The next steps of development for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), a new train line between Manchester and Liverpool, have been announced today (March 25). The announcement comes after the government’s Network North plan confirmed £12 billion to boost connections and enable Northern Powerhouse Rail to be delivered as previously set out.
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Local leaders and MPs expressed support for Northern Powerhouse Rail to serve Warrington Bank Quay and Manchester Airport and for using broadly the previously proposed route between Liverpool and Manchester. Taking account of local views, the Department of Transport says this will be the primary option for the next stage of development for the route between Liverpool and Manchester.
The government has promised that once delivered, passengers will benefit from quicker, more frequent services, which could see journey times cut by around a third, meaning the route between Liverpool and Manchester Piccadilly would be reduced from around 50 minutes to 35 minutes. However, this would be only slightly quicker than the fastest services between the two cities, which can take as little as 38 minutes from Manchester Victoria.
The Department of Transport said the new train line between Manchester and Liverpool will also mean passengers are able to ‘turn up and go’, knowing the next train will only be 10 to 15 minutes away. Capacity could also be trebled between Liverpool and Leeds, offering 2,100 extra seats per hour in each direction.
Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said: “Today, we are setting out the next steps for how we can transform east-west rail links in the North, helping to boost economic growth between key Northern cities as part of our Network North plan.
“I thank local leaders and local MPs for sharing their views and facilitating constructive conversations. I have heard a clear consensus, which means we can now take another crucial step towards delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail, part of this government’s plan to boost rail capacity, deliver faster journey times and offer better connectivity across the North.”
Under these new plans, Liverpool and Warrington, as well as towns in the east of the Pennines, could benefit from direct services to Manchester Airport. Passengers travelling there from Liverpool could see their journeys to the airport reduced by almost an hour while passengers from Leeds could benefit from a 41-minute reduction.
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As part of the government’s engagement with local leaders and local MPs, they asked for further options to be explored around the station design at Manchester Piccadilly and the approach into Liverpool. A Northern Powerhouse Rail station in Warrington could also support local regeneration ambitions, providing a much-needed transport interchange in its town centre and making it easily accessible by boosting its links to neighbouring cities.
Plus, today a further £35 million has also been released, allowing Network Rail to take forward early design and engineering work to progress with the next phase of Northern Powerhouse Rail between Liverpool and Leeds, as well as works on a new station in Bradford.
Since the Manchester leg of HS2 was scrapped back in October 2023, the government is also aiming to seek permission from Parliament to adapt the High Speed Rail (Crewe-Manchester) Bill to remove the scope that was only needed on High Speed 2 (HS2).
Lord McLoughlin, Chair of Transport for the North, said: “We welcome the progress of further engagement with Northern political and business leaders. It’s essential that any final route is place based and meets the ambitions of local leaders for their residents and businesses.
“Northern Powerhouse Rail is a key cornerstone to how we transform the North for generations to come. We look forward to working with the government to realise our shared ambition for a rail network that the people and businesses of the North truly deserve.”
Subject to final decisions on route and specifications, once Northern Powerhouse Rail is delivered, passengers could spend a third less time travelling between Liverpool and Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester and Leeds, and Bradford and Leeds. The plan announced today could see services stopping in Liverpool, Warrington, Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly.