Andy Burnham has stated that the case for a new railway line between Manchester and Liverpool has 'landed' after presenting his plans in London.
The Greater Manchester mayor was in the capital on Tuesday alongside Steve Rotheram, his counterpart from the Liverpool City region, in an attempt to persuade the government to support the high-speed line proposals. They met cabinet ministers and high-ranking civil servants, including representatives from the Treasury, the Department for Transport and the Department for Business and Trade, to advocate their cause.
They also met MPs to unveil a new report suggesting that the transport project could potentially bolster the economy by £90bn.
Our sister titles and the Liverpool ECHO to urge the government to back the project.
According to the proposed plans, express trains would operate every 10 minutes between Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street, stopping at Warrington and the airports in both cities. The journey times would be cut to just over half an hour each way.
The proposal also encompasses the construction of an underground station at Piccadilly and a new transport interchange at Manchester Airport.
The mayors' visit occurs just a few weeks prior to the government revealing its long-term spending plans as part of Labour's inaugural spending review in government, with a 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy also anticipated to be released in the forthcoming months.
During a press briefing, Mr Burnham expressed his desire for a pledge towards a new railway line within the upcoming plans.
He stated: "What we would ask the government to consider is not to give everything we need right now. It's simply to say that in the 2030s - hopefully starting in the early part of the 2030s - they will commit in the infrastructure strategy to a window when this railway will be built."
Following the conference, speaking with the MEN, Mr Burnham felt that the proposals got a 'good hearing' from ministers, officials, and members of both Houses of Parliament.
He said: "People have listened. They have pointed out the challenges in terms of the spending review which we understand.
"But we in return have said, look at the potential for growth here that gives the º£½ÇÊÓƵ a bigger economy, more ability to fund public services.
"The prize is a very big one. I think that case has landed.
"There's a growing recognition that the North West needs all of this infrastructure, both north-south and east-west and can't be expected to rely on the West Coast Mainline and the M6 going North, or the existing city centre infrastructure coming through from the Transpennine upgrade.
"In both cases, there will be a risk of creating a bottleneck that leads to a block on growth.
"There's a growing recognition that all of it is needed. The question is how we do it and when."
