HS3 proposals will significantly improve northern cities’ ability to compete with London
The Institution of Engineering and Technology has welcomed the proposals for HS3 as it represents the opportunity to reap benefits for the smaller cities in the north.
Jeremy Acklam from Institution of Engineering and Technology said: “One of the biggest benefits of High Speed Rail is the economic redevelopment opportunities.
“There is great potential through the connections to the east and west coast main lines for cities other than Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds to benefit from HS2, but the challenges around realising these benefits need to be tackled now if these locations are not to fall behind.
“We need to think long and hard about the cities we include in the proposed HS3 linking Manchester and Leeds. Examples could include Liverpool via Warrington and Preston via Bolton in the west, which will also allow high speed services to run from London to Liverpool and London to Preston. In addition, from Leeds, the line could be extended to Darlington and Newcastle via York.
“To increase the project benefit to the north, further assistance will be needed to ensure that northern cities are well prepared for bringing forward infrastructure work. In particular planning to fast-track the development of employment and local transport infrastructure will be required.
“Including these additional cities will significantly improve ability of the northern cities each side of the Pennines to compete with London as a regional powerhouse.”
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