Delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail must start with a high speed cross-Pennine link between Leeds, Bradford and Manchester according to new analysis, which says this line could alone offer a £22Bn boost to the region’s economy over the next 30 years.
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A report by consultant Mott MacDonald published on Tuesday claims that traditional cost-benefit analysis ‘seriously under represents’ the true economic potential of the scheme to connect northern cities, and urges ‘bold’ leadership from Government to get the programme built.
It says a more holistic assessment of Northern Powerhouse Rail’s potential benefits shows that gross value added in the north would increase by around 8% over 10 years through construction of an initial route from Leeds and Bradford to Manchester.
This represents an economic uplift worth £8Bn more than the £14.4Bn boost promised across the entire programme by 2060 using standard cost-benefit analysis. The initial route should be followed by projects west of Manchester to Warrington and links to other cities including Liverpool, Sheffield, Hull and Newcastle, the report adds.
The findings come after Prime Minister Boris Johnson told last week’s Conservative Party conference that “we will do Northern Powerhouse Rail” and ahead of the publication of the delayed Integrated Rail Plan, which is expected in the coming weeks.
Business group the Northern Powerhouse Partnership’s director Henri Murison said: “The north is still waiting for the high speed rail we were promised. Building Northern Powerhouse Rail across the Pennines in full through Bradford would be transformative for our region, attracting investment and creating jobs and opportunities for local people.”
He warned that uncertainty over rail investment, including the eastern leg of High Speed 2, “is doing huge damage to our economy and added: “Levelling up cannot and will not happen without the full delivery of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail together.”
Mott MacDonald managing director Cathy Travers said: “I believe our paper makes a compelling case for Government backing for Northern Powerhouse Rail in the forthcoming Integrated Rail Plan.
“Many of us who live and work in the north of England understand the untapped potential that we have across the region. We know that we need true connectivity to unleash that potential and enhance people’s opportunities and drive better social outcomes.”
(Photograph: COYB01 and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence)
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