IT's full steam ahead for the High Speed (HS2) rail link for Manchester and the North. The cost will be around £32bn.
Sometimes the French approach seems preferable. A Gallic attitude of "We're doing it, and here's the Parliamentary approval, so it's a bit late to whinge about your begonia beds and dormice. Coming through!"
Northern civic and business leaders are cock-a-hoop. The rest of us should join in the celebrations.
Manchester more than any other city should understand the value of state-of-the-art transport links.
From the Bridgewater Canal, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, Manchester Ship Canal and Manchester Airport, the city and region has 250-years of history defined by transport.
The only worry is the length of time it may take to complete HS2.
The finish date is supposed to be 2032, a massive nineteen years away. Instead of full steam ahead we may have a very slow coach. As a point of reference from the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester railway in 1830 it took eight years for a rail link to be established to London and they were inventing the very notion of rail travel as they went.
Confidential learns that leading figures in the North are hoping to cut that development time significantly.
The problem is that HS2 will hit the nimby and environmentalist buffers. It will be a lawyers' love-in as the link fights its way through a Middle England whining about its fair fields rather than looking to the big national picture. The pockets of weasel faced 'briefs' and oily consultants will doubtless split at the seams from taxpayer cash.
Sometimes the French approach seems preferable. A Gallic attitude of "We're doing it, and here's the Parliamentary approval, so it's a bit late to whinge about your begonia beds and dormice. Coming through!"
The Department for Transport has said that HS2 phase two would almost halve journey times between Birmingham and Manchester - to 41 minutes - and between London and Manchester from two hours and eight minutes to one hour and eight minutes.
The high speed line to Manchester will include stops at Piccadilly in the city centre and Manchester Airport.
According to North West interest groups the line will also free up capacity on the conventional rail network for passengers and freight, easing the traffic burden on motorways and boosting economic growth.
Manchester route of HS2
Councillor Andrew Fender, Chair of Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: “High speed rail is good news for the economy – not just for Greater Manchester but also the wider North.
“Today’s announcement isn’t just about faster trains. High speed rail will create up to 30,000 station-supported jobs in Manchester and help to drive productivity in the region.
“It will help businesses to connect with one another and improve access to major commercial opportunities, helping the North to prosper and reach its full economic potential – and crucially, it will also release much-needed capacity on the rest of the network for regional and local services and freight traffic.
“While the details of the actual route from Birmingham to Manchester are a matter for High Speed 2 to decide, we’ve always made the case for high speed trains to stop at Manchester Airport as well as a central Manchester station so we’re delighted to see this forming part of the scheme.”
Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “The UK is lamentably playing catch-up to our global competitors in our rail transport systems, but it is crucial that we close the gap. Without this link the North West – and Manchester – will be left stranded, unable to compete with the likes of Munich, Milan and Copenhagen who are already well ahead in the high-speed stakes.
“It is commendable that the government has had to foresight to push ahead with these plans against opposition – but the future of the UK’s economic success relies on its capacity to compete on a global stage.”
Confidential reckons it won't only be Southern and Midland suburbanites up in nimby arms. Beware the burghers of Hale Barns too.
Charlie Cornish, Chief Executive of MAG, owners of Manchester Airport, said: “Greater Manchester has a record of delivering innovative infrastructure projects that work both nationally and locally and I believe our region has spoken with one voice again, which has helped to bring the new line into Manchester city centre and the airport.
“We believe it will bring major benefits to businesses and residents of the North West and allow greater access to the UK’s major airport outside London. Along with the city centre station, it will provide an additional boost to the economy of the region and help spread the benefits of the airport’s existing international connectivity further. We’re already the third largest UK airport and will soon begin construction of the country’s first Airport City, and this is another sign of progress for Manchester and the North of England.”
Proposed junction at Hale Barns
Department for Transport documents make it clear it expects Manchester Airport to pay for the airport station. Initial proposals indicate the favoured location for the station would be off the M56 motorway close to Hale Barns.
Confidential reckons it won't only be Southern and Midland suburbanites up in nimby arms. Beware the burghers of Hale Barns.
From the airport to Ardwick it's proposed to construct the most dramatic element of HS2. This will be a 7.5 mile tunnel via Wythenshawe, Northenden, Didsbury, Withington, Fallowfield, Rusholme and Longsight. Confidential might have to enquire about a supplement route to its already famous Manchester tunnel tours.
At Manchester Piccadilly HS2 proposes major changes with new platforms alongside the existing ones.
Plans with north to the south showing preferred route into Piccadilly Station
Maybe a case can be made here for life being breathed back into the derelict Mayfield Station across Fairfield Street from Piccadilly. This is a spectacular structure with good pedigree and seems perfect for purpose. A re-energised Mayfield Station would also be the catalyst for the re-development of the huge Mayfield area behind the station- 2010 plans for a Whitehall of the North there have now been ditched.
Mouldering Mayfield - Metres From Piccadilly
David Cameron, the Prime Minister, echoes Sir Richard Leese's words: “We are in a global race and this government’s decision to make high speed rail a reality is another example of the action we are taking to equip Britain to compete and thrive in that race. High speed rail is a catalyst that will help to secure economic prosperity across Britain, rebalance our economy and support tens of thousands of jobs.”
Britain is frequently at its best when thinking big - look at the morale boost the Olympics gave the country - naysayers and little Englanders shouldn't be allowed to delay and spike this epic and worthwhile project.
Main illustration at the top of the page from Paul Rogers at Paul Rogers Studio. Click here for the link to the website.
