Government’s Integrated Rail Plan is published
THE GOVERNMENT finally published its long-awaited Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands, just after the last issue of Railways Illustrated went to print in mid-november. As had been widely leaked in the run-up to its publication, the Eastern leg of HS2 to Leeds has been scrapped, but the IRP claims that it will deliver £96 billion of improvements to the UK rail network to achieve faster journey times for people living in the North and the Midlands, while improving connectivity.
The document focuses heavily on the time savings that will be made on journeys on the improved and new sections of railway, but it was the scaling back of the original HS2 plans between the East Midlands and Leeds that created the most consternation among observers.
In total, 110 miles of new railway is to be constructed under the plans, with a further 180 electrified. In terms of HS2, it has been confirmed that the section of the route from Crewe to Manchester will be built, with new stations at Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly. Additionally, HS2 will run between Birmingham and East Midlands Parkway, with trains continuing to Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield on an upgraded and electrified Midland Main Line.
The Transpennine main line route is also to be electrified between Manchester and Leeds, while the East Coast Main Line will be upgraded to allow speeds on the route to be increased to 140mph. Installation of modern digital signalling systems is also promised as a way of slashing journey times on the upgraded existing routes.
Northern Powerhouse Rail is planned to feature a new high-speed line between Warrington, Manchester and Marsden in Yorkshire, promising a journey time between Manchester and Leeds of 33 minutes, as opposed to the current 55 minutes for the same journey. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Our plan is ambitious, deliverable and backed by the largest single
Government investment ever made in our rail network. It will deliver punctual, frequent and reliable journeys for everyone, wherever they live.
“Just as the Victorians gave this country our railways nearly 200 years ago, this Integrated Rail Plan will create a modern, expanded railway fit for today and future generations. “Significant improvements will be delivered rapidly, bringing communities closer together, creating jobs and making places more attractive to business, and in doing so, rebalancing opportunity across the country.” The Department for Transport says the new plans, using a mixture of new-build high-speed lines and upgraded conventional lines, were drawn up after it became clear that the full HS2 and NPR schemes as originally proposed would have cost up to £185 billion and not enter service until the early to mid-2040s.