-modal terminals at Trafford Park and elsewhere in the North West by 2030.

Professor Begg added:

“If the North is to play its part in national economic recovery, it will be through business growth in our major cities which are inter-connected by rail through Manchester. A joined-up North, provided with highly reliable, direct express services, is part of the vision that we have defined. Investment in Manchester is needed to deliver it.”

“The benefits we have identified are widely spread across the North. Manchester Hub is not about one or two key flows. Growth in rail demand is highest in Manchester local commuter markets, and the greatest rates of benefits are on the main corridors linking the North’s seven other City Regions with Manchester. There are also significant growth objectives related to the West Coast Main Line corridor and railfreight as well.”

“Manchester Hub is about a long term solution to a problem that affects the development of national, regional and local rail services. This is the question that Network Rail needs to address.”

“Given the scale of benefits on offer, it will be right for Network Rail to consider a full range of options in taking the next stage of work forward. Our work demonstrates Manchester Hub is a challenge to which it is worth devoting considerable resources.”

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the North West Regional Development Agency, said:

"The Agency welcomes this first phase report. Investment in the Manchester Rail Hub is essential for effective rail operations not only in the Northwest but the entire North of England. It should help to unlock a number of key drivers of the economy, including faster journey times between our northern cities and extra freight and passenger capacity. Long term planning is essential to deliver rail infrastructure provision and we look forward to working with Network Rail on the second phase of this report".

ENDS

Media contacts: Mark Fuller Linstock Communications T: 020 7089 2089 M: 07952 286 223 mark@linstockcommunications.com

Nicola Hughes The Northern Way T: 0191 229 6752 M: 07771 805 949 nicola.hughes@thenorthernway.co.uk

Notes to editors: The Northern Way is a unique initiative, bringing together the cities and regions of the North of England to work together to improve the sustainable economic development of the North towards the level of more prosperous regions.

Formed as a partnership between the three northern Regional Development Agencies (Yorkshire Forward, Northwest Regional Development Agency and One NorthEast), we also work with local authorities, universities, the private sector and other partners to secure a strong coalition in support of this goal.

The Northern Way aims to influence policy and delivery at a local, city region, regional and national level, to join up thinking and encourage collaboration.

On 4th October 2007, the then Department for Transport Minister of State, Rosie Winterton, responding to the work of the Northern Way, announced that a study would be undertaken to develop proposals to enhance the capacity and functionality of the Manchester Hub. The Manchester Hub Study is being undertaken in two

phases overseen by a Department for Transport-chaired Sponsors’ Group, the other members being the Northern Way, Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority and Passenger Transport Executive, and Network Rail.

The Manchester Hub Sponsors’ Group asked that the Northern Way lead the Phase 1 study. The Phase 2 work is being led by Network Rail. Producing the Manchester Hub Conditional Output Statement has been the primary purpose of the Phase 1 study. It pulls together evidence about how the economic performance of the North is affected by transport links and in addition has developed new evidence on the specific economic case for investment in the Manchester Hub. The outputs are described as “conditional” because achieving them depends on Network Rail finding it possible to devise solutions which are affordable and represent value for money.

The Phase 2 work is focussing on the development and assessment of rail options to meet the Conditional Output Statement.

The Manchester Hub is the network of 14 rail corridors that link and cross in and around central Manchester. These are:

• Southport via Wigan • Preston and the North via Bolton • Blackburn • Bradford via Rochdale • Yorkshire & the North East via Leeds • Glossop / Hadfield • Marple / Romiley • Yorkshire & the East Midlands via Sheffield • Buxton • London, Birmingham and the South (via West Coast Main Line) • Manchester Airport • Chester via Northwich • Liverpool via Irlam • Liverpool / Chester via Warrington