Connecting Liverpool and Manchester to Greater Opportunities

How Do We Connect People and Places to Deliver Greater Growth?

On Tuesday 10th March, the Liverpool City Region APPG and Greater Manchester APPGs held a joint session in Parliament focused on North West Transport and connectivity.

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Against the backdrop of the government’s commitment to a £45 billion spending package for Northern Powerhouse Rail, the Liverpool City Region APPG and Greater Manchester APPG held a vital joint session focussed on how we can connect people and places across the two cities and wider North-West to deliver greater growth, opportunities, places and investment.

Our expert panel included;

• Huw Merriman, Chair of the Liverpool-Manchester Railway Board. Former Minister of State for Rail and Chair of the Transport Select Committee.

• Jake Kelly, Managing Director, North-West and Central Region, Network Rail

• Chris Jackson, Managing Director, Transpennine Express

• Rhys Whalley, Director of Corporate Affairs, Manchester Airports Group

• Nick Smith, Regional Growth Manager, Avanti West Coast

• Jillian Hardie, Arup, on behalf of Northern Powerhouse Partnership

Led by Greater Manchester APPG Chair Jo Platt MP and Liverpool City Region APPG Chair Peter Dowd MP, the session was also attended by a range of North West MPs and Peers including:

• Hannah Spencer MP

• Michael Wheeler MP

• Patrick Hurley MP

• Elsie Blundell MP

• Paul Waugh MP

• Lord Altrincham

The session explored various themes across transport such as Northern Powerhouse Rail, the Liverpool-Manchester Railway, station upgrades, rural connectivity into regional hubs and capacity challenges. A key theme discussed by MPs and Peers was the need for greater localism in our approach to connectivity; areas outside of major hubs need to feel the maximum benefit from large scale investment in regional infrastructure upgrades to meet local ambitions.

The panel also delved into the challenges and opportunities they see on the road ahead, such as the need to increase capacity and infrastructure to avoid greater delays, put customers across the North-West at the heart of their approach, and better integrate national rail with devolved transport systems.

Key Messages

• Enhanced connectivity could generate between £8.4 billion and £16.3 billion in additional economic growth, alongside the creation of between 100,000 and 165,000 jobs.

• Connectivity has a direct link to productivity, enabling employees to spend more time working on projects and less time travelling. It would also widen access to employment opportunities and help connect businesses with a larger regional talent pool.

• High quality transport infrastructure has a significant impact on economic productivity and regional growth.

• The importance of local and regional railways in supporting communities and enabling people to travel easily between towns and cities, such as Mersey Rail in Liverpool City Region - a positive example of integrated, locally led transport reform.

• Improving reliability and strengthening connections between cities such as Liverpool and Manchester is key to supporting local economies, improving passenger experience, and enabling stronger regional transport networks.

• Reliable rail services will require performance discipline, stronger integration with devolved transport systems, and sustained investment.