Transport for the North (TfN) sent a letter to the UK’s Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander advising on the needs of rail freight in the context of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU). “Current planned investment will be insufficient to address those concerns”, the letter pointed out.
TfN laid out six priorities deemed essential for the benefit of rail freight along the route, which connects Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York. Current estimates say that there will be 15 more freight paths between Manchester and Ravensthorpe. “However, it is recognised by the rail industry that these new paths will impact existing services both within and beyond the TRU core corridor”, the letter to the minister said.
The six priorities
Hence, the six priorities. Two focus on gauging works to allow the passage of bigger trains both along the Transpennine Route and complementary projects around it, namely the Northallerton-Eaglescliffe section. Moreover, TfN is asking for the “approval and delivery of additional, complementary rail freight terminal capacity in the North West served by the Chat Moss rail corridor”, linking Manchester with Liverpool.
The fourth and fifth priorities also concern the Manchester area, including passing loops for long freight trains in Eccles and Patricroft. Additionally, TfN advised for funding the Manchester and North West Transformation Programme for further capacity developments. Finally, the sub-governmental body stressed the need for government support to improve the infrastructure around the TRU.
For the gauging works mentioned above, TfN calculated that they would cost somewhere between 55 and 60 million pounds (63 and 69 million euros). Funds for terminal capacity enhancement should come from the private sector but were not calculated, while the financial needs for the remaining priorities remains “unknown at this stage”, the appendix to the letter clarified.