Northern Rail Infrastructure

Really interesting insight into the sort of hidden inequality that assails northern hinterlands until you sit back and think about how the concentration of infrastructure in Greater London affects comparable things such as transport costs. This story tells us:

Marsden and Greenfield, two picturesque villages in the Pennines mountain range, have an unlikely claim to fame. The short rail journey between these two northern towns is one of the highest priced in Britain.

Why is it so expensive? The two villages between Leeds and Manchester fall foul of the arcane rules that govern subsidy and rail travel in the north of England. Commuters have to endure high fares as well as 50-year-old rolling stock and hourly services.

This is why HS3, a high-speed rail link proposed by chancellor George Osborne between Manchester and Leeds, is desperately needed. It was touted as part of Osborne’s plans announced this week to create “a northern global powerhouse”.

Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire are not sleepy shires but the hub of a thriving northern economy. These city regions are larger than Wales in terms of economic output and population. Osborne is right to stress that an integrated transport system is vital, but there is a long way to go.

The journey from Leeds to Manchester is about the same distance as the Central line in London, but the journey currently takes twice as long and costs twice as much. Commuters have to cope with two transport authorities with different pricing strategies and a host of transport providers. There is no opportunity for through ticketing, where a passenger can buy one ticket and change between railway lines and bus routes.