NIC says east-west connections should be prioritised over north-south lines
A REGIONAL approach to upgrading rail lines across the Midlands and North of England provides the best economic outcomes, according to the National Infrastructure Commission.
In its Rail Needs Assessment, intended to inform the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan setting out the phasing of schemes including HS2 Phase 2b, Midlands Engine Rail and Northern Powerhouse Rail, the NIC sets out a series of options. Its preferred regional option casts doubt on building the eastern leg of Phase 2b of HS2 from Birmingham to Leeds via the East Midlands in full, including plans for a station at Toton, although it does envisage the construction at an earlier stage of a high-speed line from the West Midlands to join the existing network at East Midlands Parkway to improve services between the West and East Midlands.
The options are assessed over a 25-year period from 2020. The NIC’s baseline is for an £86 billion investment, which it says is consistent with the funding envelope in its 2018 National Infrastructure Assessment and its remit from the Treasury. It then provides further scenarios based on 25% and 50% increases to this amount, all o…
