Regional leaders have put forth proposals for a new Liverpool-Manchester Railway in a move that is predicted could kickstart a 90 billion GBP transformation across the North West of England.
Alongside Rail Minister Huw Merriman and civic and business leaders across the North West, Mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram have called on the government to support the new railway’s implementation.
Construction for the railway, which would run from Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Piccadilly with stops at Liverpool’s new Gateway station, Warrington Bank Quay and Manchester Airport, is predicted to begin by the early 2030s, pending approval, and could deliver a boost of 15 billion GBP for the local economy, as well as create up to 22,000 new jobs.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:Two centuries ago, the Liverpool-Manchester Railway changed the world – kickstarting the railway age and powering a revolution in trade, travel and opportunity. Today, we have the chance to do it again. Our new line forms part of a wider vision to unlock £90bn of economic growth, and 500,000 new homes – the kind of transformation our region, and our country, desperately needs.
There’s hardly a person in the North who hasn’t felt the frustration of slow, unreliable journeys or missed out on things because of creaking, outdated infrastructure. For them, this is far more than just building a new railway – it’s about opening the doors to opportunity. Connecting people to better jobs, unlocking new homes, and making it easier to enjoy everything our region has to offer – from concerts and football to family and friends.
We’re putting forward a serious, deliverable plan that does things differently – developing plans at a regional level instead of a top-down approach. Not cap in hand, but shoulder to shoulder with government. We’re offering a new way of doing things: faster, fairer, and better value. With the right backing, we can get spades in the ground in the early 2030s and deliver the world-class railway we deserve.
The railway’s proposal forms part of the Northern Arc, a prospective economic corridor from the Mersey to the Pennines and beyond.
Statistics from Metro Dynamics have suggested that, with the introduction of the potential railway line, the growth trajectory of Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Warrington and Liverpool City Region area could add 90 billion GBP in cumulative GVA to the UK economy by 2040, doubling the size of the region’s economy in under 30 years.
The new line would also be expected to free up local rail capacity, reduce overall journey times and provide transport for over half a million extra people within a 30 minute radius of both Liverpool and Manchester City.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:A new Liverpool-Manchester Railway would be shorter than both London’s Elizabeth line and East West Rail connecting Oxford and Cambridge, but would punch well above its weight in both growing the UK’s economy and better connecting our high-growth sectors.
For too long, such major infrastructure projects in the UK have been delivered in a top-down way. We want to work hand-in-hand with government to plan and deliver this railway from the ground up, enabling us to maintain our growth momentum for Greater Manchester. A new, locally-led delivery model will mean we can build our pipeline of regeneration, new homes, skilled jobs and green growth around the rail line with real certainty.
The Rail Minister, who also chairs the Liverpool-Manchester Railway Partnership Board, has called for the line to feature in the government’s upcoming 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy.
Huw Merriman, Chair of the Liverpool-Manchester Railway Partnership Board, said:The government must invest in infrastructure to achieve its number one priority of growing the UK economy. With years of concentration in the south, there needs to be a fair balance of where that’s targeted and the time is ripe to rebalance the nation. The North West is growing and will grow faster with transport infrastructure connecting people to new homes, jobs and skills to equip them for life.
The Liverpool-Manchester Railway is a credible and convincing project that will make the areas benefitting from the line and around the stations a highly-desirable place to live, invest and do business. Certainty on its delivery will be critical for both the North West’s and UK’s growth trajectory.
Lessons must be learnt from past projects, including HS2, and a new locally-led model will be proof of devolution in action. The North West is unique in that we have mayors, civic and business leaders standing shoulder-to-shoulder ready to make this railway happen. Working together with government they can tackle the challenges that have come with such infrastructure delivery in the past.
Plans alongside the line’s installation also include the implementation of a set of five new growth zones around each station (Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool Gateway, Warrington Bank Quay, Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly) in order to support new homes, jobs and regeneration.
Liverpool City Council recently approved plans for a brand-new station in the city’s Baltic Triangle district.
