Train journeys between Liverpool and Manchester could soon be half as quick if the rumoured rail link goes ahead.
The quicker rail link has been on the wishlist of the Greater Manchester and Liverpool mayors after the HS2’s northern leg was axed.
The multi-billion pound rail link, which would cut journey times between the cities by 20 minutes, could become a reality if it receives government funding in the Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ £113 billion spending review today.
Journeys between the cities usually take between 45 and 55 minutes, with multiple stops in between.
The government is expected to announce funding for the project today, a source told Metro.
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Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said the Victorian rail infrastructure is ‘now acting as a brake on growth,’ while Steve Rotheram, the Liverpool City mayor, argued that the faster link is ‘something that the people in the North quite rightly deserve.’
It comes after the Chancellor announced £15 billion funding to transport projects in the North and Midlands last week, including for Greater Manchester buses and the Stockport tram extension, a new rapid transit link in Liverpool, and the new West Yorkshire and Leeds tram system.
The £3 bus cap will also remain in place for at least two more years, the Chancellor confirmed.
Here is everything that has been revealed about the new rail link so far.
What is the new Liverpool-Manchester rail link?
The Liverpool-Manchester Railway could ‘supercharge economic growth’ with a £15 billion boost and 22,000 new jobs during the construction, which could start in the early 2030s, the region’s leaders said.
Plans show the express rail link would have only three stops between Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street.
The proposed stops would be at Manchester Airport, Warrington Bank Quay and Liverpool Gateway, although the exact gateway location has not been confirmed yet.
Liverpool Lime Street, the seventh busiest train station outside London, and Manchester Piccadilly would be revamped.
The city’s stations have become ‘bottlenecks’ with limited platforms and track capacity, Rotheram said.
The new railway would help alleviate the ‘immense pressure’ on the existing network, the mayors said.
The areas around each station, will be redeveloped as new ‘growth zones,’ with new homes, jobs and regeneration in the pipeline ahead of the new rail link.
As many as 500,000 new homes could be build along the rail corridor.
People in Liverpool reacted to the news on social media, with many saying there should be a direct rail link to John Lennon Airport first.
One person said: ‘Create a direct link to John Lennon Airport, South Parkway is a total waste of time for people trying to use our airport.’
Another Liverpool resident said: ‘Manchester has the most to gain out of this plan – not Liverpool.’
Burnham said: ‘Just over 200 years ago, the world’s first passenger railway was built to connect Liverpool and Manchester, transforming the nation’s fortunes for centuries. But Victorian infrastructure is now acting as a brake on growth.
‘A new Liverpool-Manchester Railway would be shorter than both London’s Elizabeth line and East West Rail connecting Oxford and Cambridge, but would punch well above its weight in both growing the UK’s economy and better connecting our high-growth sectors.
‘For too long, such major infrastructure projects in the UK have been delivered in a top-down way.
‘We want to work hand-in-hand with government to plan and deliver this railway from the ground up, enabling us to maintain our growth momentum for Greater Manchester. A new, locally-led delivery model will mean we can build our pipeline of regeneration, new homes, skilled jobs and green growth around the rail line with real certainty.’
The northern mayors travelled to Westminster ahead of the spending review to ramp up the pressure on the government to back their plans.
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