In October 2015, The National Infrastructure was asked to create the report, titled: High Speed North to advise on strategic improvements to transport connectivity in the North. The Commission published their report yesterday (15th March). 

The Commission’s findings say that the North needs immediate and very significant investment for action now and a plan for longer term transformation to reduce journey times, increase capacity and improve reliability.

The Rt. Hon. the Lord Adonis, Chairman, National Infrastructure Commission, said:  “A better connected north will be better for jobs, better for families and better for Britain. The work should begin as quickly as possible.”

On rail, this means kick-starting HS3, integrating it with HS2 and planning for the redevelopment of the North’s gateway stations. On roads, investment should be brought forwards for an early boost in capacity on the M62, the North’s most important east-west link, alongside funding to identify and assess proposals for tackling a range of other strategic challenges.

The report notes that High Speed North makes practical recommendations to achieve these goals.

Lord Adonis said: “If the North is to become a powerhouse it has to be better connected.

“Leeds and Manchester are just forty miles apart but there is no quick and easy way to travel between the two. In rush hour it can take more than two hours by car, by train it can be almost an hour.

“We should kick start HS3 across the Pennines and slash journey times to just 30 minutes. But we must not wait decades for change - journey times should be cut to 40 minutes by 2022.

“A transformed northern rail network should include high speed connections to HS2 and the dramatic redevelopment of Manchester Piccadilly to deliver jobs and investment across the centre of the city.

“By road, major improvements should be brought forward to transform the M62 between Liverpool and Leeds, cutting journey times by up to 20% and increasing capacity by a third, alongside the development of a major strategy to enhance the entire motorway network including access to Britain’s third busiest airport - Manchester Airport.”

Report’s recommendations

1. Improving connectivity between the cities of the North will not be sufficient to create the northern powerhouse, but is necessary;
2. Connect the northern cities faster and more reliably than today;
3. TfN should work with DfT, Network Rail, HS2 Ltd and other stakeholders to prepare by the end of 2017 a single integrated strategy, combining short-term action with an ambitious long-term vision, which supports the overall plan for the HS3 network and brings together;
4. The upgrade of the Leeds to Manchester link should form the first phase of HS3 to be developed in detail;
5. The design of the northern phase of HS2 should be taken forward by HS2 Ltd, working closely with TfN;
6. Proposals for the redevelopment of Manchester Piccadilly station should be prepared jointly by TfN, Transport for Greater Manchester, Manchester City Council, Network Rail, DfT and HS2 Ltd;
7. TfN should follow an approach that seeks to maximise the benefits of current and planned investments and integrates them with an ambitious longer-term plan, in developing and prioritising proposals for other major inter-city links through its Northern Powerhouse Rail strategy;
8. On the strategic road network, Highways England should accelerate capacity enhancements to the M62 between Liverpool and Manchester and between Manchester and Leeds;
9. Development funding should be prioritised for a package of further enhancements to the northern road network, so that these can be completed as early as possible in the next Roads Investment Period;
10. Highways England, the Department for Transport and TfN should continue the current programme of longer-term studies;
11. Sufficient funding should be made available by Government to support the development of an ambitious cross-modal strategy for northern transport with HS3 at its heart.

To read the report in full, click here.