Motion #01

Green Rail Strategy for the Midlands and the North

Proposers

Jake Welsh*, Avery Atkin-Withers, Joe Hudson-Small, Gareth Dennis, Will Jennings, Pete Johnson, Peter Brommer, Fiona Aviani-Bartram, James Nelson, Joe Lever, Mike McTimoney, Emma Garnett, Helen Hitchcock, Philip Davies, Alexander Sallons, James Crawford, Patrick McAllister, Andrew Browne, Katie Fenn, Meg Shepherd-Foster, Alan Francis, Nick Hartley, James Thorniley, Martin Farley, Daniel Humphreys, Adam Turner, Sam Easterby-Smith, Owain Sutton, Neil O’Doherty, Alex Nettle, Jaspreet Tehara, Mark Whiley, Martin Osborne, Darren Yates, Rob Freeman, Emma Dungey-Betts, Nicole Freeman, Billie Nagle, Sarah Warren, Olli Watkins

Synopsis

This motion calls for HS2 to be funded and completed in full, including the entire eastern leg and an underground through station at Manchester Piccadilly. This motion also calls for the full potential of HS2 to be achieved by building in full Northern Powerhouse Rail which will use HS2 infrastructure.

Motion

In Record of Policy Statements (RoPS) delete the section “High Speed Rail”

Then add into RoPS:

“The Green Party recognises the need to shift transport mode share away from cars and flights in order to tackle emissions from transportation and that electric high speed rail lines such as HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail can play an important role in achieving this. High speed rail lines free up capacity on other rail lines that serve regional and local rail services allowing for more frequent trains to run on these lines. High speed rail lines themselves reduce domestic flights and car journeys for long distance travel because they can better compete for shorter journey times.

The Green Party recognises that the first phase of HS2 between London and Birmingham is well under construction. Both Phase 2a and Phase 2b of HS2 were cancelled by the Conservative government in 2023. If HS2 is not built in full to Manchester and Leeds it will not achieve the maximum capacity release on the rail network, it will limit environmental gains and could potentially widen regional inequality. The Green Party calls for the government to fund and build HS2 including the entire eastern leg to Leeds, an underground through station at Manchester Piccadilly, the Golborne Link (or a better replacement) which enables HS2 services to be easily used on parts of the existing West Coast Main Line to Lancashire, Cumbria and Scotland as well as the originally planned active travel routes alongside parts of the HS2 route in accordance with existing Green Party policy.

The Green Party calls for the impact of HS2 to be improved further by funding and building Northern Powerhouse Rail which includes a high speed rail line from Liverpool to Manchester and onwards to Bradford and Leeds. This will use HS2 infrastructure in Manchester including potentially sharing the underground HS2 station at Manchester Piccadilly. The Green Party calls for HS2 services to be extended to Liverpool using Northern Powerhouse Rail infrastructure around Liverpool.”

The Green Party calls for the impact of HS2 to be improved further by funding and building Northern Powerhouse Rail which includes a high speed rail line from Liverpool to Manchester and onwards to Bradford and Leeds. This will use HS2 infrastructure in Manchester including potentially sharing the underground HS2 station at Manchester Piccadilly. The Green Party calls for HS2 services to be extended to Liverpool using Northern Powerhouse Rail infrastructure around Liverpool. (MH I think this is background)

In the first paragraph—

(i)           delete—

“the need to shift transport mode share away from cars and flights in order to tackle emissions from transportation and that electric high speed rail lines such as HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail can play an important role in achieving this. High”,

and replace with—

“that transport pollution remains stubbornly high, and that there is a need to reduce transport demand to sustainable levels. In tandem, there is a simultaneous need to make the greenest modes of transport the easiest and cheapest modes of transport. This necessitates a transformative transition away from polluting modes such as cars and planes towards efficient, electrified public transport. This is consistent with the Party’s strategy to reduce: use of materials, batteries, chemicals and fuels; carbon emissions; air/particulate pollution; noise pollution; urban sprawl; land take from biofuel production; poor public health; and road deaths of adults, children and wildlife.

Accordingly, the Green Party supports high speed rail in principle. The Party recognises that high”; and,

(ii)          at the end of the paragraph, add—

“The uplift in passenger capacity also provides an opportunity to dramatically reduce rail fares. The Party’s support for high speed rail in practice is nonetheless contingent on its delivery aligning with Green values.

Specifically, these values will necessitate:

·            Proper timely data releases relating to the ongoing impacts of HS2, using up to date biodiversity metrics and not excluding any habitats;

·            Limiting adverse impacts on biodiversity and bioabundance, and, where adverse impacts are unavoidable, securing a 10% biodiversity net gain within the development site;

·            Independent monitoring of impacts and remediation schemes; and

·            Proper compensation for those affected by the scheme’s construction.”,

so that it reads as three paragraphs, as follows:

“The Green Party recognises that transport pollution remains stubbornly high, and that there is a need to reduce transport demand to sustainable levels. In tandem, there is a simultaneous need to make the greenest modes of transport the easiest and cheapest modes of transport. This necessitates a transformative transition away from polluting modes such as cars and planes towards efficient, electrified public transport. This is consistent with the Party’s strategy to reduce: use of materials, batteries, chemicals and fuels; carbon emissions; air/particulate pollution; noise pollution; urban sprawl; land take from biofuel production; poor public health; and road deaths of adults, children and wildlife.

Accordingly, the Green Party supports high speed rail in principle. The Party recognises that high speed rail lines free up capacity on other rail lines that serve regional and local rail services allowing for more frequent trains to run on these lines. High speed rail lines themselves reduce domestic flights and car journeys for long distance travel because they can better compete for shorter journey times. The uplift in passenger capacity also provides an opportunity to dramatically reduce rail fares. The Party’s support for high speed rail in practice is nonetheless contingent on its delivery aligning with Green values.

Specifically, these values will necessitate:

·            Proper timely data releases relating to the ongoing impacts of HS2, using up to date biodiversity metrics and not excluding any habitats;

·            Limiting adverse impacts on biodiversity and bioabundance, and, where adverse impacts are unavoidable, securing a 10% biodiversity net gain within the development site;

·            Independent monitoring of impacts and remediation schemes; and

·            Proper compensation for those affected by the scheme’s construction.”

In the following paragraph—

(i)           delete—

“under construction. Both Phase 2a and Phase 2b of HS2 were cancelled by the Conservative government in 2023. If HS2 is not built in full to Manchester and Leeds it will not achieve the maximum capacity release on the rail network, it will limit environmental gains and could potentially widen regional inequality. The Green Party calls for the government to fund and build HS2 including the entire Eastern leg to Leeds,”,

and replace with—

“under construction, although its implementation has had significant ecological impacts. The austerity and mismanagement which have prolonged these impacts must end. The project must ensure that the ecological costs of HS2 are outweighed by wider environmental benefits—but half an HS2 brings too many costs and too few benefits. The full network could be used to reduce aviation and car dependency, but only if the Conservatives’ ill-timed cuts to Phases 2a and 2b of HS2 are now reversed. In order to maximise the benefits of high speed rail, the Green Party will therefore hold the UK Government and HS2 Ltd. to account to ensure: delivery and efficient use of Phases 2a and 2b to Manchester and Leeds (via Sheffield); greater public control of railways; maximum capacity release on the rail network; a subsequent slashing of rail fares to reduce car journeys; and a subsequent ban on domestic commercial aviation within England and Wales. In doing so, the Party will ensure the delivery of environmental benefits and improvements to regional inequality, providing critical support for”; and

(ii)          at the end of the paragraph, add—

“Station design will be passenger-led and community-focused, with excellent cycling connections and level boarding to ensure accessibility for all. Positive environmental outcomes will be delivered by each of the stations achieving a BREEAM status of excellent or better.”,

so that it reads as follows:

“The Green Party recognises that the first phase of HS2 between London and Birmingham is well under construction, although its implementation has had significant ecological impacts. The austerity and mismanagement which have prolonged these impacts must end. The project must ensure that the ecological costs of HS2 are outweighed by wider environmental benefits—but half an HS2 brings too many costs and too few benefits. The full network could be used to reduce aviation and car dependency, but only if the Conservatives’ ill-timed cuts to Phases 2a and 2b of HS2 are now reversed. In order to maximise the benefits of high speed rail, the Green Party will therefore hold the UK Government and HS2 Ltd. to account to ensure: delivery and efficient use of Phases 2a and 2b to Manchester and Leeds (via Sheffield); greater public control of railways; maximum capacity release on the rail network; a subsequent slashing of rail fares to reduce car journeys; and a subsequent ban on domestic commercial aviation within England and Wales. In doing so, the Party will ensure the delivery of environmental benefits and improvements to regional inequality, providing critical support for an underground through station at Manchester Piccadilly, 11 platforms at London Euston, the Golborne Link (or a better replacement) which enables HS2 services to be easily used on parts of the existing West Coast Main Line to Lancashire, Cumbria and Scotland as well as the originally planned bicycle routes alongside parts of the HS2 route accordance with existing Green Party policy. Station design will be passenger-led and community-focused, with excellent cycling connections and level boarding to ensure accessibility for all. Positive environmental outcomes will be delivered by each of the stations achieving a BREEAM status of excellent or better.”

In the final paragraph—

(i)           delete—

“The Green Party calls for the impact”,

and replace with—

“To further maximise wider environmental benefits and improvements to regional inequality, the Green Party calls for”; and

(ii)          delete—

“use”,

and replace with—

“maximise efficient use of”,

so that it reads as follows:

“To further maximise wider environmental benefits and improvements to regional inequality, the Green Party calls for HS2 to be improved further by funding and building Northern Powerhouse Rail which includes a high speed rail line from Liverpool to Manchester and onwards to Bradford and Leeds. This will maximise efficient use of HS2 infrastructure in Manchester including potentially sharing the underground HS2 station at Manchester Piccadilly. The Green Party calls for HS2 services to be extended to Liverpool using Northern Powerhouse Rail infrastructure around Liverpool.

After the second paragraph, insert—

“The Green Party calls for a local transport revolution to be implemented upon the completion of HS2 and the resultant uplift in rail capacity. This capacity should be used by transferring intercity expresses from the existing railway network to HS2, and then utilising the newly freed-up space for new local services to, in and around towns and cities across England and Wales. Specifically, the Green Party calls for these new services to be directed to the following towns and cities:

(i)           Those which would benefit from new capacity by virtue of being located along a main line which would be relieved by HS2, such as Bedford, Doncaster, Grantham, Leicester, Loughborough, Luton, Milton Keynes, Peterborough, Stamford and Stevenage;

(ii)          Those which would benefit from new capacity following the removal of network bottlenecks in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, such as Bolton, Bradford, Bristol, Cheltenham, Coventry, Huddersfield, Northampton, Oxford, Warrington, Worcester and communities in north and mid-Wales; and

(iii)        Those which would benefit directly from new connectivity, namely Birmingham, Derby, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield.

To encourage the switchover from cars and planes to electrified trains, the Green Party supports the slashing of rail fares which should be possible, as it is in Germany, France and Spain, once the supply of thousands of new seats on improved rail services has been delivered.

In addition to the above, the Green Party supports utilising the uplift in rail capacity to switch freight from lorries and planes to trains to as full an extent as logistically possible.”

In the final paragraph, delete—

“Liverpool to Manchester and onwards to Bradford and Leeds”,

and replace with—

“Liverpool to Leeds with through stations in Manchester and Bradford”,

so that it reads as follows:

“The Green Party calls for the impact of HS2 to be improved further by funding and building Northern Powerhouse Rail which includes a high speed rail line from Liverpool to Leeds with through stations in Manchester and Bradford. This will use HS2 infrastructure in Manchester including potentially sharing the underground HS2 station at Manchester Piccadilly. The Green Party calls for HS2 services to be extended to Liverpool using Northern Powerhouse Rail infrastructure around Liverpool.”

*

The Green Party calls for the impact of HS2 to be improved further by funding and building Northern Powerhouse Rail which includes a high speed rail line from Liverpool to Manchester and onwards to Bradford and Leeds. This will use HS2 infrastructure in Manchester including potentially sharing the underground HS2 station at Manchester Piccadilly. The Green Party calls for HS2 services to be extended to Liverpool using Northern Powerhouse Rail infrastructure around Liverpool.”

After the final paragraph, insert—
“The Green Party calls for both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail to be reclassified as England-only projects rather than England-and-Wales projects. This more accurately reflects the projects’ geographical location and will importantly ensure that Wales receives its fair share of funding under the Barnett Formula. Given that it is not possible to travel by rail between the north and south of Wales (without going on an hours-long route through England), this transformational uplift in rail investment is crucial to the nation’s efforts to connect communities; strengthen cultural ties; resist calls for road-building; reduce car dependency; and tackle the climate and ecological emergencies.”