HS2 to Manchester would stop 'collapse' of M6 and West Coast mainline

The plans for the high-speed rail route were scrapped by the previous government who announced that HS2 would end in Birmingham rather than going to Manchester.

HS2 trains were set to call at Oxenholme, Penrith and Carlisle stations which were to become ‘integrated high-speed stations’ where passengers could catch HS2 trains and access the high-speed network to the south.

The letter calls of the government to have a conversation about the ‘art of the possible’ and prevent an ‘impending collapse’ of the West Coast Mainline and the M6.

“The strategic value and return on investment for this project are clear: it stands to unlock up to £70 billion in economic growth annually, contributing substantially to regional economies and providing a robust financial return to the Treasury,” said the letter.

“Should the decision rightly be made to proceed with HS2 to Euston, we believe that this must be accompanied by a broader commitment to extending the benefits of that infrastructure investment to the regions alongside the full delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail.

“Capacity issues created by the decisions of the previous government have left an unfunded upgrade cost to the conventional network running to the many billions of pounds.

“Instead, this project can keep the North connected to the Midlands – and with it the prospect of meaningful growth beyond London alone.”

The decision to cancel HS2 north of Birmingham was criticised by local leaders in 2023 including Cumberland Council.

““The decision to scrap the northern leg of HS2 is really disappointing but sadly not surprising,” said Cllr Denise Rollo, executive member for sustainable, resilient and connected places in 2023.

“This is a huge, missed opportunity, not just for Cumbria, but for the entire country.

“Making sure Cumbria was featured on the High-Speed Rail map was important to our region’s future growth and investment so the decision to withdraw the northern leg of HS2 without a clear alternative plan is genuinely disappointing.”

When he cancelled HS2 north of Birmingham, the then prime minister, Rishi Sunak, promised to use the money to fund transport infrastructure projects across the North of England using the money that would be saved.

In Cumbria, he promised to ‘upgrade' the energy coast train line linking Carlisle, Workington and Barrow.

The upgrade would 'improve capacity and journey times' on the line, enabling trains every 30 minutes between Carlisle, Workington, and Whitehaven, according to the previous government.

Since taking office, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has put a stop to some large scale, industrial projects due to what she claims is the ‘dire state’ of the public finances left by the Tories and a further update on major public infrastructure projects is expected in the autumn budget at the end of the month.

Major transport projects which have been put on hold by the government in Cumbria include the Border Railway feasibility study and the £1 billion A66 dualling project whilst an update on the Energy Coast line upgrade has not been given.

The previous Conservative Government allocated £10million in April 2023 for a feasibility study into extending the Borders Railways into Cumbria, finishing at Carlisle.

Campaigners have long fought for the line, which reopened in 2015, to be extended from current terminus, Tweedbank, down to Carlisle, via stations such as Longtown, Hawick and St Boswells.

A recent report from the Borderlands Partnership, which is made up of the local authorities from across the region, said that extending the Borders Railway to Carlisle would be the ‘best solution’ to help solve the area’s notorious transport connection difficulties.

The University of Cumbria is also awaiting a decision from the government over their request to cover an £8 million funding shortfall for the major Citadels project in another blow to a major project in the region.

Cumbria is set to have a major voice in rail decisions going forward, with Carlisle MP, Julie Minns, being elected as the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for the West Coast mainline.

Service reliability on the West Coast Mainline will be a top priority for the APPG, but Ms Minns is keen that the group also looks at how connecting branch lines can improve connectivity, such as the Newcastle to Carlisle route. 

Julie Minns and the APPG (Image: Supplied) The West Coast Mainline is a vital economic artery for the UK, and one of the busiest mixed-traffic rail routes in Europe, but has suffered from punctuality problems, with just 62 per cent of trains running on time. Furthermore, five per cent of trains were cancelled outright.

Julie Minns said: “I’m looking forward to working with the group to continue to improve services on the West Coast Mainline. 

“In particular, I have asked that the APPG look at the issue of onward travel from Preston face when there are line closures north of Carlisle.

“It’s simply not acceptable that services terminate at Preston when the line north is open.

“I also took the opportunity to raise the Carlisle to Newcastle line with Shamit Gaiger from the HS2/West Coast Partnership.

“The line has lots of potential, and currently you can get to Glasgow much quicker than to Newcastle, despite Glasgow being much further away. 

“Journeys south to Manchester also travel much further, much quicker than the popular route to Newcastle.

“It is time Carlisle’s potential connectivity was fully realised.”

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Carlisle and Cumbria have suffered from poor transport connectivity for decades, but the Northern Powerhouse group believe that the region can benefit from an extension to HS2 to Manchester.

Carlisle has recently benefited from a new Megabus route to London and the major upgrade to the station which is underway is hoped to attract new tourists, but transport problems continue to be an issue for the border city.