19.05.17
Opinion poll: HS3 must take priority over Crossrail 2
Fresh from their victories in the metro mayor elections earlier this month, new leaders of Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram were quick to make transport a top priority for their cities last week.
In a post on Twitter, both called on the government to prioritise plans for an HS3 link connecting the north west to the north east over additional work to the capital’s network through Crossrail 2.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham argued that the fact that a journey from Manchester to Newcastle could still take as much time as London to Paris showed the desperate need for better transport infrastructure for the north. “A 21st-century economy needs 21st-century infrastructure,” he stated.
This is not the first time that the argument has been made for HS3. In February, think tank IPPR North made the point that a high-speed link for the north was essential to closing the north/south divide that has seen funding unequally divided between the two regions in the past.
And this is a view reflected in a short poll of 300 RTM readers, as almost half (47%) of respondents stated that HS3 should be the new government’s first priority.
“London has already had Thameslink upgrades and Crossrail,” wrote one RTM reader, Graham Nalty. “Let us have some real investment in the north and Midlands, such as new high-speed lines linking Leeds, Bradford Manchester and Sheffield, and linked to the Midlands by expanding the Midlands Main Line electrification programme. And let this also take priority for funds over HS2 stage one which will mainly benefit London.”
Another reader argued that the capital has already had Crossrail, Thameslink and Overground improvements, as well as major Tube upgrades. “The more transport capacity has, the more London grows, the more people it sucks in, and the more it needs more transport capacity,” they added.
“The UK is severely unbalanced in favour of the Great Wen. So fund transport infrastructure in the north to enable Manchester and the surrounding cities, to provide an engine of growth in the north. Oh, and extend HS2 to Edinburgh and Glasgow while you are at it. London is one of the richest cities on earth – if it wants Crossrail 2, it can afford to fully fund it.”
But the survey also raised another point: why does one project have to be prioritised over the other? Better transport in either part of the country is clearly essential, so is it really necessary for the regions to have to compete for funding?
Over a third (34%) of respondents agreed with this view. “It really shouldn't be a case of competing for a shrinking pot of funds,” said a reader. “All of these large-scale infrastructure projects are equal in importance... shame the Tories don’t seem to see it that way.”
Not everybody agreed with either of these views, however. Though people who believed Crossrail 2 was still the most important project were in the minority, at 18%, some said that London nevertheless deserved greater funding as it was bigger and served proportionately more customers.
“Manchester and Liverpool combined are less than half the size of Greater London, and travel is still heavily subsidised on Merseyrail to encourage people to use it. So where is the need? London and the south east,” one reader stated.
Another, James Palma, also chipped in: “I am afraid the demand in London far, far outweighs travel in northern England. But that is not to say that the transport networks should not be improved there.”
The direction of any future funding could well be influenced by whichever party comes into power after the snap election on the 8 June. Yesterday, Theresa May’s manifesto asserted that her Conservative Party would drive forward with HS2 plans, but made no mention of Crossrail 2 or HS3.
Top Image: DfT
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