Rail minister signals for high-speed trains

A high-speed rail line must be built to cut slow journey times between Manchester and Leeds, the rail minister vowed yesterday.

Lord Adonis announced that High Speed Two — the company set up to explore a 225mph line from London to the North — would also consider the need for a new trans-pennine route.

The minister made clear his personal support for the line, when he condemned the “poor network conditions” facing passengers travelling between the North’s big cities.

Lord Adonis pointed out that it took 55 minutes to get from Manchester to Leeds by rail, yet the cities are only 43 miles apart.

That meant it took as long as the journey into London from leafy Canterbury, in Kent — even though those cities are separated by 60 miles.

Lord Adonis said: “I am struck by the limitations imposed by poor network conditions elsewhere in terms, for example, of extraordinarily slow journey times between major conurbations.

“Consider Manchester, Bradford and Leeds, three of the biggest population and business centres in the country.”

Pointing to a high-speed line as the answer, the minister added: “Although there is a high price involved in building high-speed lines, there is also a high price involved in not building them where additional rail capacity is required anyway.

“This high price is measured not only in lost economic and social benefit, but also in the direct cost of upgrading existing congested rail lines, which is very large indeed.”

An aide to Lord Adonis confirmed that High Speed Two would consider the proposal — put forward by the Northern Way pressure group last year — for a “Trans-Pennine Connector” high speed line stretching all the way from Liverpool to Leeds.

Lord Adonis added: “Until recently, most observers in Britain thought that high-speed rail was largely about Japanese bullet trains and French TGVs. All that is changing — and fast.”