Proposals for new Manchester-Liverpool railway line and Piccadilly underground station

Greater Manchester’s leaders have welcomed the government’s major growth plan for the North and its renewed commitment to delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR).

The Chancellor has announced that £1.1bn has been committed over this Spending Review period to support the delivery of NPR, which will include strengthening connections between Manchester, Manchester Airport, Liverpool, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Huddersfield, Warrington, York, Newcastle, Chester and North Wales. Designs will also ensure that Manchester stations are integrated into the Bee Network.

An entirely new line between Liverpool and Manchester, via Warrington and Manchester Airport, will be delivered as part of the second NPR phase in the 2030s. Work will begin immediately to develop the project plans and business case in more detail.

As part of this, Greater Manchester and government will work together to explore how an underground solution at Manchester Piccadilly could be a catalyst and enabler for major regeneration and economic growth in Greater Manchester and across the North, by unlocking land for redevelopment.

The preferred underground option would see trains run through the station, providing better, more reliable and quicker services and connections to/from West Yorkshire and beyond, future-proofing the station to accommodate growing passenger numbers for decades to come.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Finally, we have a government with an ambitious vision for the North, firm commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail and an openness to an underground station in Manchester city centre. A modernised Manchester Piccadilly could become the Kings Cross of the North, acting as a catalyst for major growth in our city region and beyond.

“Over the past decade, we’ve become the UK’s fastest growing city region, but underinvestment in rail infrastructure has long acted as a brake on further growth. Today marks a significant step forward for Greater Manchester. We’ll now work at pace to prove the case for an underground station and work up detailed designs for the route between Liverpool and Manchester.”

Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “This is a massive moment for Manchester, and Greater Manchester as a whole. We have campaigned long and hard for much-needed investment in rail in the city across the North better linking the great cities and towns of the North – to create and support jobs, regeneration and other opportunities for our people. The previous Government failed us. But today’s announcement is a serious commitment to that vision after years of frustration.

“For people in Manchester this will mean more reliable and more frequent – not just faster – services to Liverpool, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Warrington and York. After many years of us making the case, for the first time a Government has recognised the potential benefits of an underground station and in the coming years we will work closely and constructively with Government to see that become a reality.

“At long last people across the North will finally feel the benefits.”

The new Liverpool-Manchester line would underpin the Northern Growth Corridor – a strategy to drive growth from the Mersey to the Pennines, stretching into Yorkshire, Lancashire, North Wales and beyond, said to be capable of generating around £90 billion in additional GVA by 2040 from the North West section of the Northern Arc alone.

Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director of Manchester Airport, said: “This is a welcome and long overdue step towards the creation of a highly productive and internationally competitive Northern growth corridor. By placing Manchester Airport at the heart of a full Northern Powerhouse Rail Network, people and businesses across the region will have the direct access they deserve to the world.

“That will help high-value industries to thrive and attract investors and visitors to all parts of the North – maximising the region’s contribution to national growth. The project will deliver the public investment needed to turbo-charge MAG’s £1.3bn transformation of Manchester Airport. It will unlock the full capacity of Manchester’s existing two full-length runways – capacity that is available now.

“That is why we look forward to working with Government and regional partners on ways to deliver NPR at the earliest possible opportunity.”