People across the north of England want to see more railways and better services.
Network Rail’s biggest ever consultation exercise in the north promoted plans for the Northern Hub and a vision for rail investment across the region. If fully funded the Hub would allow faster, more frequent journeys.
It includes the Ordsall Chord, a new short section of railway near Manchester which will reduce journey times by easing a major bottleneck; work to electrify the network between Manchester and Liverpool and the Lancashire triangle, and plans to fully restore Manchester Victoria station.
Says Network Rail’s Graham Botham, ‘The scale of this consultation clearly demonstrates our ambition to stimulate economic growth by better connecting the towns and cities of the north. It is hugely encouraging that the overwhelming majority of the public in the region support our plans to make it easier for people to get to work, do business, go shopping and visit friends and family.’
80 per cent of local people interviewed said the plans would make them more likely to use the train.
