Manchester and Liverpool mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram, are calling on the government to back plans for a new, faster train line connecting the two cities. Plans for the rail link between Manchester and Liverpool were first revealed back in May 2024 after the cancellation of HS2’s northern leg.
The new line, outlined in a report published today, would run from Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Piccadilly, with stops at a new Liverpool Gateway station, Warrington Bank Quay and Manchester Airport. The report estimates that construction of the railway could deliver a £15bn boost to the economy and create 22,000 jobs.
The new Liverpool-Manchester rail line “would punch well above its weight”
A new railway connecting Liverpool and Manchester and reducing travel time from around 50 minutes to 30 minutes for a 40-mile journey is one component of the Northern Arc – an emerging economic corridor stretching from the Mersey to the Pennines and beyond. Recent analysis by Metro Dynamics suggests that, as part the Arc, the North West region could add £90bn to the UK economy by 2040 and double the size of the region’s economy in less than 30 years.
Regional leaders argue that a firm commitment now would allow construction to begin in the early 2030s – giving certainty to investors and helping retain the skilled workforce built up through the delivery of HS2. Despite being shorter than either London’s Elizabeth Line or the East-West Rail, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham says “the proposed line would punch well above its weight”.
The new Manchester Liverpool train line aims to free up local rail capacity, slash journey times and bring more than half a million extra people within 30 minutes of Liverpool and Manchester city centres. Leaders also say travel between the two airports would only take 20 minutes with this new line. The plans include five new ‘growth opportunity areas’ around each of the stations – Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool Gateway, Warrington Bank Quay, Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly – designed to support new homes, jobs and regeneration ahead of the railway’s arrival.
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.”
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “Just over 200 years ago, the world’s first passenger railway was built to connect Liverpool and Manchester, transforming the nation’s fortunes for centuries. But Victorian infrastructure is now acting as a brake on both on growth.
“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.”
Huw Merriman chairs the Liverpool-Manchester Railway Partnership Board – an expert board advising on how best to deliver the project. Alongside the regional mayors, Merriman is calling for the new Liverpool Manchester train line to feature in the government’s upcoming 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, and for ministers to back such a new collaborative model for delivery.
The previous government committed £17bn to the Liverpool-Manchester line following the cancellation of HS2’s northern leg. The project’s inclusion in the High Speed Rail Bill was subsequently confirmed in the 2024 King’s Speech.