Transport Secretary Makes Stop at Chamber

Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP and Clive Memmott, Chief Executive of the Chamber

Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, took part in a roundtable meeting at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce last week to discuss the transport issues impacting businesses across the region.

Mr McLoughlin responded to an invitation from the Chamber to discuss several issues raised by members over recent months. Top of the agenda was HS2, as a report is due to be published on the project in the next few weeks and the Chamber was keen to re-iterate its support for the scheme, which will create 20,000-30,000 new jobs and improve connectivity across the UK.

Linking HS2 to current high speed provision was highlighted by Mr McLoughlin as one of the key challenges, but he recognised the necessity of doing so. Another topic raised by the Chamber was the need for electric rolling stock to run on the newly electrified lines from 2016. Mr McLoughlin was confident that the plans in place would allow for the full benefits of electrification to be achieved.

Aviation was also very high on the agenda, with discussions on how capacity at Manchester Airport could be best utilised to support the economy. Despite Air Passenger Duty being under Treasury control, the Secretary of State understood the city’s desire for a regional variation of Air Passenger Duty to support the development of further direct flights to new destinations.

Commenting on the meeting, Emma Antrobus, Transport Policy Manager at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said: “The meeting with the Secretary of State was incredibly positive and we discussed many of our members’ key issues on transport both at a strategic level and a more local level, including the extra platforms required at Salford Central station. This work would enhance the current plans for the Northern Hub infrastructure on the rail network. We also discussed the ambitious plans for a smart travel card for Greater Manchester and the challenges caused by incorporating over 40 bus operators in our area.”

On the issue of rail franchising, the Secretary of State was interested in plans for Northern transport authorities to bid for the Northern franchise and clarified his rationale on his current strategy on re-letting the West Coast Main Line franchise.

Hosted by Clive Memmott, Chief Executive of the Chamber, the meeting was attended by Emma Antrobus, the Chamber’s Transport Policy Manager; Sir Richard Leese of Manchester City Council; Cllr Andrew Fender, Chair of Transport for Greater Manchester; and John Early of the Business Leadership Council.