Following the recent announcement of £45 billion being pledged by the government towards the long awaited development of high-speed rail across the North, it was reported on 27 January that Northern Powerhouse Rail agreements on capacity, and the new stations planned, had been signed.
An agreement was signed for the potential development of an underground section to Manchester Piccadilly station, while also promoting the case for a much-needed new Bradford station. Plans for building the rail capacity at Sheffield are also included in Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) agreements with devolved authorities.
It was additionally stated that “the Department for Transport (DfT) has signed six compact agreements with Combined Mayoral Authorities (Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, North East, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York and North Yorkshire) a week after announcing its NPR vision”.
New high-speed rail between Birmingham and Manchester and the rest of the North of England
It was also reported, on the same day, that the government had officially committed to building a new high-speed railway line south from Manchester to Birmingham. However, the government stresses that it isn’t a revival of HS2, even though a similar high-speed line was promised in the original HS2 plans that were scrapped by Rishi Sunak back in 2023.
It was further stated that “the plan for the new route was set out by the government earlier this month. It’ll run between the two cities via Manchester Airport and Warrington, with new stations built at Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly and Warrington Bank Quay Low Level. It’s hoped that it’ll ease pressure on the West Coast Main Line and cut travel times between northern towns and cities”.
On 14 January, Birmingham Rail published an article further explaining the plans for a new Birmingham to Manchester line. They explained that the new railway line between Manchester in Birmingham will improve connectivity and allow the railways in the area to have increased capacity. It also said that the Treasury has made it clear that the idea for the railway is that it will be a fresh initiative and not a reinstatement of HS2. That said, land previously bought by the government for what became the cancelled HS2 extension will still be retained by the state as the new line is developed.
However, none of this will happen overnight, though the government is said to be giving priority to Northern Powerhouse Rail, by improving connections across the Pennines between Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester, along with potential upgrades to busy hubs like Liverpool Central and Liverpool Lime Street, as well as better links to Newcastle and the Northeast and Hull on the east coast.
Meanwhile on the M62
A major importance of the establishment of Northern Powerhouse Rail can be discerned by simply looking at the traffic situation on the Trans-Pennine M62.
On 26 January it was clear that traffic was building up on the M62, with live traffic cameras near junction six at Tarbock that morning showing long queues going on towards Rainhill. One of the sources of the queues was that there had been an accident, causing traffic to also build on a small section of the M57 around junction one. Traffic monitoring service Inrix were quoted as saying at 7.06am that morning: “M62 eastbound partially blocked, slow traffic due to an accident from junction six at M57 junction one (Tarbock Island) to junction seven A57 Warrington Road (Rainhill Stoops).”
The following day, emergency work was being carried out on another section of the M62, causing long delays there. The work was being done on the eastbound carriageway close to junction 27, resulting in two lanes being closed off to traffic. The closure was said to have led to “long delays with traffic backed up to Hartshead Moor services”. In another comment from traffic monitoring service Inrix they said: “Long delays and two lanes closed due to emergency repairs on M62 Eastbound at J27 M621 (Gildersome). Lanes one and two (of three).”
Then, on the last day of January, it was reported that the M62 had been partially blocked going westbound, due to a collision between junctions nine and 10, with multiple vehicles believed to have been involved in the crash.
Similar problems to these have been going on for a long time now. For example early in 2025 following a van fire on the M62, there were long queues snaking across the Pennines. The westbound carriageway had a lane closed between junctions 22 and 21, between Milnrow and Saddleworth. National Highways were said to have commented that “drivers were facing seven-mile queues tailing back towards Huddersfield” as firefighters worked to tackle the blaze at the scene.
Take people off the M62 and onto high-speed rail
Anybody who has had to make their way along the M62 at rush-hour, or maybe also on other occasions, will be familiar with the stories above. I remember finding the M62 at standstill at 8 pm on yet another evening in February 2025 to that described in the last story.
The M62 has been operating at full capacity for years, if not decades now. It is little wonder given the dire state of rail transport across the Pennines. Therefore, the news that contracts have been signed to develop Northern Powerhouse Rail are all the more welcome.
If the North of England is finally and truly to recover from the devastation wrought on it during the Thatcher years of the 1980’s, then high-speed rail from Liverpool to Manchester, and onto Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, York, Hull and Newcastle has to be a priority for investment. The North has great potential but needs appropriate funding to see that potential realised.
The North of England needs this high-speed rail link
The North has some stunning and beautiful countryside and this should also act as a reminder of the second reason why high-speed rail should be developed; to take traffic off the M62 and help to protect our beautiful environment. As the climate crisis worsens with every passing day, the reasons to develop high-speed rail become more pressing on a daily basis.
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