SMART

[from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 29^th October 2014]

Transport campaigners have called for an earlier start to the huge HS3 project to free up slower lines serving Huddersfield stations.

Railfuture says work on a high-speed Leeds to Manchester line – dubbed ‘HS3’ – should start before the controversial HS2 line reaches Yorkshire.

The campaign group proposes a slower 125mph between the two cities to save costs and start work sooner.

HS3, backed on Monday by Prime Minister David Cameron, will see huge investment in the east-west rail linkes across the Pennines and will halve the 40-mile journey time between Leeds and Manchester.

But it is unlikely the service will stop in Huddersfield because of the speeds involved.

The transport group Railfuture says HS3 should use the old Woodhead route, freeing up the existing line between the two cities and creating a faster link to Sheffield.

The new capacity will also enable a new station to be built at Milnsbridge, and for a semi-fast service to run from the Calder Valley to Leeds via Dewsbury, Railfuture said.

Nina Smith, chair of Railfuture Yorkshire Branch, said:

“It cannot wait for HS2 to reach Yorkshire.

“Costs should be kept down by building it as a 125mph route rather than an ultra-high speed line.

“Early completion is essential, not just to join up the ‘northern powerhouse’ cities, but also to free up space on both the Huddersfield and Hope Valley lines so that more semi-fast and stopping services can be run to serve the communities along those routes.”

“Another advantage of a new high speed route will be to use it for fast container and other freight services between Hull, Manchester and Liverpool (and Ireland), thus removing some of the very heavy M62 lorry traffic.

“The new route will therefore need to be four-track in places.”

http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/hs3-should-completed-before-hs2-8012348

Strictly speaking the report referred to doesn’t contain any proposals, just reinforcement of the argument that east-west rail links need to be improved. Any comments about what form “HS3” might take, and whether it is passing through our parish, are no more than speculation.

[From the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 27^th October 2014]

Train journey times between northern English cities could be slashed under proposals put forward today by the boss of the £50 billion HS2 high-speed rail project.

The improvements would cover an east-west section of northern England and would be in addition to the north-of-Birmingham phase two of HS2 which will see a Y-shaped route going to Manchester and Leeds.

It could mean journey times for the transPennine services could be cut in half.

But while welcoming the proposals, a Huddersfield rail users’ spokesman sounded a note of caution.

Peter Marshall, who chairs the Huddersfield Penistone Sheffield Rail Users Group, said the idea of high-speed links would certainly benefit the northern economy and boost the jobs market.

But he added:

“For Huddersfield, we need a stopping service. High-speed trains between Leeds and Manchester would not stop at the stations in between.

“We need them to look at reverting back to the old four-track system on the line, so that the new faster trains could overtake the slower, stopping trains, enabling everyone to benefit.

“We are delighted they have realised that the east-west links are just as important as the north-south links”.

HS2 Ltd chairman Sir David Higgins said northern connectivity plans – dubbed “HS3” and backed by Chancellor George Osborne – would be “as important to the north of England as Crossrail is for London”.

Put forward in a report from Sir David today, the plans, if carried forward, would mean journey times between Leeds and Manchester could almost be cut in almost half while journeys between Leeds and Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield Meadowhall, York and Birmingham and Nottingham to Birmingham could also be reduced by a half or more, and many more journeys across the country substantially shortened.

Phase one of HS2 involves a new high-speed line from Euston in London passing through Tory heartlands in the Chilterns to Birmingham, with an expected completion date of 2026.

Phase two was originally scheduled to be completed in 2032/33, although Sir David is keen for this date to be brought forward.

Prime Minister David Cameron said:

“Improving connectivity and reducing journey times between our great northern cities is a crucial part of our long-term economic plan for the north to boost businesses and create more jobs and security for hard-working people. That’s why we are backing HS3.

“I welcome Sir David Higgins’ report which will help our work to create a northern powerhouse and ensure that HS2 delivers the maximum economic benefits.”

http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/new-tracks-would-mean-better-8000977