LIVERPOOL CITY REGION COMBINED AUTHORITY To: The Metro Mayor and Members of the Combined Authority Meeting: 16 November 2018 Authority/Authorities Affected: All EXEMPT/CONFIDENTIAL ITEM: No REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF INTEGRATED TRANSPORT AND THE PORTFOLIO HOLDER: TRANSPORT AND AIR QUALITY HIGH SPEED 2 AND NORTHERN POWERHOUSE RAIL UPDATE 1. PURPOSE OF REPORT 1.1 To update the Combined Authority on the work being conducted by Transport for the North, including; 1.2 An update on the work being done by both the Liverpool City Region and Transport for the North to make the case for Northern Powerhouse Rail and an enhanced High Speed 2 link to Liverpool. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 It is recommended that the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority note the report. 3. BACKGROUND 3.1 Transport for the North and Northern Powerhouse Rail 3.1.1 Transport for the North (TfN) is the first statutory sub-national transport body in the United Kingdom, officially receiving its statutory powers on 1stApril 2018. TfN brings together 19 local transport authorities (including four Mayoral Combined Authorities and two Combined Authorities), enabling the North to speak with one voice on the transport infrastructure investment needed to deliver transformational growth and rebalance the UK economy. 3.1.2 The 2016 Northern Powerhouse Independent Economic Review (NPIER - https://www.transportforthenorth.com/wp-content/uploads/Northern- Powerhouse-Independent-Economic-Review-Executive-Summary.pdf) identified that transformed transport connectivity – both between the North‟s core cities and elsewhere across the North – would be a key enabler for transformed economic growth. 3.1.3 Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) has been identified as a key way of achieving the transformed passenger connectivity between cities, with the NPR conditional outputs emulating the levels of frequency and journey time achieved in economically successful areas elsewhere in the world. These “conditional outputs”, the proposed outcomes for the scheme, established under the “One North” proposition (https://www.manchester.gov.uk/downloads/download/5969/one_north), referenced in NPIER, and agreed by the TfN Board are shown below. 3.1.4 NPR is also seen as completing and complementing High Speed 2 (HS2). There are a number of synergies between both schemes, not least that some of the emerging options for NPR entail shared use of HS2 infrastructure. For example, between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport, much of the same infrastructure would be shared by HS2 trains and NPR trains. Thus, a direct new line between HS2 and Liverpool city centre, which the Liverpool City Region is campaigning for, would be used by both Liverpool-London HS2 trains and Liverpool-Manchester NPR trains. The emerging NPR network, as indicated by TfN in its draft Strategic Transport Plan (STP), highlights these proposals; as illustrated below. 3.1.5 In addition to the work on NPR, TfN is also addressing connectivity to the network and other pan-North connectivity issues through work on “Strategic Development Corridors” (SDCs). 3.2 High Speed 2 3.2.1 HS2 is the new High Speed line connecting cities in the Midlands and the North to London; with (under current official proposals) Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds being served directly by a new high-speed line; and with Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle (and some other locations) being served by “classic compatible” HS2 trains running off the new line and onto the „conventional‟ network to reach these cities. 3.2.2 HS2 is not just about speed but capacity and connectivity, with there being little space currently available on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) for more services: i.e., Liverpool has aspirations for two services an hour to London, there is a need for more freight paths, and an aspiration for improved „local‟ services on the WCML north of Crewe. 3.2.3 Current journey times from Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds to London are all relatively similar, falling into the 2:00-2:20 (hrs:mins) bracket. Under HS2 proposals the journey time from London to Manchester (and even Preston) will become substantially shorter than that to Liverpool, with the risk that – for example – inward investors will see the City Region as less relatively competitive. A combined HS2/NPR new line (see 3.1.4, above) into the city offers the potential to further improve on the proposed improved journey time, as well as releasing capacity for other improved passenger and freight services. Additionally, NPR/HS2 connectivity, in conjunction with the new fleet on the Merseyrail network and other schemes contained within the City Region‟s Long Term Rail Strategy, will significantly improve both Intra- and Inter- City Region connectivity for the LCR 3.3 Current Transport for the North (TfN) work 3.3.1 There are a number of elements of work currently being undertaken by TfN in order to help make the case for a transformed transport network across the North of England. These include: a) Northern Powerhouse Rail As alluded to above, this is work to develop a new pan-North rail network, transforming the connectivity across the whole North of England. The most recent press release by TfN highlights how for Liverpool the NPR network would mean: “More than 100,000 extra businesses will be within an hour’s reach of Liverpool and nearly 2m more people within 90 minutes of the city centre.” (https://transportforthenorth.com/northern-powerhouse-rail-set- deliver-decades-growth-north/). A Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) for NPR is expected in December 2018. b) Major Road Network TfN and its Partners have defined a Major Road Network (MRN) for the North, which includes key local transport authority roads. TfN is aiming for policies that will improve journey reliability, network efficiency, network resilience and safety. The network identified by TfN and its partners includes both current key economic centres – including international gateways – but also anticipated future key economic centres. A map of this is included below. c) Analysis and modelling In order to make the case for major transport interventions, TfN has had to develop its modelling and analysis capability, including developing new tools to overcome weaknesses in conventional approaches. This has included both new transport models to represent the whole North and land use models to take advantage of recent improvements in the Department for Transport‟s guidance for business cases (Web TAG). d) Strategic Transport Plan A Strategic Transport Plan (STP) explains the need for investment in transport and identifies the priority areas. Transport for the North produced a draft earlier this year, which was open for public consultation from January to April (https://transportforthenorth.com/wp-content/uploads/TfN- Strategic-Plan_draft_lr.pdf). As part of this work, TfN is developing a long- term investment programme, identifying interventions covered across all modes. This long-term investment programme ranges from identifying schemes which are already in process – such as schemes covered in Highways England‟s RIS 2 – to those which have been raised by partners or those which TfN has identified as being important to pan-North connectivity. A revised STP taking on board outcomes of the consultation is expected to be produced in January 2019. e) Strategic Development Corridors The SDC‟s identify current weaknesses in connectivity across the North, and examine the different options for a range of solutions that address these weaknesses, in order to help transform connectivity across the North beyond what the NPR network will offer. Of the seven SDCs, the Liverpool City Region is impacted on by three: “West & Wales”, “Central Pennines” and “Southern Pennines”. Each SDC will provide a range of suggested transport packages to improve pan-North connectivity – rather than individual transport schemes – and details of these are expected to be produced in 2019, following publication of the revised STP. Schemes raised in the SDC will also feature in the STP‟s long-term investment programme. f) Integrated and Smart Travel (IST) TfN is working in partnership with operators, transport authorities and the Department for Transport to deliver a scheme that will make it easier for passengers to travel seamlessly across the entire North. This includes work to develop pan-North smart ticketing, payment and information systems, where necessary working with existing products such as Merseytravel‟s “Walrus” system. The system is currently moving to a testing phase - this involves a limited trial use of smartcards on selected parts of the North‟s rail network - with full rollout expected over a four year period. 3.3.2 The Liverpool City Region is heavily engaged with Transport for the North in all aspects of its work, in order to ensure that the City Region‟s priorities and growth sectors are represented. As a partner, the Liverpool City Region sits on the Transport for the North Board, the Partnership and Executive Boards; the Strategic Transport Plan Programme Board; the TfN Scrutiny Committee; and the Rail North Committee. Specific areas of involvement besides this include: a) Analytical Assurance Group The Liverpool City Region sits on the Analytical Assurance Group (AAG), making sure that TfN is using best practice in its analysis approach across all work streams, whilst ensuring that both data and models used do not disadvantage the Liverpool City Region. b) Strategic Development Corridors The Liverpool City Region sits on all three relevant SDC Project Boards, and has ensured that both weaknesses and solutions which might have a bearing on pan-Northern connectivity within the Liverpool City Region (and its hinterland) are included within the SDCs. This has included, for example, ensuring input of the Merseytravel Long Term Rail Strategy (https://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/about-us/local-transport- delivery/Documents/10399%20Merseytravel%20LongTermRail_Strategyw eb.pdf) into the process. The SDC work has included joint work with neighbouring authorities, including West Lancs, Warrington, Cheshire and Transport for Wales.