HS3 and M62 work: Transport improvements 'too little, too late'

The HS3 rail link would reduce journey times from Leeds to Manchester to 30 minutes

Plans to upgrade road and rail links to boost the so-called Northern Powerhouse are "too little, too late", transport groups say.

The government is expected to commit £300m to kick-start transport projects, with details due in Wednesday's Budget.

Chancellor George Osborne will confirm government backing for the HS3 rail link between Manchester and Leeds.

The Railfuture campaign group said by the time upgrades were made they would be "outdated and overcrowded again".

The HS3 rail link proposal is a key part of the government's Northern Powerhouse plan - which attempts to redress the north/south divide and attract investment to the north.

Thinktank IPPR North said government backing of HS3 would be "no substitute" for construction work actually beginning.

The organisation's director, Ed Cox, said the region would expect the government to invest significant amounts of public money to finally get the "spades in the ground" just as it had done with Crossrail in London.

HS3's possible routes were announced in 2014

Chris Hyomes, chair of Railfuture in Yorkshire, said: "George Osborne needs to find out how to speed the process up and make it simpler so these improvements happen quicker.

"We're looking at improving roads and railways, but by the time they are improved they are going to be outdated and overcrowded again.

"What we're going to do in five to 10 years' time should have been done 10 or 20 years ago."

'Passengers crammed on'

Louise Ellman, chair of the Commons' Transport Select Committee and Liverpool Riverside MP, described improving trans-Pennine links as "equally important" to the North as London's £14.8bn east-to-west Crossrail route, which is due to open in phases from next year.

She added: "We need to know the detail of what is being proposed."

A HM Treasury spokesperson said: "The Chancellor is determined to shake Britain out of its inertia in building vital infrastructure, and his Budget this week will back projects like HS3 to make this country fit for the future.

"Investing in transport across the Northern Powerhouse has been identified as a priority and that's why he will invest £300m in transport across the region, giving the green light to HS3, accelerating the M62 to a four-lane smart motorway and developing plans to transform east to west connections across the north, including a new Trans Pennine tunnel between Sheffield and Manchester."

Rail commuters often stand between Leeds and Manchester which currently takes 49 minutes

Some rail commuters at Manchester Piccadilly Station said a faster line between the two cities was necessary.

One man said: "Room is a big issue, it's always full and it takes a long time as well. They are always cancelled and delayed so it needs something doing to it."

Another said: "In the morning they are crammed on, every time I ever get on it - there are people struggling to even get on the train."

Ben Harrison, from thinktank Centre for Cities, said: "The Leeds-Manchester train link is one of the slowest big-city connections in the UK, so this upgrade and investment is much needed.

"Progressing the delivery of this investment must now be a priority, to ensure the improved train links are operational early in the next Parliament."

How much will HS3 cost?

Len Tingle, BBC Look North's political editor

Sixty million pounds allocated towards creating what the Chancellor himself is calling "HS3" will be spent on providing a route map of how the destination of improved rail links across the Pennines can be reached.

This first allocation of public cash is dwarfed by the expected cost of getting the first 125mph express train on the track.

There have been no official costs yet, but several "guestimates" from independent transport experts put the figure around the £7bn mark.

The problem for the industry is that nobody really knows what HS3 will be.

The final cost and the timetable for completion will depend on how many extra tunnels, bridges and track extensions it will need.

George Osborne has championed the "Northern Powerhouse" project

Chris Fletcher, of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said the Northern Powerhouse "must be focused around better transport connections across the North of England and not diluted with hundreds of other schemes and ideas".

"The East-West route is fundamental to allowing a good flow of employees, goods and products to move between the major cities and go where demand is highest.

"Ask anyone about the time it takes to get between Manchester and Leeds and they all want faster and more reliable journeys. HS3 is part of that solution," he added.

Upgrades to east-west road links were "absolutely essential" as they lag behind north-south connections, AA president Edmund King said.

"Plans to upgrade the M62 motorway are long overdue; we've seen very little spent on cross-country infrastructure," he said.

Mr King said the government must not "skimp on safety", as an increasing number of AA members were becoming stranded in "live lanes" on smart motorway sections due to a lack of breakdown areas.

In Wednesday's Budget, George Osborne will bring forward £161m for upgrades to the M62 Liverpool-Hull motorway

Malcolm Bingham, of the Freight Transport Association, said there was an "over-reliance" on the M62 motorway.

He said: "We've got a single road that creates that connectivity across the Pennines and it only takes a small incident or over-running roadworks to create a massive delay."

The road system was not coping with the traffic levels that it needed to, he warned.

"What we need is a network of major routes that connect the north of England. If we don't start moving towards it we'll never see it."

Analysis: Arif Ansari, BBC North West Political Editor

This feels like the moment that the government starts to put its money where its mouth is. Two years ago George Osborne set out his "Northern Powerhouse" idea and transport was critical to its success.

In a sense, the National Infrastructure Commission has designed a route map and the Treasury has agreed to pay for the ticket. But it is only the start of a long journey.

Much of it will be spent on planning better rail and road links between Manchester and Leeds.

These projects are not quick or easy or cheap. In addition, parts of the M62 will be developed between Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds. The Commission has decided this is the most efficient way to deliver improvements.

This all indicates that the Manchester to Leeds axis is still seen as the key component in creating a Northern Powerhouse. But Lord Adonis, who chairs the commission, has said there is much more to do. And much more beyond transport too.