Business leaders in the Midlands have called for greater backing for our own east-west transport problems after a report supporting a fast Leeds-Manchester rail link.
The HS3 scheme, which could cost around £7 billion, was “not just a single project”, said HS2 chairman Sir David Higgins.
Business leaders in the region have now called for the Government to get behind proposals to .
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Midlands Connect, which champions strategic transport investment across the entire Midlands region, is due to issue its own report identifying where connectivity improvements are likely to have the greatest long-term impact on employment and the economy.
Jerry Blackett, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and a member of Midlands Connect, said: “The report by Sir David Higgins, the HS2 chairman, underlines the importance not only of HS2 but of better regional transport options.
“The Midlands has consistently punched below its weight when it comes to infrastructure investment.
“The Northern Hub, a major rail project across the North now called HS3, is a powerful example of how a successful infrastructure project can attract Treasury funding when the economic geography is wide enough. This has led to the North West achieving three times the investment per head than the West Midlands.
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“HS2 will provide an incredible stimulus to the region’s infrastructure but the Midlands needs to come together to ensure that infrastructure projects go beyond political borders.
“One way that the imbalance will be addressed is through the Midlands Connect project, an ambitious programme founded by policy makers across the Midlands that seeks to emulate the success of the Northern Hub in identifying how transport can improve the region’s economy.”
Midlands Connect is a collaboration of Midlands-wide local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), Network Rail, the Highways Agency, local authorities and the business community.
An economic study launched by Midlands Connect is due to conclude shortly and the group has already begun to seek funding from the government and other sources.
Once up and running it will then focus on:
· Developing an integrated plan for improved connectivity to HS2
· Addressing east-west Midlands connections
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· Addressing capacity for freight movements
· Improving connectivity to international markets via the region’s airports
Links have already been established by West Midlands LEPs and chambers of commerce with their counterparts in the east Midlands. The East Midlands councils have also expressed support.