Cheshire rail travellers to benefit from £530m investment into Network Rail’s Northern Hub

Feb 16 2010 Chester Chronicle

A £530M investment package to transform rail travel in the north of England through better stations and quicker, more frequent services was unveiled by Network Rail, with direct benefits for Cheshire.

The Northern Hub study identifies what needs to be done to respond to the significant growth seen in the region and to help drive economic prosperity.

The plans include:

A 40% increase in trains per day across the region – 700 extra services

Capacity for a further 3.5m passengers per year

Quicker, more frequent services for Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield

Iain Coucher, chief executive of Network Rail, said: “Rail is already a massive success story in the north with many thousands of people travelling with us every day and more than 90% of services arriving on time.

“Through better connections, faster services and improved stations we want to trigger wider growth in the north which in turn will support local jobs and businesses.Š

“Our ambitious vision includes miles of track, new platforms and electrification to keep driving up passenger demand while keeping freight on the rails – and lorries off our already congested roads.”

Neil Scales, chief executive of Merseytravel, said: “We welcome the publication of the report into improving the rail network around Manchester and the opportunity to increase the number of express trains and the journey time between the two cities.

“Alongside the electrification of the main line via St Helens Junction, and the recent announcements on further electrification means that there is a real opportunity to make a step change in the rail network for the north of England. Merseytravel looks forward to working with the rail industry on making these plans a reality.”

The Northern Hub proposes significant investment in rail over the next 10 years to build on work which is already underway.Š

By removing historic bottlenecks – such as at Manchester - it would allow faster line speeds, reducing journey times.

New track would give greater timetable flexibility - allowing fast trains to overtake and run at speed while still providing space on the network for vital local stopping services and freight.

Key benefits for passengers in Cheshire could include:

Trains every 15 minutes from Liverpool to Manchester and Yorkshire

Faster journeys between Liverpool and Manchester (33 mins)

More frequent services from Liverpool South Parkway, Widnes and Birchwood to Liverpool and Manchester

Direct services from Chester to Manchester Airport

A doubling of trains between Knutsford and Manchester and an extra service from Wilmslow to Manchester Airport.

The Northern Hub study will be developed over the next two years.ŠMembers of the public can view the study and comment via the website www.networkrail.co.uk/north.