‘This is a fight we have to win for the North of England’

Manchester will be making its case for an underground station at Piccadilly station in Parliament next week with the backing of business leaders from across the country.

MPs will be looking at the latest HS2 plans which would see high speed rail arrive in the city centre on ’15-metre high concrete stilts’.

But local leaders say an underground station would make railways across the North of England more reliable and boost the local economy by £3bn within a decade.

Their bid has been backed by London mayor Sadiq Khan and has also recently won the support of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Joined by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, Manchester council leader Bev Craig met with Northern business leaders yesterday morning (Monday) ahead of her appearance in Parliament next week.

After the meeting, Mr Burnham said that the city-region is fighting is for the future of the North.

He said: “This is a fight we have to win for the North of England for the rest of this century and into the next.

"We’re determined to keep making the argument and we’re fully behind Bev as she does that next week.”

Coun Craig will be appearing before a committee in Parliament which will hear the case for an underground station at Piccadilly from June 12.

She described it as ‘one of the most important days for Manchester for many, many years’.

After the two weeks’ worth of hearings, the committee of MPs will then make a recommendation to the government.

But this might not happen immediately.

Other issues with the HS2 bill which affect Greater Manchester – such as the Golborne link and the severing of the Ashton Metrolink line while work takes place – are expected to be discussed later in the year.

This means it could be many months before a recommendation is made and a final decision is taken.

Ahead of the next general election, which is set to take place next year, the Labour Party has committed to delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) in full.

Local leaders say this means building an underground station at Piccadilly.

But if the government’s current proposals – for the new NPR-HS2 station at Piccadilly to be a turnback station built above ground – are approved, Labour would have to put forward a new bill in Parliament.

Coun Craig explained that this is why Greater Manchester is not just waiting for a Labour government.

She said: “There’s a strong economic and a strong moral case for any government, irrespective of political party.

"This is about investment in Manchester and the North.

“We’re hoping that irrespective of the colours of the political party, we’ll be able to make our case.”

Local leaders have argued that an underground NPR-HS2 station at Piccadilly could transform the area and maximise its regeneration, supporting 14,000 jobs and new housing and delivering £333m a year more to the local economy by 2050 than the overground proposal.

Coun Craig says that the underground station would be more expensive, but the costs would be ‘recouped’ over time.

Northern Powerhouse Partnership chief executive Henri Murison said many businesses will be writing to the parliamentary committee in support of the bid for an underground station.

They will also be finding other ways of influencing the process, he said, to show that support is not just coming from Manchester.

He said: “We have got to choose the North’s long-term prosperity and ambition over short-term cost cutting.

"An underground station would unlock additional land in the city centre, enable a deliverable through-route for Northern Powerhouse Rail towards Yorkshire and ultimately deliver a far higher return for the taxpayer.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’ve worked with Greater Manchester partners from the start of this project to deliver the best solution for the region.

"Our analysis found that an underground station would cause major disruption during construction and take passengers longer to reach platforms, cancelling out the benefits of potentially faster journeys.

“It would also cost a further £5bn on top of the £96bn the Government has committed to HS2 and NPR while significantly delaying the introduction of these services for passengers.

"A surface station has always been the plan and offers the best value for money while supporting Greater Manchester’s ambitions to realise the benefits that HS2 and NPR will bring to the region.”

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