Greater Manchester mayor Bev Craig has said travel from the north west to cities such as Sheffield and Leeds 'has to be made easier' as she pledged to push for improvements.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that she will work with other mayors to find 'solutions' to make east-west transport connections better. Journey times from Manchester across the Pennines are currently lengthy and can be hit with delays.
Current Travel Challenges
Those who choose to drive to Sheffield from Manchester often rely on using Snake Pass (A57) through the Peak District, a journey of around 40 miles which can take an hour and 30 minutes or longer during busy times of day. Catching the train from Manchester to Sheffield can take between 45 minutes to an hour depending on the service, in a route which also crosses the Peak District.
Revived Tunnel Plans
New calls have been made to revive plans for a 14-mile tunnel between Manchester and Sheffield, led by a team known as Future Works who reckon the project could cost around £2bn.
Asked about the idea today (August 3), Bev Craig said: "I've been a long advocate of better east-west connections, we've seen throughout the debates we've been having about Northern Powerhouse Rail that getting to Leeds, getting to Sheffield or Bradford has to be made easier.
"I'm looking forward to getting stuck in over the next few weeks, working with colleagues in Transport for the North and linking up with other mayors to be able to see what solutions we can get."
"The reality for me is that train travel just isn't reliable enough, it isn't quick enough, and it isn't effective enough in this country, and we think that mayors will be able to help with that and be able to push for faster travel."
Background and Future Plans
Plans for a tunnel under the Pennines connecting Manchester and Sheffield were explored a decade ago as a way of cutting congestion levels and boosting connections between Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire, but the idea was eventually shelved.
The Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) scheme also aims to boost railway travel across the north, including with a new line between Manchester and Liverpool. This could see up to £45bn being invested and ultimately transform rail services across Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York.
The project would be delivered in three phases, with upgrades to the lines east of the Pennines, including electrification, specifically on the Leeds-Bradford, Leeds-Sheffield and Leeds-York corridors. It would then move to plans for a new line between Liverpool and Manchester, via Warrington and Manchester Airport, before the third phase to focus on better links across the Pennines.
