Group commissioned by regional mayors says line can delvier 80% of HS2 benefits at lower cost
A private sector consortium commissioned by the mayors of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands has set out a plan for new rail links to replace the cancelled second leg of HS2.
The consortium has proposed the construction of a new 80km rail line, which it calls the Midlands-Northwest Rail Link.
It concluded that the private sector must play a new role in financing the scheme and urged the government to include the scheme in the forthcoming budget so that a feasibility study can begin.
According to the report, the model for the line has been created with a number of principles in mind, including stronger incentives and more appropriate overrun risk for contractors involved in the scheme.
Andy Burham, mayor of Greater Manchester, said doing nothing was 鈥渘ot an option鈥� given the pressures on the West Coast Main Line.
鈥淏ut there is good news for the government. The report concludes that we do not have to revive HS2 to unlock those benefits,鈥� he said.
鈥淭here is a viable option to build a new rail line between Lichfield and High Legh, connecting HS2 to Northern Powerhouse Rail, with almost all of the benefits of HS2 delivered quickly and crucially at a significantly lower cost.鈥�
The consortium was chaired by industry expert Sir David Higgins, led by Arup, and supported by a private sector including Arcadis, Addleshaw Goddard, EY, Dragados, Mace and Skanska.
It was first brought together last year around the Conservative Party conference, as the then-mayor of West Midlands Andy Street and Burnham attempted unsuccessfully to persuade the then-prime minister to consider alternatives to abandoning the northern section of HS2.
Higgins said the consortium 鈥渄on鈥檛 pretend that solving the rail challenges between these two places will be easy鈥� but said they had 鈥渃onclusively shown that a new line can be built cheaper and faster鈥�.
鈥淭aking the time now to get these strategic decisions right would come at minimal cost but potentially enormous long-term benefit to the nation,鈥� he said.
鈥淥ur future connectivity 鈥� and by extension, the economic and social health of our society for generations to come 鈥� depends on us making the right choices today.鈥�
According to the group鈥檚 analysis, new rail links could boost growth in the region by adding up to 拢70bn to the region鈥檚 economies, a 鈥済rowth bonus鈥� which it claims could yield up to 拢24bn in revenue annually for the Treasury.
The report calls for the new Labour government to establish a steering committee, composed of central government, combined authorities and the private sector, to bring forward a feasibility study and technical analysis.
It said the government could 鈥渉elp the private sector advance technical and commercial solutions鈥� by maintaining ownership of the current landholdings on the former Phase 2A route from Handsacre to Crewe and reinstituting safeguarding for the land not-yet-acquired.
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