Trans-Pennine express is vital for region’s economy

Sep 19 2007 by Larry Neild, Liverpool Daily Post

Professor David Begg, Chairman of the Commission for Integrated Transport _100

A DEMAND for 100mph trans-Pennine trains between Liverpool and other key northern cities is critical for the growth of the region’s economy, a report to the Government revealed last night.

The city and its neighbours like Manchester and Leeds would also reap the financial rewards of more and faster trains to London, an academic said in the report by the leading Northern Way group.

The economy of Merseyside and the North would be increased by at least £3.5bn as a result of the better links and would also significantly help to narrow the massive North-South economic divide.

Without better improved links, the region faces being strangled by congestion, widening rather than reducing a £30bn productivity gap that spans the divide, the report’s authors warn.

With new proposals, it will soon be possible to make the journey between London and Paris in two hours, almost half the time it can take to journey between Merseyside and the North East.

The demand for improved rail services is spelled out in a report by Northern Way, a collaboration of the regional development agencies spanning the north of England, including the North West Development Area. The report forms crucial evidence handed to the Government yesterday to demand urgent action as part of a Westminster review of future rail needs.

Professor David Begg, (pictured), chairman of the Northern Way’s Transport Compact, said wider economic benefits would come about through reducing city-to-city travel times.

But he said the need for faster rail links appears not to have been taken into account in the Government’s recent Rail White Paper.

The Northern Way’s research warns that the importance of trans-Pennine services has been undervalued.

Prof Begg said: “The importance of a new high-speed trans-Pennine link in addition to a line on each side of the country is very clear.

“There are very worthwhile benefits for the North West from a high-speed line on the west side of the country and for North East and Yorkshire on the east side.

“But a trans-Pennine link adds more than 40% to the wider economic benefits that we have identified for the North.”

The report calls on the Government to act now on its Rail White Paper commitment to consider the case for new rail lines between the North’s cities and London.

New work for the Northern Way values the wider economic benefit of investment in North-South and East-West rail links at over £10bn.

Professor Begg said: “These wider economic benefits come about through reducing travel times in city-to-city and business-to-business access.”

Andrew Lewis, director of the Northern Way, said: “Without these prioritised investments and accompanying measures to manage demand, congestion bottlenecks across the North will prevent us meeting our targets for sustainable economic growth.”

larryneild@dailypost.co.uk