A major new blueprint for transport across the north of England has been published and sent out for a statutory public consultation exercise.
Transport for the North (TfN) has launched its Strategic Transport Plan consultation with the claim that, if it is implemented, it could enable the regional economy to generate an extra £118 billion a year in today’s money thanks to the improvements in connectivity involved.
Among the major projects in focus is the proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), which could use some existing tunnels to get under the Pennines between Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire, but may also require significant new tunnelling and thus conveyor belt installation.
Rather than simply linking Manchester and Leeds, the blueprint envisages also connecting central Bradford to the system.
Moreover, there has been a long-running debate about whether a high-speed station a Manchester Piccadilly for HS2 and NPR should be located underground or on the surface, with the former potentially necessitating more tunnelling in addition to the south Manchester HS2 tunnel.
The city is already considering some underground developments including a possible underground Metrolink tram tunnel as part of the city region’s 2040 plan. This may have echoes of the 1970s cancelled Picc-Vic line, but it could also be necessary as the city centre becomes increasingly built-up and congested.
Elsewhere, the TfN plan has highlighted plans for a new line between Manchester and Liverpool via Warrington and improvements to the Hope Valley line that connects Manchester with Sheffield via the Peak District, a route that already uses several lengthy tunnels under the Pennines.
Roads are also part of the picture and improvements are also called for here, although this does not include a new twin-bore tunnel under the Pennines to link Manchester and Sheffield, a plan TfN called to be dropped in 2021.
It remains to be seen, of course, whether these grand plans go ahead – and therefore how many new tunnels are dug to accommodate the schemes that get the necessary funding.
