TSSA calls for speedy delivery of Birmingham and Manchester rail link 

Rail union TSSA has welcomed the government’s intention to build a new rail link between Birmingham and Manchester but called for more details and for the project to be completed at speed.  

TSSA – which represents staff directly employed by HS2 (High Speed 2) - had been highly critical of the previous Conservative government's decision to scrap high speed rail north of Birmingham, arguing that this would result in a lack of rail capacity.  

Now the Chancellor is to set out proposals for new and improved rail links across the North of England in a scheme known as Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR). 

Commenting, TSSA General Secretary, Maryam Eslamdoust said: "This announcement seems to be long on aspiration but desperately short on delivery details.  

“The fact remains that following nearly 15 years of Conservative austerity, rail workers and millions of passengers have heard too many promises about transforming northern rail, only to see projects delayed, diluted or dropped.  

“It’s vital the government acts at pace to deliver these plans and signal a break with the austerity of the past, funding projects like Northern Powerhouse Rail by properly taxing the super-rich, not just ordinary hard-working people. 

“If not, this risks becoming another press release instead of a plan, with delays, exclusions and public trust once again paying the price.” 

TSSA is an independent trade union for the transport and travel industries. We have thousands of members right across the UK and Ireland, working for the railways and associated companies, as well as ferries, bus services and the travel trade.