Call to resurrect northern high-speed rail plans

Manufacturing companies are calling for plans for the northern leg of a high-speed rail network to be resurrected

Manufacturing companies have called for plans for a high-speed rail line reaching Leeds and Manchester to be resurrected in a major strategic investment in the rail network.

Plans for the northern leg of HS2 were scrapped by the Conservative government in October 2023, with then prime minister Rishi Sunak saying this would save £36bn to invest in other transport projects.

A poll of 200 manufacturing firms by Make UK and Barclays Corporate Banking found nine in 10 believed the original high-speed line should still go ahead to increase passenger numbers and free up capacity for rail freight on existing lines.

A similar number said there should be greater investment in faster connections between Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Hull and Newcastle.

The government cancelled plans for high-speed services to Sheffield and Leeds in 2021, with Birmingham to Manchester proposals axed in 2023.

Sunak said at the time the decision was due to huge costs and long delays.

Politicians and business leaders in Yorkshire condemned the move.

Tracy Brabin, West Yorkshire's Mayor, said limiting HS2 to a London-Birmingham service was "yet another blow to northern transport" and would "derail our efforts to boost the economy and level up opportunities".

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said it was "not just a broken promise to the North, it's a catastrophe for the whole of the UK".

Make UK warned current levels of rail capacity were "not suitable for the levels of freight traffic the government is predicting in the future".

Director of policy Verity Davidge said: "As a result, if industry is to make greater use of rail then we need the extra capacity which a high-speed link for passenger traffic would free up.

"This would provide a valuable opportunity to invest in multi-mode hubs which would improve connectivity between our major ports and better integrate road and rail routes through the spine of the country."

Lee Collinson, head of manufacturing, transport and logistics at Barclays UK Corporate Bank, said: "Upgrading and integrating our road, rail and port systems is crucial for boosting productivity, decarbonising transport and supporting long-term competitiveness."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North