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The ‘Northern Powerhouse’

Speaking in Manchester on the 23rd of June, the Chancellor, George Osborne outlined the potential plans for a high speed rail link between Leeds and Manchester – dubbed as the HS3. The aim is to extend from the HS2 line and create an East-West connection across the country, bringing the major cities of the North together to form a “‘Northern golden triangle’ to drive economic growth in the North.“¹ Currently, the main driver of the UK’s economy comes from London, but with cities such as Birmingham and Leeds following closely behind, it is clear that both the HS2 and HS3’s aims to unite cities outside of the capital will encourage further growth across the rest of the country.

HS3 plans to cut travel times between Leeds and Manchester from around 50 minutes down to 30 minutes, with a connection “based on existing rail routes but [sped] up with new tunnels and infrastructure.“² The third phase in the high speed railway system comes after the route branches off in a Y-shaped network to reach Leeds and Manchester, and could cost up to £7 billion, with the intention of focusing on updating existing rail lines.

“Together, the North’s largest cities have a higher population than hubs such as New York and Tokyo,“³ and the Chancellor spoke of a ‘northern hub’ stretching from Merseyside, through Greater Manchester and then Yorkshire, with a population of 7.8 million people, rivalling that of London.´ Through this expansion and development, the government aims to create at least 60,000 jobs in the North.

With increasing government focus on the northern cities in the UK and how better to develop and expand them, it is clear that future plans look prosperous. Faster connections to Birmingham and the South will also ensure that there is fast and efficient transport throughout the whole of the UK.

Sources

1 – BBC News, 2 & 3 – Sky News, 4 – The Independent, Image sourced from BBC News.

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