Renewed calls for better east-west links in the North

Northern Powerhouse Rail

Director Tim Wood has repeated his criticism of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) for setting major rail projects against each other.

“NIC was tasked with integrating projects, not setting them against each other. It’s really important we look at levelling up,” Wood told February 4’s The future of rail infrastructure in the UK - CP6, the Integrated Rail Plan, and Delivering Modernisation virtual conference.

In its Rail Needs for the Midlands and the North report, published on December 15 2020 ( RAIL 921), the NIC had suggested a focus on regional upgrades such as electrifying the Midland Main Line, rather than building the full HS2 Eastern Leg to Yorkshire.

Wood made the point that Transport for the North’s NPR plans rely on 50 miles of HS2 being built. He called on Government to be ambitious, adding that northern England needs proper east-west links as well as those to London.

In a later question and answer session, Wood said northern England had been “shackled for four decades”, citing journeys between Bradford and Leeds. The cities are eight miles apart, but the train journey is 27 minutes, he told delegates. Meanwhile, some 45,000 people make the journey by car each day, which he said presents an opportunity for rail.

Discussing new projects, Wood said that TfN recognised the need to stop costs rising: “We quickly got a contractor on-board [Mace]. There are difficulties in access… topography... lots of permutations. It’s easy to say ‘here’s £1 billion’ and two years later the cost is £3bn.”

He highlighted the successful £1.5bn A14 project at

Huntingdon, which was delivered eight months early, and asked why data wasn’t shared between such ‘mega-projects’.

At the same event, NIC Chief Executive Officer James Heath acknowledged that December’s report had created debate, but said: “All our regional packages include HS2, but also recognise connectivity. The NIC would not be doing its job if it just repeated projects.

“Rail does things others can’t

- it can provide space for large numbers of passengers into city centres.”

He agreed that east-west links were generally poorer.

Heath also told delegates that an adaptive approach, as set out by the NIC, would provide greater certainty to the supply chain and that it should also break the cycle of pre-determining funds.