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| Clegg: fix railways in north of England | Clegg: fix railways in north of England |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Road and rail investments across across the north of England, including the promise of a fully upgraded and electrified network between Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield by 2025, are likely to be central vote-winning features of the December autumn statement, the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, will suggest on Thursday. | Road and rail investments across across the north of England, including the promise of a fully upgraded and electrified network between Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield by 2025, are likely to be central vote-winning features of the December autumn statement, the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, will suggest on Thursday. |
| Extra capital spending in the next parliament is one of the few spending commitments the coalition parties are equipped to make, and his speech suggests solid announcements will be made in the autumn statement after months of speculation, lobbying by council leaders and hints by cabinet ministers. | Extra capital spending in the next parliament is one of the few spending commitments the coalition parties are equipped to make, and his speech suggests solid announcements will be made in the autumn statement after months of speculation, lobbying by council leaders and hints by cabinet ministers. |
| Clegg backs HS1 and HS2 but feels they are long-term commitments most likely to benefit the south-east, and would like to see these rail investment commitments matched by shorter-term commitments focused on the north. | Clegg backs HS1 and HS2 but feels they are long-term commitments most likely to benefit the south-east, and would like to see these rail investment commitments matched by shorter-term commitments focused on the north. |
| He will argue: “London and the south-east has had billions of transport investment over recent years from HS1 to Crossrail to the Northern Line extension. The perfectly reasonable requests I have been hearing from the north are basics that are needed if we are to create a true economic hub in the north of England.” | He will argue: “London and the south-east has had billions of transport investment over recent years from HS1 to Crossrail to the Northern Line extension. The perfectly reasonable requests I have been hearing from the north are basics that are needed if we are to create a true economic hub in the north of England.” |
| An electrified Pennine train line would shorten journey times to 40 minutes at most between any two of Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield, Clegg will claim, speaking at a Northern Futures summit with Centre for Cities in Leeds. Council leaders have claimed a 20-minute cut in journey times between Leeds and Manchester would be worth £6.7bn and create nearly 30,000 jobs across the north of England. | An electrified Pennine train line would shorten journey times to 40 minutes at most between any two of Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield, Clegg will claim, speaking at a Northern Futures summit with Centre for Cities in Leeds. Council leaders have claimed a 20-minute cut in journey times between Leeds and Manchester would be worth £6.7bn and create nearly 30,000 jobs across the north of England. |
| In his speech, Clegg will condemn “ancient rolling stock and lines that have not been upgraded in 30 years and are not fit for a 21st century metropolis. Decrepit trains such as the Pacers, which are literally ancient buses on rails, are not a fair way for people in the north to get to and from work. They would not be deemed acceptable on London commuter lines, and they are not acceptable in the north.” | In his speech, Clegg will condemn “ancient rolling stock and lines that have not been upgraded in 30 years and are not fit for a 21st century metropolis. Decrepit trains such as the Pacers, which are literally ancient buses on rails, are not a fair way for people in the north to get to and from work. They would not be deemed acceptable on London commuter lines, and they are not acceptable in the north.” |
| Pointing out that 64% of journeys in the north are by car, he will say the government wants to go beyond the existing commitments to improve the M62, by extending the full stretch of the M62 between Manchester and Leeds to eight lanes using the “smart” motorway model ( based on turning the hard shoulder into a fourth lane in each direction). | Pointing out that 64% of journeys in the north are by car, he will say the government wants to go beyond the existing commitments to improve the M62, by extending the full stretch of the M62 between Manchester and Leeds to eight lanes using the “smart” motorway model ( based on turning the hard shoulder into a fourth lane in each direction). |
| He also said he wanted a programme of improvements for the Woodhead Pass (A618/A626) between Manchester and Sheffield. “I will push to see these in the upcoming Roads Investment Strategy for completion by 2025.” | He also said he wanted a programme of improvements for the Woodhead Pass (A618/A626) between Manchester and Sheffield. “I will push to see these in the upcoming Roads Investment Strategy for completion by 2025.” |
| Clegg stressed his plans were not cooked up in Whitehall, but were a collation of ideas put together after a consultation in the north. He said the quality of some trains in the north were in effect “cattle truck on wheels”. | |
| He said he could not guarantee his plans were in the autumn statement, but added he was “very confident we can make an announcement that will cover a significant number of these projects”. | |
| He also claimed he had been at the centre of proposing devolution to the north through City Deals, culminating in this week’s announcement of devolution to Greater Manchester conditional on a directly elected mayor. | |
| Stephen Joseph, the chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “The deputy prime minister has added his voice to the welcome consensus that the north’s rail infrastructure is overdue significant investment. | |
| “The government needs to use both the autumn statement and the re-franchising of the north’s rail network to show it means business. That means upgrading services not just between Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester, but right across the north. We’ll also be looking for an expanded programme of electrification and a firm timetable for getting rid of all the ageing Pacer trains.“By contrast, proposing more lanes of traffic through the Woodhead Pass would be a backward step, giving rise the concerns about major road building in the national park.” |