Supplementary memorandum by Merseytravel
(RG 52(a))
During my evidence session, I promised a further
note on the ways in which Merseytravel works with our wider partners,
particularly in the "Northern Way" and the example of
better working with improved rail access to the Port of Liverpool.
I have attached a note on these points.
THE NORTHERN
WAY
The Liverpool City Region represents one of
eight City Regions identified as part of The Northern Way where
90% of the economic activity in the North takes place. Alongside
Liverpool are: Central Lancashire, Manchester, Sheffield,
Leeds, Hull and Humber Ports, Tees Valley, Tyne & Wear.
As such, the Liverpool City Region Development
Plan (LCRDP) plays a key role in helping deliver the ambitions
of the Northern Way. The vision for the Liverpool City Region
is:
"To regain our status as a premier European
City Region by 2025. We will secure an internationally competitive
economy and cultural offer; and outstanding quality of life; and
vibrant communities contributing to and sharing in sustainable
wealth creation".
The Liverpool City Region Development Plan is
closely linked with the development of the sub-region Regional
Spatial Strategy and Regional Transport Strategy. Public transport
plays a key role in achieving these aims and ensuring strong links
between the documents secures clear leadership for the future
direction of Merseytravel, via the Local Transport Plan and the
forward looking ten-year strategy.
The City Region Development Plan has set out
six strategic priorities for the region, as set out below.
— The Premier Destination Centre.
— The Well Connected City Region.
— The Creative and Competitive City
Region.
— The Talented and Able City Region.
— The City Region of Sustainable Neighbourhoods
and Communities.
— Delivering the City Region.
Transport has a very clear role to play in helping
deliver the strategic priorities to secure long term investment
and economic development in the sub-region. The paragraphs below
take each objective and set out the role of transport in helping
deliver them.
The Premier Destination Centre
The Merseyside Local Transport Plan's vision
is to secure
"a fully integrated safe transport network
for Merseyside which supports economic and social regeneration
and ensures good access for all and which is operated to the highest
standards to protect the environment and ensure quality of life".
Working towards this vision will ensure a pleasant
experience for everyone entering, and travelling within the region.
By working with airport, airline and rail service providers, Merseytravel
has been able to increase inbound tourism. Merseytravel has a
key roe to play in boosting the immediate experience of the traveller
once they have entered the region; strong information provision
and a focus on passenger security contributes towards the experience.
Merseytravel has recently completed the construction
of Liverpool South Parkway, a new transport gateway to the region
providing direct links from the airport to the city centre, this
major project will encourage people coming into the region, even
as an interchange for travel to the rest of the region.
Well Connected City Region
There are some strategic transport projects
that will have a significant impact on the development of the
City Region as a transport hub. These include:
— Mersey Ports Growth Strategy (further
advice about Merseytravel's role in improving rail access to the
Port of Liverpool is set out below);
— expansion of Liverpool John Lennon
Airport (supported by the development of Liverpool South Parkway—a
state of the art transport link between the airport and the rest
of the region); and
— The Mersey Gateway—the second
Mersey Crossing in Halton.
Underpinning these strategic projects are more
localised projects such as improved connectivity within, to and
from the City Region, across the Northern Way and connections
to international markets and improved intra—city region
connectivity.
Strategic Priority—Creative and Competitive
City Region
The Local Transport Plan support the development
of an employment base, especially with regard to key clusters,
by investing in Merseyside Strategic Investment Areas and other
strategic regional sites. The development of a 21st Century business
environment must be properly supported by an integrated package
of public interventions, including transport measures which will
help facilitate growth and minimise the risk of congestion. All
public sector investment will need to ensure that transport access
is available to the benefit of the wider sub region.
An example of this approach is: the Mersey Partnership's
(TMP) research has led to a consensus that a significant source
of competitive advantage for Merseyside in the future will be
to become, both in actuality and in perception, a good place for
women to participate in the workforce and to establish businesses.
An aim of the LTP is to "Support programmes include the development
of safe public transport provision serving women's needs",
delivering on this LTP objective will play a significant part
in delivering on the ambitions of the City Region Development
Plan.
Strategic Priority—"Talented and Able
City Region"
Improved transport links is a key issue for
boosting the education and employability of the city region. Strong
transport opens up the employment market across the conurbation
and in particular to less traditional work locations. By working
together across the whole city region, transport can help improve
management of labour markets including an acceptance that employment
may extend to jobs beyond the traditional administrative boundaries
of the regions. Merseytravel is working beyond these boundaries
to reflect travel to work as it occurs.
Strategic Priority—"City region of
sustainable neighbourhoods and communities"
Transport authorities need to develop inter-authority
collaboration to address the soft infrastructure elements of sustainable
communities. There is a need to adopt a holistic approach to regeneration
incorporating access to transport and to concentrate development
where it can minimise the need to travel and can be well served
by an affordable, clean and safe public transport system to improve
the environment and link communities with employment opportunities,
education, training establishments, health services and facilities
and leisure amenities.
Merseytravel will maintain a strong focus in
helping to deliver the ambitions of the Northern Way, recognise
the significant role of transport in securing sustainable economic
development for the region. In many cases, the appraisal system
set out by the Department for Transport does not give sufficient
weight to the impact of transport in delivering regeneration,
meaning some significant infrastructure projects are not funded
where they might have the most significant impact on the future
of a region.
SPECIFIC EXAMPLE—IMPROVED
RAIL ACCESS
TO THE
PORT OF
LIVERPOOL
The requirement for improved rail access to
the Port of Liverpool has been identified as a
high priority in the Merseyside Provisional Local
Transport Plan for 2006-11, and was also one of the recommendations
of the Strategic Port Access Study in December 2003.
The stakeholders promoting the scheme are Merseytravel,
Sefton MBC, Liverpool City Council, the Mersey Docks & Harbour
Company, Mersey maritime, the North West Development Agency and
Network Rail. The stakeholders have agreed that Network Rail will
review existing technical work and undertake a Whole Industry
Appraisal of options for improving rail access to the Port, including
production of a business case for the preferred options.
Although this is essentially a rail freight
scheme, it has been agreed by the local authority stakeholders
that Merseytravel will be Network Rail's client for this work,
in view of its greater expertise in the delivery of rail projects.
Proposed Improvements
The proposal has three constituent parts:
— loading gauge enhancement to allow
96 containers to be conveyed on standard wagons between
Seaforth Container terminal and the West Coast Main Line (WCML);
— capacity improvements on the Bootle
Branch; and
— reconstruction of the Olive Mount
Chord.
Loading gauge enhancement is required on both
routes between Seaforth and the WCML. The route via Runcorn is
cleared from Garston Freightliner terminal to the WCML already,
but the route via Earlestown, which is already a valuable diversionary
route, will become the main access to the Port on reconstruction
of the Olive Mount Chord.
The Bootle Branch currently has only basic signalling,
sufficient for one train at any given time in each direction to
occupy the section between Edge Hill and Bootle Junction. It also
has a line speed restriction of 30 mph throughout. Capacity could
be enhanced by providing additional signal sections and by increasing
the line speed.
Reconstruction of the Olive Mount Chord will
restore a direct access between the Port of Liverpool and the
West Coast Mainline without reversal at Edge Hill, which is both
time-consuming and involves crossing the lines into and out of
Lime Street at Edge Hill.
An increase in both the capacity and capability
of the rail link to the Port of Liverpool has the potential to
offer a much wider range of benefits, including more sustainable
development of the Port, economic regeneration, environmental
benefits and an improved competitive position for the Port. The
appraisal is intended to take these benefits into account. It
will also identify potential sources of funding through which
these benefits may be delivered.
Subject to the impact of the outstanding issues
that are currently being discussed with Network Rail, the business
case for construction of the Olive Mount Chord looks promising.
A number of options for moving forward are now being pursued.
Merseytravel's assistance in managing this process, allows genuine
partnership working for the wider benefit of the sub region as
a whole.
Mersey Docks and Harbours Corporation forecasts
that rail's market share of container traffic will rise from 3.8%
to 10% by 2016. The main benefits of investment in improved access
to the Port of Liverpool will be reducing congestion, accidents,
noise and pollution on roads by transfer of freight traffic to
rail. These are assessed by the use of Sensitive Lorry Miles,
a measure of the number of lorry journeys saved and their value,
which in this report is applied to the difference between the
number of annual container train movements in each option and
the current number, both converted to lorry journey. The most
significant benefit is travel time saved for the travelling public,
and the significant improvements to passenger safety.
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