Burnham: New rail link is chance to close North-South divide
The Greater Manchester Mayor said the government must buy into plans for a new 80km line connecting the North West with the West Midlands if it wants to prove it is serious about growth.
The Midlands North West Rail Link – described by Andy Burnham as “more affordable, practical, and viable” than HS2 – will help increase both passenger and freight capacity between the two city regions, unlock development opportunities at either end, and speed up journey times.
Delivering the project will also send a message to people who live outside of London and the South East that their infrastructure matters too, Burnham said.
“Anyone travelling between [Manchester and Birmingham] today will be factoring in delay and disruption,” he said.
“We won’t accept a situation where there’s a North-South divide in infrastructure. Where we have to live with 19th or 20th-century infrastructure and the southern half of the country gets 21st-century infrastructure.”
Andy Burnham said showing support for the rail link is also a good opportunity for the government to follow through on its election promises around growth.
During its campaign, Labour said it wanted to jump-start the UK economy by addressing flatlining productivity and sluggish growth.
Compared to other European nations, the UK’s city regions underperform badly in terms of productivity.
For example, GDP across the Rhine-Ruhr region in Germany – which includes Dusseldorf, Cologne, and Dortmund – generates GDP of £226bn. The comparably sized and populated area of the UK that includes Manchester, Birmingham, and Sheffield, generates just £132bn.
A new rail link between the North West and the Midlands, the two largest economies outside of the capital, would help to address that imbalance and unlock growth, according to a report published on Friday.
“Growth doesn’t magically appear,” Bunrham said. “You’ve got to lay the foundations for it.”
The project will also show the world the UK can get infrastructure projects right after the farce of HS2; the Northern leg between Manchester and Birmingham via Crewe was cancelled last year, prompting the city regions’ mayors to call for an alternative solution.
The option being proposed will be part-funded by the private sector, easing the burden on the Treasury. This model has worked elsewhere, including in France; the 300km Tours to Bordeaux line was a public-private endeavour.
“We’ve got to get back in the business of delivering infrastructure to support growth,” Burnham said.
“We need to have a conversation with the government about the critical importance of infrastructure.”
Where’s Steve Rotheram, as usual nowhere to be seen, too busy online telling everyone the Liverpool City Region is the cultural , and life science capital of the North……..get real Steve, at least if we got direct High Speed Rail our economic chances would be better.
By Anonymous
Germany is a socio-market economy with a federal state structure. England is a free-market economy where all the money (profits, boni, taxes , govt admin and commercial HQs) trickles down to London. It is like comparing Chalk and Cheese. London does not make anything; it just extracts wealth from elsewhere.
By Anonymous
Keir Starmer is never going to do anything to help Greater Manchester in any way as he dislikes Andy Burnham and considers him.a rival.
By Barry Smith
Your figures above don’t make sense in the context of what you are saying. Have you got billions mixed up with millions or wrong way round.?
By Mary D
Hi Mary, thanks for spotting this. The story ahs now been amended. Cheers, Dan
By Dan Whelan
How about adding a link to Manchester Airport / Liverpool Airport + Liverpool City Centre at the same time thereby avoiding future inflated costs?
By Anonymous
Move Trafford Container Terminal east, freeing up Castlefield Corridor and Piccadilly, and main line to Stockport. Build a link to Mid-Cheshire line so Man-Chester trains can avoid having to go via Stockport. Also, new Liv-Man line should not divert via Man Airport, also freeing up capacity at Piccadilly. No need for it; Liv has its own airport.
(In Northern dialect, Lancs and Yorks, we do not say “t’ ” instead of “the”. Listen carefully and you hear nowt, because Northern dialect grammar, an inheritance of Norse, unlike Saxon, needs no indefinite article “the”; some linguists claim Norse contributed more, particularly the grammar, the modern English than Saxon or Anglish did. I thought that might interest you.
By Anonymous
If we have to take away winter fuel allowance from vulnerable pensioners to fill the financial black hole, we cannot afford more rail projects
By Anonymous
I don’t agree with Burnham on everything, particularly his attempt to impose a ULEZ around Manchester, however, I do agree with him on this.
HS2 should have started in the North and worked towards London, such that the Birth would be an early beneficiary of the infrastructure.
By Roger Thawley
Do we really want to be so connected to the south
By Kevin
Anonymous 5.30 – how do you think we’ll have enough money to pay pensions in future if we don’t invest in infrastructure improvements today? The reason we have no growth now is because we’ve spent decades putting off projects like this. Now is the time for us to grow up as a country and do this
By Anonymous
@kevin yes, because there is next to no remaining capacity on the WCML. The capacity boost is arguably more important than the journey time savings
By Levelling Up Manager
And even when the King of the North puts forward a design for a new fast rail it fails to recognise Liverpool, the City where he was born.
By Anonymous
How about Liverpool City Region a rail link from Manchester to Liverpool Airport
By Anonymous
People in Liverpool are not interested in what’s best for Manchester???? Where is Steve again backing Manchester what a lazy man
By Anonymous
Why are we still relying on London what about Liverpool to Hull
By Anonymous
Bore off Manchester
By Anonymous
If we left rail infrastructure up to Liverpool then nothing would ever get built. At least with Manchester’s leaders at the helm something may actually be delivered which will benefit the whole region
By good lord
“ Bore off Manchester!? “ Someone sounds frustrated! 😅.This is potentially good news…..for you too!
By Anonymous
Bore off Liverpool. HS2 trains still terminate in Liverpool from day 1.
By Anonymous
Bore off Liverpool
By Anonymous
Excellent news if it happens . Manchester should have been connected first as the north’s economic powerhouse.
By Northern king
@4.20pm, HS2 trains may well have been earmarked to arrive in Liverpool but never on HS2 tracks, I think that was always the point of frustration for many in that it would get a 2nd rate service all for the sake of a 20 miles or so spur.
By Anonymous
It’s not even a bad drive
By Anonymous
Victorian technology for Victorian thinking!
Its 2024, what about super fast fibre broadband connecting people and commerce?
Its this backwards thinking that’s holding us back
By Andy
Completely agree with good lord. Can’t be bothered or incapable of doing it yourselves but attempt to shame others for doing so
By You've bored us for decades
His effots should be concentrated on conecting the North. Liverpool to Manchester to Leeds should be under the hour mark.
By Anonymous