Post by timelesstable on Mar 15, 2016 7:47:06 GMT 1
HS3 rail link needs 'kick-starting', report concludes
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35807472
HS3, the planned fast rail link between Manchester and Leeds, needs 'kick-starting' as part of a broader plan to improve transport links in northern England, a report has concluded.
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) also called for improvements on the most congested part of the M62 to be sped up.
It said the region needed "immediate and very significant investment".
The government backed the plans, with details to come in this week's Budget.
Lord Adonis, former Labour transport secretary and chair of the National Infrastructure Commission said that if the north was to become a powerhouse, work needed to "begin as quickly as possible".
"Leeds and Manchester are just 40 miles apart but there is no quick and easy way to travel between the two. In rush-hour it can take more than two hours by car, by train it can be almost an hour.
"So we should kick-start HS3 across the Pennines and slash journey times to just 30 minutes. But we must not wait decades for change - journey times should be cut to 40 minutes by 2022."
Other recommendations include redeveloping Manchester Piccadilly train station and incorporating key parts of the north in the HS2 train network.
The NIC was set up by the government last year to advise on long-term projects to boost the economy.
This report by the National Infrastructure Commission says there should be a detailed plan to improve the railways by 2017, with the top priority being trains between the two largest northern economies, Manchester and Leeds.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35807472
HS3, the planned fast rail link between Manchester and Leeds, needs 'kick-starting' as part of a broader plan to improve transport links in northern England, a report has concluded.
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) also called for improvements on the most congested part of the M62 to be sped up.
It said the region needed "immediate and very significant investment".
The government backed the plans, with details to come in this week's Budget.
Lord Adonis, former Labour transport secretary and chair of the National Infrastructure Commission said that if the north was to become a powerhouse, work needed to "begin as quickly as possible".
"Leeds and Manchester are just 40 miles apart but there is no quick and easy way to travel between the two. In rush-hour it can take more than two hours by car, by train it can be almost an hour.
"So we should kick-start HS3 across the Pennines and slash journey times to just 30 minutes. But we must not wait decades for change - journey times should be cut to 40 minutes by 2022."
Other recommendations include redeveloping Manchester Piccadilly train station and incorporating key parts of the north in the HS2 train network.
The NIC was set up by the government last year to advise on long-term projects to boost the economy.
This report by the National Infrastructure Commission says there should be a detailed plan to improve the railways by 2017, with the top priority being trains between the two largest northern economies, Manchester and Leeds.