PLANS FOR HIGH SPEED RAIL LINK
RUNCORN should feature on the high speed rail (HS2) network according to architects who have drawn up alternative proposals for HS2.
Weston Williamson & Partners (WWP) made the suggestion under its blueprints for building an HS2 rail line running from Runcorn to Leeds via Manchester, with a spoke running south to Crewe.
The alternative plans focus on a dramatic redevelopment of Manchester Piccadilly, which would allow trains to travel directly east without having to switch directions.
WWP said its proposals offer ‘significant advantages’ over the existing plan, namely allowing a through-running high speed train service between Liverpool and West Yorkshire via Manchester Airport and Piccadilly.
Although the Liverpool to Runcorn line would not be upgraded to HS2, high speed trains would be able to use it.
Architects at WWP, who worked with engineering consultants Expedition to draw up the plans, have pitched the proposals as generating better value for money and better outcomes for HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the North.
Under the existing HS2 plans, the line would split into two lines near Birmingham running north and south between Birmingham and Wigan via Manchester on one route, and between Birmingham and Leeds on the other, with a Northern Powerhouse Rail line running west and east between Liverpool and Yorkshire via Manchester.
The plans do not go into detail over how Liverpool trains would travel east from Runcorn.
At present, trains travelling north and south pass through Runcorn station on the West Coast Main Line, which is separate from the line running east and west between Runcorn East and Manchester.
It is possible those details could be thrashed out in time or amended as the proposals mainly relate to Manchester Piccadilly and converting it into a European-style station where trains run through the terminal rather than pull up at a dead end before reversing out again, plus associated urban redevelopment.
Alistair Lenczner, Expedition Engineering director, said: “The High-Speed Station Square proposal at Manchester Piccadilly fully responds to the questions raised in the Oakervee Report as well as showing a clear design solution in line with its recommendations.
“At a time when plans for both HS2 and NPR are being reconsidered in the north of England, the HS Station Square proposal should be seriously considered as an alternative to existing plans.”
He added: “HS Station Square would provide Manchester with a modern fully integrated transportation hub commensurate with the city’s standing in the top tier of regional European cities.”
Rob Naybour, Founding Partner at Weston Williamson & Partners, said: “Our experience of similar projects around the world is testament to the regenerative potential of infrastructure projects of the scale of that proposed in Manchester.
“Maximizing the potential for this new hub to rebalance and re-energize the economy, post Covid19, requires a coherent design vision that combines efficient transit operations and interchange with effective urban place-making.
“Getting this right and creating an attractive destination and a beacon for jobs will attract investment from a wide-range of sources.”