Five cities across northern England have set out a £15Bn, 15 year vision for improved east west transport connections, including a new trans Pennine rail link. They presented a comprehensive plan to the Chancellor on Tuesday, who pledged to take on board its recommendations as part of his new ‘Northern Powerhouse’ strategy.

The ‘One North’ report has been published by an alliance of Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and Sheffield. It proposes a fast, frequent passenger rail service across the Pennines, to be run partly in tunnel, which could cut journey times from Manchester to Leeds and Sheffield to just 30 minutes.

Improved rail freight links between east and west are also proposed, along with more smart motorways across the north to increase highway capacity.

In addition it proposes building High Speed 2 earlier than planned: by extending phase one to Crewe and bringing forward construction of HS2 between Leeds and Sheffield.

Publication of this week’s report follows on from a proposal by the Chancellor in June to build a high speed railway – dubbed High Speed 3 – between Manchester and Leeds. This autumn High Speed 2 chairman Sir David Higgins is set to deliver a report on phase two of the HS2 project, including initial options for a cross Pennine rail link.

Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese said: “The current constraints on our transport networks, the product of years of under investment, affect the competitiveness of the north. Addressing these limitations will require ambitious action.”

Leeds City Council leader Keith Wakefield added: “Getting the right investment in our transport systems would deliver unprecedented change to better connect people and jobs, which is crucial if we want to rebalance the national economy.”

(Photo: Network Rail)

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