High speed rail links between the North of England’s towns and cities will be the main topic for debate by regional and industry leaders in an online conference organised by Transport for the North (TfN).
Confirmed speakers at the debate include:
- Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotheram
- Lord Doug Oakervee, who led the government’s review into HS2 earlier this year
- Tim Wood, TfN’s Director of Northern Powerhouse Rail
- Lorna Pimlott, Director of Phase 2 Policy & Sponsorship for HS2 Ltd.
The annual #TfN20 conference, taking place online due to the coronavirus pandemic, will discuss why projects high speed rail projects may be essential to rebuilding and transforming the North’s economy after the Covid-19 crisis. Although larger scale projects such as HS2 are set to bypass many of Cheshire’s towns, they can still benefit from the improved connectivity with the wider Northern region, and increased capacity on the network.
Discussion will take place ahead of the release of the government’s Integrated Rail Plan for the North and the Midlands, which is expected to include proposals for the high speed Northern Powerhouse Rail route running West-to-East from Liverpool via Manchester and Leeds, connecting with spurs of HS2, to Hull.
The free #TfN20 event takes place online from 10.30am to 2pm on Monday 14 December. Further breakout sessions and panellists are yet to be confirmed. Tickets to attend can be obtained via the conference’s Eventbrite page.