Today, Wednesday, 14th May, plans are being released for a new railway line between Liverpool and Manchester, which could bring a £90bn benefit to the region.
A start on the line could begin in the early 2030s, and during construction could provide £15bn benefit to the economy and support 22,000 jobs.
Plans for the new line have been developed by mayors in Northwest England and local and regional civic and business leaders, supported by the former Rail Minister Huw Merriman.
They are a key part of the Northern Arc vision, which aims to generate £90bn in economic growth in the North West by 2040.
The plan is for there to be growth zones at five key stations that unlock new homes, jobs, and wider regeneration of the area, with the new line running between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly, with stations at a new Liverpool Gateway station, Warrington Bank Quay, and Manchester Airport.
By providing a firm commitment now, construction could begin in the early 2030s, which would reassure investors and help to retain the skilled workforce built up during the construction of HS2.
In addition to freeing up local rail capacity, the new line would greatly reduce journey times and bring more than half a million extra people within 30 minutes of Liverpool and Manchester city centres.
New ‘growth zones’ around each station could unlock up to 500,000 homes and tens of thousands of jobs along the railway corridor.
“Two centuries ago, the Liverpool-Manchester Railway changed the world – kickstarting the railway age and powering a revolution in trade, travel and opportunity. Today, we have the chance to do it again. Our new line forms part of a wider vision to unlock £90bn of economic growth, and 500,000 new homes – the kind of transformation our region, and our country, desperately needs.
“There’s hardly a person in the North who hasn’t felt the frustration of slow, unreliable journeys or missed out on things because of creaking, outdated infrastructure. For them, this is far more than just building a new railway – it’s about opening the doors to opportunity. Connecting people to better jobs, unlocking new homes, and making it easier to enjoy everything our region has to offer – from concerts and football to family and friends.”
“We’re putting forward a serious, deliverable plan that does things differently – developing plans at a regional level instead of a top-down approach. Not cap in hand, but shoulder to shoulder with government. We’re offering a new way of doing things: faster, fairer, and better value. With the right backing, we can get spades in the ground in the early 2030s and deliver the world-class railway we deserve.”
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region
Responses
I note that this new railway will serve Manchester airport. It’ll be interesting to know whether the plan is to keep this as the existing dead end, with an in and then reverse service (which will significantly slow down journey times) or whether there is any possibility of converting Manchester airport to a through station – which would probably mean moving it and/or tunneling beneath the airport
If you are going from Liverpool to Manchester, why would you go via Manchester Airport? Or is there an additional proposal for an Airport to Manchester heavy rail? Or what?
More pie in the sky ideas, we have heard all this BS before regarding reopening lines such as Woodhead, Skipton to Colne, and route improvements like Castlefield Corridor widening. If Network Rail and Northern cannot improve and electrify the short line from Stockport to Guide Bridge what chance has this new L&M line got.