£17bn Manchester-Liverpool link in doubt

Reports from Liverpool on Wednesday have presented a reassessment for rail services across the North of England.

The link between Manchester and Liverpool of a high-speed railway, known as Northern Powerhouse Rail,  is in jeopardy after transport secretary Louise Haigh stated that funding may not be available. Meanwhile, Avanti West Coast, which services the North West, will continue to fulfil its existing contract.

Manchester-Liverpool rail link in doubt

This spring, Conservative transport secretary Mark Harper had said a new line between the two cities would be funded by £12bn freed from the cancellation of HS2’s northern leg, before his party was ousted from power in July.

“The previous government went ’round promising money like there was no tomorrow, including all their commitments on Network North,” said the current transport secretary, according to media sources at the Labour Party conference.

Haigh added that the Conservatives had not finalised an agreement with the Treasury, meaning that funding is not practically available.

Haigh said she was “conscious” of the importance of the proposed £17bn rail link, but that she believes a longer-term plan is needed.

A reportedly defiant response from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham urged the minister not to withdraw funding.

He said: “We will not accept that. We believe the government of any colour needs to honour promises to the North of England and that’s what we will fight for.”

Proposals in May led to the formation of a Liverpool-Manchester Railway Board, announced at UKREiiF, with Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram proclaiming that, unlike HS2, “this is going to happen”.

However, commitment to the project, first proposed by Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government, appears to be waning.

Plans for the rail link would cut travel times between the two cities by more than half

Upgrades to both Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Central stations have also been proposed.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority had already begun searching for a partner to work on its Liverpool Central regeneration plan.

Plans already laid out by the two Metro Mayors could be torn up as the withdrawal and reassessment of funding could bring Northern Powerhouse Rail back to the drawing board.

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “Transport is an essential part of our mission to rebuild Britain, and we are absolutely committed to improving rail connectivity across the North and working with devolved leaders, as set out in the government’s manifesto.

“We are currently reviewing the position we have inherited on HS2, and will set out next steps in due course.”

Greater Manchester Combined Authority has been contacted for comment.

Avanti retains contract despite performance concerns

Avanti West Coast, the operator of train services on the West Coast Mainline, will not be stripped of its contract after legal advice suggested that the operator was not in breach of any obligations, according to media reports.

The train operator will remain as the chief operator on the line and is expected to be one of the last operators to be nationalised under current plans.

In July, the nascent Labour government demanded “immediate action” in regard to the operator’s “unacceptable performance”.

At the time Haigh blamed the Conservatives for “shockingly low” standards and said that the rail group’s nine-year contract had a very low bar for performance requirements.

She claimed she will strive to bring Avanti into public ownership at the earliest opportunity.

The Passenger Railway Services Bill introduced in July by Labour would “allow train operators to be provided by a public sector company when existing franchise contracts end”.

Avanti, which carries around nine million passengers every year, was handed a long-term contract by the Conservatives in September last year.

The operator has faced criticism with the Office of Rail and Road’s figures indicating that between April and June, Avanti was the worst-performing train operator in the UK – with especially high cancellation figures.

However, Avanti also pointed to the same report to prove that 57% of cancellations were due to issues on the network as a result of infrastructure, external incidents and other operators.

Additionally, for only 22% of journey delays could Avanti be held responsible for.

Rail infrastructure is the delegated responsibility of Network Rail, which owns the UK’s railway network.