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HS2
Manchester through station key to capacity
A number of opinions from rail experts about the pros and cons of an underground station for High Speed 2 (HS2) at Manchester were reported by NCE online on 16 June.
Prominence was given to supporting the HS2 scheme for a surface terminal station for HS2 trains.
This is based on the idea that the only important trains to and from Manchester are the high-speed ones for London and the South and that they deserve a special multiplatform surface terminus. This, of course, requires all HS2 passengers to change trains there and flies in the face of accepted designs across Europe that city centre terminuses are very “last century” and that through stations combining intercity and local services are much less land-hungry and better for the passengers. Examples include Berlin, Antwerp, Zurich Airport, Brussels and Stuttgart, as well as Thameslink and the Elizabeth line.
The key of course is that trains only need perhaps two minutes to stop at a through station, but perhaps 15 minutes to turn round. You need fewer platforms for through services than at buffer stops so, for Manchester, one can envisage the London trains going through to other locations locally – or even across the Pennines – the choice would depend on demand and designing suitable approach tracks but the benefit to passengers is to achieve across platform interchange and continuation to stations across Greater Manchester.
So, I believe that the Manchester authorities are absolutely right to insist on an underground through station; this is the most important of all decisions on rail in the North West; the links and services can be debated and added later but they should insist on this as a start.
Lord Berkeley, tony@tonyberkeley.co.uk
The Editor, New Civil Engineer,
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