MPs describe “utter dismay” at Northern rail plan

Bill Esterson MP has signed a letter to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps objecting to the Government’s plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail.

MPs from across Merseyside, Cheshire and West Lancs described their “utter dismay” at the Government’s integrated rail plan (IRP), which was announced on November 18.

The IRP proposes upgrades to existing lines in and out of Liverpool, rather than the new line that was promised under the original Northern Powerhouse Rail plans. This will lead to six years of disruption as the track is upgraded, a reduction in freight capacity while the upgrade takes place, a £280m per year hit to the economy and half a million more journeys by road, with the works delivering no extra capacity on the already congested route.

Sefton Central MP, Bill Esterson said: “The IRP is a kick in the teeth to the people of this region but one that was sadly wholly predictable. The Government talks of levelling up but is failing to deliver the investment that is needed.

“The IRP is a huge downgrade on what was promised. It was only two months ago that the Prime Minister was telling the Conservative Party conference that Northern Powerhouse Rail would go ahead. What has been proposed for the Liverpool City Region does not deliver.

“Our region is being sidelined and it threatens our potential for reaching net zero as fewer people will be encouraged onto the railway, and it will be much harder to switch freight from road to rail.”

The letter signed by 11 Labour MPs from the region was coordinated by Wavertree MP, Paula Barker and described the impact of the IRP on the region:

• No new line connection to Liverpool which fails to integrate us into the HS2 and NPR networks.
• Upgrades to existing lines in and out of Liverpool will cause up to 6 years of disruption. This disruption would be very significant for the Liverpool City Region causing an economic hit of at least £280 Million each year and a minimum of over half a million extra road journeys each year as rail services are disrupted.
• Failure to deliver transformational extra capacity, as the plan includes using the already congested West Coast Mainline into Liverpool, meaning little ability to grow local services and in fact some services serving Runcorn and St Helens will be lost.
• Detrimental impact to Freight as 88 freight trains will be unable to operate each week during the upgrade phase; freight traffic that may never return to Liverpool; and very little capacity to grow long distance freight services into the future- severely constraining the Port of Liverpool’s growth as the main deep-water port on the west of the British mainland.
• Minimal journey time improvements for passenger services to Manchester of only a 2- minute improvement of the best journey time today and London that is only 2 minutes improvement on the previous HS2 classic compatible service proposal.
• No new station for Liverpool; which is vital to ensure the capacity for more long distance and local services.
• Slower delivery time as your plan does not intend to commence this work until the 2040s rather than 2030s as previously promised.
• Multiple caveats regarding approvals and further progress – does the government actually have any intention of delivering anything beyond Phase 2B West and the West to East Midlands link?
• All of the above will prohibit the City Region’s ability to achieve Net Zero Emissions objectives, by preventing opportunities for significant modal shift for both passengers and freight to rail.

Mr Esterson said: “The Government must think again on this insulting rail proposal. The Prime Minister repeatedly promised Northern Powerhouse Rail but is now offering half the investment that was pledged. The North is always being asked to cut back whereas this never gets asked of the South East and London.”