PRIME Minister Boris Johnson and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps unveiled the long awaited Integrated Rail Plan For The North and Midlands on November 18, claiming the revised schemes will bring passenger benefits 10 years sooner than previously.
The IRP sets out a long-term pipeline of work that the Government says “Helps our largest cities, but it also helps smaller places. It protects and improves services on the existing lines. And nor does it neglect the shorter-distance services which people use every day.”
Costed at £96bn the IRP is made up of £54bn of spending on rail and local transport in the Midlands and North, as well as the £42bn already allocated for HS2 Phases 1 and 2a between London, the West Midlands and Crewe.
In the full report it is noted that some decisions have been influenced by changing travel patterns following Covid-19 and the funding available after the huge cost of managing the pandemic.
West Coast gains
In terms of high-speed lines, the Government has concluded there is no viable alternative to a completely new Phase 2b HS2 line between Crewe and Manchester, with existing tracks unable to carry any additional services without very disruptive and expensive upgrades and rebuilding.
At Crewe there will be provision for HS2 trains to divert away from the main HS2 line to call at the station via the use of what is called the Crewe Northern Connection. The line will also serve a new station at Manchester Airport, which the IRP expects to be privately funded, before terminating at a six-platform surface station at Manchester Piccadilly.
This will be sited to the north-east of the existing trainshed at the station and will have two more platforms than originally envisaged in order to accommodate Northern Powerhouse Rail services.