WIDER PAN-REGIONAL RESPONSE TO THE CREWE HUB CONSULTATION

Transcription

1 WIDER PAN-REGIONAL RESPONSE TO THE CREWE HUB CONSULTATION

2 WIDER PAN-REGIONAL RESPONSE TO THE CREWE HUB CONSULTATION Delivering the right Crewe Hub is of critical importance to a wide area. Get it right and it can act as a catalyst to unlock significant economic growth for an area of 2.1 million people and containing industries with a world class manufacturing & engineering supply base, home to best in class companies and leaders in high value/lean manufacturing e.g. Airbus, Toyota, JCB, Siemens, Qioptic, and the chosen location for multi-billion pound investment projects e.g. Wylfa Newydd Nuclear, the super-prison HMP Berwyn, Wirral Waters. Get it wrong and it can result in not just missed opportunities but 2.1 million people and key businesses losing direct connection to the UK s core network and becoming peripheral and marginalised. The original HS2 proposal offered just 2 trains per hour stopping at Crewe, with other services remaining unchanged. In the latest consultation the Secretary of State acknowledges that a proper hub station could generate significant opportunities not only for Crewe itself, but also for the surrounding regions. HS2 provides the opportunity to increase capacity on congested railways, improve connections between the biggest cities and regions and support the Industrial Strategy to generate jobs, skills and economic growth. The analysis contained within the latest consultation shows that the option which offers the best value for money is the one in which the Hub has the ability to accommodate 5-7 HS2 stopping trains plus enhanced regional services. This response aligns with Growth Track 360 and Constellation Partnership and comes from 3 LEPs, the North Wales Mersey Dee Business Council, the NWMD Cross Border Rail Task force (Growth Track 360) and constituent local authorities, including Shropshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire East, Cheshire West & Chester and Warrington. Collectively they cover over 2.1 million people who would have been no better off under the original proposal and potentially worse off given the reduction in connectivity to Manchester, the loss of the fastest direct services to Chester and Holyhead and the loss of direct Warrington to Scotland services. This response, therefore, sets out the full benefits that would be achieved by enhancing connectivity to HS2 and Crewe Hub. It should be read alongside the Constellation Partnership response which sets out the growth in the area which would be achieved as a consequence of 5-7 HS2 trains stopping at Crewe per hour. We would also highlight the work of Midlands Connect in supporting our aspirations and illustrating the wider benefits of what we are seeking. 02

3 Scotland & Cumbria Delivering Growth Manchester & Manchester Airport Stockport Sir David Higgins highlighted the need to integrate HS2 into the existing rail network and potential improvements to it and that a coherent approach would maximise the value to the local and national economies, and be a real catalyst for change in terms of regeneration and rebalancing the spread of wealth and prosperity in the UK. As a consequence of Crewe s existing 360 degree rail connectivity, he recommended that the HS2 hub should be at Crewe because that is the best way to serve not just the local region, but also provide services into the rest of the North West, North Wales and Merseyside, and that it will allow more services across the board, providing real benefit to commuters. successful when it includes good access and frequent local services to the High Speed stations, such as at Lille. With a population of over 2.1 million people, the growth potential of the area served by trains radiating from the Crewe Hub is significant. We have ambitions for an additional 120,000 jobs in North Wales, 120,000 net additional new jobs and up to 127,000 new homes across Cheshire and Warrington with the creation of 120,000 jobs and 100,000 new homes within the Constellation Partnership. Our collective aim is to make the area a fantastic place to live, work and travel. North Wales Mid Wales Wirral & Liverpool Warrington Chester Shrewsbury Manchester Stoke Derby & East Midlands High Speed Rail projects around the world show that improved connectivity can be used to open up new markets and act as a catalyst to drive economic growth in towns, cities and regions. This is most Birmingham South Wales London & Birmingham 03

4 Frequent local services connecting with HS2 at Crewe mean: 1.5 million people at least an hour closer to London 69 minutes by train Chester to Manchester Airport 43 minutes by car 110 minutes by train Maximising Connectivity Wrexham to Liverpool 53 minutes by car 400,000 people at least 30 mins closer to Manchester he big advantage of Crewe is that extensive physical rail networks already exist, radiating out from the station. People can currently interchange between long-distance and local services, however many services on the radiating lines are infrequent and the timetables don t coordinate well with the inter-city services. Furthermore, whilst there are generally good frequencies on the West Coast Main Line, east-west movements tend to be far less frequent at around 1 to 2 trains per hour. The Constellation Growth Strategy sets out the transformational impact of a remodelled station at Crewe and the Constellation ambition of 5-7 HS2 trains per hour will deliver to the town. In order to spread the benefits of HS2 to the widest catchment area we need to give travellers confidence that the time savings afforded by HS2 will not be eroded by long wait-times for connecting services. Typically service frequencies of 3 to 4 trains per hour are sufficient for passengers to be reassured about achieving timely connections. In most cases this level of service on the lines radiating from Crewe could be achieved for relatively modest investment. For a number of the radiating lines this could be simply operational costs of some additional services, whilst for other lines relatively modest infrastructure enhancements could unlock service frequency improvements. Such frequent services would open up a Hub catchment area of over 2.1 million people offering reduced significantly reduced journey times to London, Birmingham and Manchester, giving them a direct stake in the success of HS2 and the opportunity to deliver additional growth across an area from Anglesey to the Pennines, and the Irish Sea to the Trent. All of the local authorities and LEPs that have contributed to this response are committed to realising the benefits arising from connectivity to HS2 and are keen to enter into a conversation with government as to how these benefits can be achieved and delivered. Llandudno to Manchester Airport 12:46 12:23 12:11 Current Service Finish 23 mins 12 mins London Euston to Crewe 91 mins 165 minutes by train 88 minutes by car Arrive at Chester Depart Crewe Arrive 11:59 11:36 11:28 10:40 Depart 10:33 15 mins London Euston 10:25 10:25 Arrive Start Future Service Finish 23 mins 7.5 mins London Euston to Crewe 55 mins 7.5 mins Start Arrive at Chester Depart Crewe Arrive Depart London Euston Arrive 04

5 Alignment with Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) Transport for the North and the Department for Transport have recently agreed six touch points between Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and HS2. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has recently allocated 300m to develop these further for inclusion in the Hybrid Bill for HS2 Phase 2b. They include a south facing connection to the HS2 main line for Liverpool Warrington - London services and a connection to the HS2 Manchester spur to enable Liverpool Manchester Airport Manchester services. An important consideration is whether or not NPR would need to use the Golborne Link. The Golborne Link was proposed at a time when the rolling stock depot would have required the use of it by empty coaching stock. The depot is now proposed to be moved south to Winsford / Middlewich and would not need to use the Link. Should NPR not require the use of Golborne Link then the limited number of HS2 services using it may call into question its viability. Seeing NPR and HS2 together allows a better solution for Liverpool Warrington - London HS2 services to be provided. A Crewe North Junction would also be highly beneficial. It would allow Birmingham Manchester HS2 services to be part of the NPR network as referenced in the consultation document. This would also allow Crewe to be part of the NPR network, bringing significantly improved connectivity to Manchester Airport and Piccadilly, and to destinations east of the Pennines where no direct links currently exist. Thus we recommend that the Crewe Hub should be designed to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate any potential changes to HS2. The Hub should also be designed to accommodate any demands arising out of the wider NPR scheme. A primary objective of NPR is to achieve a transformational improvement in journey times and connectivity for rail services across the north of England. Securing the inclusion in HS2 Phase 2B of the NPR touch point located at the Manchester Spur will be critical to allow HS2 services to access Warrington and Liverpool via a new high speed (NPR) line. In addition to the HS2 services connecting London and Birmingham with Warrington and Liverpool, Chester and North Wales would be able to directly connect into the NPR network either via an interchange at Warrington or for NPR services to be extended to serve them directly. 05

6 Delivering the Right Hub Solution To deliver transformational housing and economic growth, and maximise the benefits of and for HS2 we need a Hub design which could accommodate the provision of enhanced regional services and support wider transport opportunities (e.g. Northern Powerhouse, Midlands Connect, Growth Track 360). Hence the Hub should be able to: Provide a high quality interchange with platforms adjacent to the existing station, not on the independent lines; Accommodate 5-7 HS2 trains per hour stopping at Crewe, connecting to Manchester, Birmingham and London; Have flexibility for HS2 to serve other destinations including Chester, North Wales and further services to Warrington, utilising the splitting of trains at Crewe to serve the widest range of destinations; Accommodate enhanced regional rail services and freight; and Build in flexibility for the future in order to respond to other infrastructure projects e.g. Northern Powerhouse Rail, any potential changes to HS2 Phase 2b. This will require a new junction north of Crewe to accommodate the level of connectivity required for both HS2 and regional services. Without it either HS2 services to / from Manchester and Manchester Airport will by-pass Crewe and limit the level of connectivity to the rest of the subregion and into North Wales, or there will be severe capacity constraints on the West Coast Main Line, limiting the provision of other services. Scenario 3 (which includes the northern junction) has a very high BCR (the highest of the scenarios given) and offers the potential for significant increase in patronage (and hence increased income via the fare box). Such a high BCR scheme should be a high priority for national funding. It is recognised that the HS2 service patterns are indicative, however it will be important to ensure that they serve key destinations to maximise connectivity and hence economic growth potential. For example the consultation currently only proposes 1 classic compatible train per hour between Macclesfield Stoke Stafford Birmingham Interchange in scenario 3. Terminating at Macclesfield as opposed to going on to Manchester would miss a major connectivity opportunity and weaken the passenger demand on this service from the outset. Similarly, connectivity benefits would be maximised by stopping London to Manchester services at Crewe from 2027 onward. In developing HS2 in detail it will be important to identify and agree the touch points, with road proposals being developed as part of our wider approach to maximising the HS2 growth strategy. Finally, local residents are worried about the potentially significant environmental impacts of HS2. It will, therefore, be essential that HS2 promotes the use of construction techniques which minimise the visual intrusion of HS2 (e.g. tunnelling, cuttings) and reduce the severance of communities/farms (e.g. by providing bridges and underpasses along the route). This would help to reduce the amount of blight suffered by properties, maintain the maximum amount of productive farmland and reduce the loss of property and harm to residents. 06

7 Conclusion HS2 is a once in a generation opportunity hence it is essential that the right hub design is delivered such that it can accommodate the future needs of the area. If we do not deliver the right hub now we will have to try and retro-fit solutions at a later date, which would not only be more expensive but also have a detrimental impact in the interim. All of the partners who have contributed to this response consider that the Hub should be designed so that it has the flexibility to accommodate 5-7 HS2 services, enhanced regional services and potential future changes to HS2. Scenario 3 is, therefore, considered to be the best of the options. To maximise the economic benefits of this national investment it will also be important that the other key hubs across the area benefit from increased service frequencies / improved connectivity and reduced journey times for the reasons set out above.

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