North’s own rail plan would have meant faster journeys and more trains, admits government - but it was too expensive
manchestereveningnews.co.ukLong-delayed background documents to the Integrated Rail Plan reveal the North’s plans for a new high-speed network would have connected the region up better than the government’s own.
The papers - branded 'threadbare' by Greater Manchester's mayor - admit journeys between Manchester and Bradford would have taken less than half the time, with at least three times more services an hour.
Manchester and Sheffield would also have been significantly better connected. In fact almost every key northern route assessed by civil servants would have seen more hourly trains and shorter journeys under the North's plan.
But the proposal was rejected on the grounds of cost - even though no detailed analysis of potential long term economic benefits had been carried out.
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