Osborne urges HS3 as Grayling backs Northern determination

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has reiterated calls for the Government to build the so-called High Speed 3 railway from Liverpool to Hull.

He has been backed by Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling, who in the Yorkshire Post on August 22 acknowledged that poor transport is “holding it [the north of England] back”. Grayling added: “Although one of my biggest priorities… is to build the transport links the North needs to thrive, they must be designed and managed by the North itself.”

Grayling says he wants Transport for the North (TfN) and other Northern bodies to come forward with fully costed proposals to improve journeys for transport users, adding: “We have given TfN £60 million to develop proposals for the scheme [HS3], and are working with them to strengthen the business case for the line.

“The success of Northern transport depends on the North itself - on TfN, businesses, mayors and devolved authorities, and on local communities. They understand the North’s transport problems better than anyone, and with their knowledge can fix them.”

Osborne claimed in an article in the Financial Times on August 21 that HS3 would bring seven million extra people within a 90-minute journey time out of one of the northern cities, and that while the cost of the route could be as much as £7 billion, it could be spread over many years.

Local government leaders backed calls for investment in the region, with West Yorkshire Combined Authority Chairman and Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe saying: “I cannot stress enough just how important investment in Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) is for the great cities of the North.

“We need NPR to link with HS2 in Leeds in order to gain the maximum benefits from the overall investment. Only then will we see the huge economic benefits that these major new routes can bring right across West Yorkshire and the Leeds City Region.”

Leeds City Council Leader Judith Blake added: “We want Government commitment to the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, which is central to our plans, as part of a sustained investment programme that also includes HS2, East Coast Main Line and Northern Powerhouse Rail. And we will be calling for a meeting with Mr Grayling to discuss ways to work constructively with him and his colleagues to ensure Leeds City Region can play its full part in achieving the Minister’s commitment to ensuring that all parts of the UK share in the opportunities of a strong economy.”

Labour Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald said: “Grayling’s decision to wash his hands of the North’s transport problems is a huge insult to commuters and businesses.

“It’s true that the North can play a larger role in determining and delivering its own transport priorities, but only if it’s backed with funding from central government - an unlikely prospect while Chris Grayling holds the purse strings.”