Rail conference looks at the controversies of The Connected North
Fri, 04 Jul 2014 14:02:00 BST
The Connected North rail conference will be held at the University of Huddersfield on Friday 11 July
RAILWAYS are now established as powerful engines for regional economic growth. And the University of Huddersfield is becoming a major platform for debate on the issues.
In 2013, the University hosted a successful conference on the High Speed 2 North-South link, and the controversies surrounding it. Now it is the venue for an event entitled The Connected North, revolving around the investment programme named The Northern Hub.
Scheduled for completion in 2019, it involves major upgrades to stations and tracks in the North of England, including large-scale electrification. Journey times between Northern towns and cities will be slashed and there will be a big increase in the number and the capacity of trains. It is claimed that the project, now well under way, will lead to more than £4 billion of economic benefits to the region and create up to 30,000 jobs.
“Connectivity” is the term used to describe the project and its goals, and they will be explored by speakers and audiences at The Connected North conference, which takes place at the University of Huddersfield on 11 July. It is organised by Landor LINKS and presented by the publication Local Transport Today, which invited the University of Huddersfield to host the event, in the wake of the HS2 conference.
The event is aimed at local authorities, rail operating companies, public bodies and – states Local Transport Today – “all those ready to meet the challenge of unlocking the benefits for passengers, for communities, and for the economy”. A full programme of talks by rail industry experts, politicians and campaigners has been scheduled. University of Huddersfield Visiting Professor Paul Salveson – a leading regional rail campaigner – will take charge of a session entitled Where now for the North and its railways?
Although the subject is not scheduled for debate, Chancellor George Osborne’s recent proposal for HS3, a new high-speed line linking Northern cities, will be in the minds of conference participants, says Professor Colin Bamford, a transport expert who is Associate Dean of the University’s Business School and Head of Logistics and Hospitality Management.
“I was very surprised by what George Osborne said and it does complicate the issue to some extent. You would need a new track for HS3, but where is it going to go?” commented Professor Bamford. “HS3 is an interesting idea, but it needs a lot more research,” he added.
However, Professor Bamford is convinced that the Northern Hub, especially its electrification, will be a boon to the region and to the Huddersfield area, despite some threats to local stopping train services.
“The North has been relatively starved on transport investment, relative to the South. And at present, the Government are very much promoting rail as the generator of regional prosperity, whereas in the past the emphasis was on roads,” said Professor Bamford.
“In Britain, we have just about the only railways in Europe where passenger numbers are growing consistently. Freight traffic struggled a bit because of recession, but it has increased. The problem we have now is one of capacity and The Northern Hub should give us is additional rolling stock plus additional services.”
