“Tensions rise at northern leaders’ transport meeting as Greater Manchester mayor refuses to back plan for high speed rail station”

“Exclusive: Greater Manchester mayor’s bid for £6bn underground station could delay arrival of high speed rail in the North”

[from the Yorkshire Post, Friday 09 August 2019]

The arrival of high speed rail in the North could be delayed because of a dispute over whether a £6bn underground station should be built in Manchester, The Yorkshire Post can reveal.

Greater Manchester metro mayor Andy Burnham has refused to support plans for the £39bn Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) scheme connecting the great cities of the North because it includes a surface extension to Piccadilly station to accommodate high speed rail rather than an underground station.

Transport for the North, which is submitting the plans to the government, says a six-platform, 400 metre station above ground that can accommodate NPR and the HS2 high speed line from London would deliver the same benefits as an underground site for the fraction of the cost.

But Mr Burnham is unhappy with the analysis carried out by HS2 and TfN officials and wants more work to be done on the design before a decision is made.

An extract from the confidential document seen by The Yorkshire Post

During a “heated” behind-closed doors meeting of TfN’s board in Leeds he refused to back the decision to allow work to continue on HS2 based on the current design, which would allow the line to connect to NPR at six touch points across the North.

TfN’s chairman John Cridland was forced to withdraw his officers’ recommendations and the matter will be discussed again at the next TfN board meeting in September. Leaders asked TfN to go back and do more work on the project to ensure the North makes the most of the opportunity high speed rail presents.

It is now feared that a lack of agreement may potentially delay the Government’s plans for HS2 to be extended from the Midlands to Leeds and Manchester under Phase 2b of the controversial project, though TfN insists its work is not holding HS2 up.

The current plan is for the legislation to be placed before the Commons in June 2020, based on having a surface station at Piccadilly and an extra HS2 platform at Leeds station instead of a proposed ‘touchpoint’ south of the city where the two high speed lines would intersect.

Any major changes to the Bill would have to come via an ‘additional provision’ (AP), which takes months to prepare and develop.

A confidential TfN document seen by The Yorkshire Post says that a decision later than Summer 2019 “may not leave sufficient time” to develop an AP, potentially meaning the main HS2 Bill can’t be placed by June and jeopardising the promised arrival of the line in the North by 2033.

The report discussed on July 31 says:

“HS2 Ltd have advised that a decision is needed now if they are to prepare an Additional Provision with different designs for the Phase 2b Bill.”

It adds:

“Delays to the approvals and construction of HS2 will have implications for the delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail. The scale of delay to either scheme is difficult to quantify at this stage.”

A Department for Transport spokesman said last night there was no “immediate” risk of delaying the HS2 bill. He said: “

“We are continuing work with TfN on developing NPR. TfN is considering making a case for changes to existing HS2 designs but we have not yet seen a business case for these.”

The spokesman added:

“The Prime Minister has made clear the Government’s commitment to regional growth and prosperity in the North, including to accelerate plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail between Manchester and Leeds. The Prime Minister has also said he intends to hold a review on HS2.”

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/uk/exclusive-greater-manchester-mayor-s-bid-for-6bn-underground-station-could-delay-arrival-of-high-speed-rail-in-the-north-1-9927112

Tensions rise at northern leaders’ transport meeting as Greater Manchester mayor refuses to back plan for high speed rail station

[from the Yorkshire Post, Friday 09 August 2019]

It was a moment of great symbolism as new Prime Minister Boris Johnson used his first major policy speech at Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum to promise a high speed rail link between the city and Leeds.

The pledge two weeks ago was warmly welcomed by many as a sign that plans for the Northern Powerhouse Rail project connecting the great cities of the North had the support of government.

But behind the scenes, wrangling over the details of the scheme and how it will connect with the HS2 route between London and the North has caused tensions between transport officials and northern political leaders.

And the lack of agreement has led to fears that the arrival of high speed rail in the North could potentially be delayed beyond the long-promised date of 2033.

A major bone of contention is how Manchester’s Piccadilly station should be extended to accommodate the 250mph HS2 trains from London and NPR trains to Liverpool, Leeds and the rest of the North.

Analysis by TfN, HS2 Ltd and Network Rail suggests a six platform, 400 metre station could be built above ground – extending the proposed HS2 station at the site by two platforms – for an extra £570m compared to the original HS2-only scheme.

But officials in Greater Manchester, led by Labour metro mayor Andy Burnham, refuse to back this and have argued strongly for an underground station to accommodate Northern Powerhouse Rail.

According to a confidential TfN document seen by The Yorkshire Post, costings by transport officials suggest such a station would need four 400-metre platforms and would cost £6bn. But Mr Burnham’s team have cast doubt on the evidence used for the decision and say more work is needed.

The tensions are understood to have bubbled to the surface during the most recent meeting of Transport for the North’s board, held in Leeds on July 31.

During the public section of the meeting the Greater Manchester mayor welcomed Mr Johnson’s announcement and said northern leaders should not lower their ambitions.

they will set conditions for growth in the North for the rest of this century.”And after the press and public were asked to leave, tensions rose as Mr Burnham challenged the plan to allow HS2 to go ahead with their plans based on a surface station and not his preferred underground option. A source told The Yorkshire Post: “It got a bit heated.”

Time is ticking away on the project, with the Hybrid Bill for Phase 2b of HS2 due to be deposited next June as part of a timescale that would see the high speed route arrive in Yorkshire by 2033.

Any changes to the design – which currently includes a surface station at Piccadilly – would require further legislation, which the TfN document warns would need to get underway this summer to fit the current timescale. The next meeting of the authority’s board is not until September 12.

One northern leader told this newspaper they feared the dispute might delay the arrival of NPR in the North or even put the whole project at risk.

They said:

“If you are going to government and saying we want Northern Powerhouse Rail and there is unnecessary spending, that would provide a massive excuse not to approve it.”

A Treasury source told The Yorkshire Post:

“We have got a relatively sympathetic PM in Government but you need to be practical and realistic. If people are making excessive demands that are not universally supported, that is not going to be helpful. There is a finite amount of money, that is life.”

In a statement, TfN said its work was not holding up HS2 from progressing its plans. A spokeswoman said:

“It was agreed last week by our Board to come back in September following additional work on the various network options. This work is not holding up HS2 from progressing their current plans.

“We submitted a high-level business case to the Government in February for Northern Powerhouse Rail, which included several different options. We’re now working through these in more detail with both our members and the Department for Transport as our co-client.

“However, our northern leaders are clear that we fully expect a commitment from Government to the £39 billion network to connect all of the North’s cities with a fast and reliable railway.”

Henri Murison, Director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, which represents civic and business leaders, said:

“The speech made by the Prime Minister last month made clear the need to accelerate progress on Northern Powerhouse Rail – which must be the focus of all those of us involved in the coming months.

“We must ensure the project reflects the settled will of the North’s leaders – including a Bradford City Centre station. The Prime Minister has made clear that the will of the North must be the basis for the scheme he wants to see in the autumn agreed.

“Further work on underground station in Manchester is not delaying HS2 or Northern Powerhouse Rail – and is the right thing to do because there is significant further work being undertaken to find a solution which works for the North, and isn’t one designed and dictated to us by officials from Whitehall.”

Junction south of Leeds would be too disruptive, says TfN

Leaders in West Yorkshire could also be disappointed as the current plan for the design of HS2 does not include a ‘touchpoint’ in Stourton, south of Leeds.

This measure would have allowed HS2 and NPR services approaching from the south to loop round and pass through Leeds station – which is designed with trains coming in from the east and west – rather than terminating in the city or passing through altogether on the way north.

But in its report, written by its NPR director Tim Wood, TfN says creating this junction would lead to “significant disruption in south Leeds and significant impacts upon local employment sites”, with a £800m cost much higher than originally thought.

Officials now say alternative options are available using the proposed HS2 station at Leeds, which would be built south of the existing station, combined with infrastructure work in South Yorkshire which would cost less and “avoid the complex delivery issues at Stourton”.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which makes transport decisions for the county, said the benefits of a touchpoint “include the possibility of new routings between the North’s core cities with greater opportunities to release additional capacity and reshape the national network”.

He said:

“We also want to see HS2 services to reach wider markets beyond Leeds, such as Bradford, Huddersfield and, further afield, Hull, which could mean high-speed services arriving in Bradford 10 years ahead of the completion of Northern Powerhouse Rail.

“The benefits could also boost the commercial benefits of HS2’s eastern leg and also provide the potential for new markets such as the North East and the East Midlands as well as supporting more efficient operations through enhanced connectivity.”

Henri Murison of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership said:

“The point of the Stourton junction proposal is to enable trains from the new HS2 line to carry on to Bradford, enabling better connectivity to cities like Sheffield, and ensure the system has resilience.

“Many focused on the case for NPR are open to all ways to achieve the same benefits – but until we see the detail of any alternatives no one should rule it out from further consideration.”

An HS2 Ltd spokeswoman said:

“We continue to work on the detailed design of Phase 2b route between Birmingham and Leeds, and Crewe and Manchester, in line with the projected timescales for the hybrid Bill submission.

“We revised our hybrid Bill submission date to enable more time to work with Transport for the North and explore all potential opportunities to align HS2 and NPR, as we’re determined the North gets the best possible transport system.

“HS2 is essential to Transport for the North’s plans. Together, we will enable faster, more frequent and reliable rail services, making it easier for people and businesses to live, work and trade where they want.

“HS2 will give passengers thousands of extra seats every day, and will move intercity trains off the busy existing rail network, freeing up space to run future NPR services.”

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/uk/tensions-rise-at-northern-leaders-transport-meeting-as-greater-manchester-mayor-refuses-to-back-plan-for-high-speed-rail-station-1-9927173

North must show united front over high speed rail – The Yorkshire Post says

High speed rail is essential for our region.

YP COMMENT, Saturday 10 August 2019

HIGH speed rail is absolutely essential for our region if it is to realise its economic potential in the years and decades ahead.

Without it, there is a very real risk that the North will fall yet farther behind the South.

That means any obstacle to either the HS2 line reaching Yorkshire, or Northern Powerhouse Rail transforming links across the Pennines has to be viewed with a great degree of concern, not least because amid uncertain economic conditions there is a possibility of the Government reneging on funding commitments.

So it is very much to be hoped that the dispute over whether a £6bn NPR station in Manchester should be built above or below ground can be resolved both quickly and amicably, as any sign of dissent amongst the North’s leaders sends entirely the wrong message to the Government.

It is more than ever necessary for the great cities of the North to present a united front in their dealings with London, to have settled and fully-formed plans and above all to speak with one voice.

For the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, to depart from that by refusing to support the £39bn NPR scheme because he wants a station built underground, and not on the surface, is, to say the least, unhelpful and potentially delays HS2.

This cannot be allowed to happen, especially after the Prime Minister came north for his first engagement outside London and pledged support for a high-speed line between Leeds and Manchester.

The North must keep its focus on the main prize – transformational new transport links that mean companies in Yorkshire and elsewhere can prosper and their staff get to work quickly and efficiently, both of which are desperately needed.

That is what matters, and any disputes must firmly be set aside in order that it is achieved as rapidly as possible.

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/north-must-show-united-front-over-high-speed-rail-the-yorkshire-post-says-1-9927379

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