As the north continues to be the focal point of discussion when it comes to transport, especially rail, one of the north’s leaders has put forward his vision for the future of rail connectivity.
With delegates seated for the evening at Transcity Rail North, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham spoke about his two biggest visions for how rail can drive growth and revitalisation.
Burnham kicked off his speech by remarking that this should be the time to draw a line under the challenges that have faced the rail industry across the north, and using it to put forward visions for a new railway across the region. The first vision that the Mayor outlined related the work being done in Greater Manchester through the Bee Network.
With January bringing the complete re-regulation of buses across the city region, and the move to a London-style PayGo system across the Bee Network in March, the next stop for the region’s leaders will be rail. Plans for this will see eight rail lines into the Bee Network, serving those communities that are unreachable by the tram, with this taking the city region ‘to the next level’ and becoming a true engine for growth.
It was this message of rail driving growth that underpinned much of Burnham’s message to the rail industry and supply chain at TCR North, as he said:
“All of a sudden, we’re talking about a railway that brings growth – growth in passengers, but economic growth to our city region and to the towns around it.
“I hope you can see how that might turn around from a railway in the post pandemic era that has been seen as a cost drain and something to be manged. It’s much better to start thinking of a railway that brings the economic growth that the country needs. ”
The second vision that Burnham presented to the rail industry, was one around infrastructure. With the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2, questions have been asked around the development of transport infrastructure around the country, however the Mayor spoke about how devolution can support infrastructure growth. He commented:
“I think we’ve got to reflect honestly on the difficult debates we all went through with relation to HS2 and consider why we did not come up with a solution that’s going to bring that intercity connectivity.
“I think, again, the emergence of mayors and combined authorities through devolution across England creates the opportunity for a different way of doing things, and I think we all need to work with you (the supply chain) to do that.”
As he closed with a message for how Greater Manchester is ready to be a driving force in the reinvention of rail, and how transport can get the country moving forward again, Burnham presented an optimistic vision for the future of the rail industry.
