The Department for Transport should prioritise the improvement of the existing rail links between Manchester and Leeds according to a new report out this morning.
Centre for Cities makes the recommendation based on the economic scale of the two cities and the performance of the rail line that links them as part of a countrywide look at employment , and particularly employment in high skilled, high paying occupations, which is increasingly concentrating in the city centres of our larger cities.
Fast Track to Growth – Transport Priorities for Stronger Cities argues that connecting the two biggest and most successful Northern cities first would create an economy of significant scale in the North of England, building a more dynamic and attractive business environment with a better capacity to drive growth and prosperity. This would complement and strengthen current planned investment in the network, such as HS2, and ensure its benefits can be maximised in the long-term.
The report shows how linking cities with faster, more frequent transport systems enables their businesses to collaborate and share knowledge, networks and services.
And for workers, these connections provide access to a considerably larger pool of job opportunities, and much greater flexibility in where they can choose to live and work.
Commenting on the report, Ms Alexandra Jones, CEO, Centre for Cities, said:
“The Manchester to Leeds route currently takes almost twice as long to travel as the longer distance between London and Milton Keynes. The capital’s rail connections to neighbouring cities have played an important part in building strong and successful economies across the South East, and the evidence strongly suggests that Manchester and Leeds would benefit enormously from quicker and more frequent connections. This is a critically important, well-overdue upgrade that should be the first stage of delivering on the Government’s ambition to build a Northern powerhouse.”
Aside from improving intercity rail links, the report also highlights the need for targeted investment to build better transport connections inside the UK’s largest cities, connecting workers living in outer-city areas with work opportunities in their centre cores.
