Greater Manchester's leaders have submitted their formal petitions calling on the Government to build an HS2 that will truly work for the region and its passengers for the next 120 years. The High Speed Crewe-Manchester bill had its second reading in Parliament in June. It includes plans to build an above ground station with concrete viaducts, shut down a key Metrolink route for two years, blight job potential and kibosh many of the city’s aims for clean air and public transport.
But there is still hope for HS2 to fulfil its potential for the north. The bill paves the way for cities like Manchester to highlight concerns. Any issue which the council cannot reach agreement on with HS2 Ltd will be decided by a House of Commons Select Committee.
Leaders and experts here agree that the high speed rail line from London to Manchester, due for completion in 2040, is vital to unclog network capacity, improve connections between the North, West Midlands and London, and boost economic growth. However, Manchester council leader Bev Craig is joined by other leaders, and industry experts in her plea that the Government listen to their concerns on how best to build it to benefit Manchester and the north.
The petition from Manchester Council will not be the only one; other authorities in Greater Manchester and Cheshire East will also state their cases.
Manchester Council's petition will include calls for:
- Piccadilly station to be built underground rather than being a surface terminus. A surface station, say leaders, will reach full capacity from day one and swallow 500,000sq metres of prime development land, while wrecking the potential for 14,000 new jobs. Drivers, critics say, will also have to ‘sprint’ down the platform to turn trains around
- A rethink on plans for 2,000 car parking spaces in the city centre which clash with a policy to reduce car journeys in a bid to become net zero carbon and create the risk of more congestion. Instead, leaders want a transport interchange with bus, coach, cycling and walking facilities
- To include powers to enable transport bosses to build a new Piccadilly Metrolink stop and a new depot at Ashton Moss so the Ashton line can remain open during the two-year construction of HS2, as opposed to current 'totally unacceptable' plans for its closure. This would impact passengers going to the Etihad stadium and the new Co-op Live Arena
- A smaller and better integrated junction at Pin Mill Brow instead of the planned one which conflicts with transport, zero carbon and air quality priorities. It also 'takes too much land, fails to provide adequate cycling and walking facilities and will create a poor environment'
- The connection of the Manchester Airport HS2 station to the hub. As the bill stands, TfGM's existing powers would be removed and an isolated Metrolink stop built above the station without transport bosses having the power to connect it to the wider network. Passengers would be left using shuttle buses to get to the airport
- A rethink of the proposed HS2 Airport/Junction 6 of the M56 access which the council says will not cope with future traffic or have adequate cycling facilities
- Another look at the tunnel which will carry HS2 from Davenport Green to Ardwick, requiring a number of large ventilation shafts. Calls for the shaft next to Birchfield Primary School to be relocated
- HGV movements in Manchester to be limited to save air quality
- Use of local labour to boost job creation during construction - and help relocating those business impacted by works
Coun Bev Craig, leader of Manchester council, said: “HS2 is a once-in-a-century opportunity and we will keep fighting to ensure we get the best possible version of it for Manchester, the region and the country as a whole. It’s a huge public investment which has the potential to deliver enormous positive results.
What do you think? Have your say in our comments below.
“Any infrastructure project on this scale is very complex and will involve some measure of disruption during its construction in order to deliver wider benefits. We have consistently supportedHS2, which will bring vital capacity to our clogged railway network and has the potential to create huge opportunities.
“But we want to ensure that is delivered in the best way possible which maximises the benefits for Manchester people and businesses, minimises disruption and futureproofs the plans.”
A DfT spokesperson told the MEN: “The Northern Powerhouse Rail is set not only to improve journey times and increase capacity, but could also help increase growth and economic opportunities across Manchester and the North. We have worked with stakeholders and Greater Manchester partners from the outset and throughout the design stages of HS2, to deliver the best solution for the region.
“Our analysis found that an underground station would cause major disruption during construction and take passengers longer to reach platforms, cancelling out the benefits of faster journeys, all at an additional cost of up to £5 billion while significantly delaying the introduction of full HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail services.”
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
