Chamber welcomes ‘Northern Arc’ plans which could see Hullapool line completed

THE Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce is backing a “Northern Arc” proposal which could finally see the “Hullapool” line reach its electrifying destination in the Humber.

The Chamber has for years called for Northern Powerhouse Rail to build a high-speed link from Liverpool to Hull, linking up the two great ports in the West and the East with Sheffield and Leeds.

Such a scheme would see the electrification of the railway all the way into Hull – another key ask, backed by the rail industry and operators like Hull Trains, Northern and LNER.

Now Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is urging the Government to back a “Northern Arc” from Liverpool to Hull and is meeting with Treasury Ministers in London (on 29/4/25) ahead of this summer’s Spending Review to call for greater infrastructure investment in the North.

Mr Burnham will present research from economists at metro Dynamics which found that the North is losing £36bn a year in productivity due to poor transport links. The study said that by investing in rail infrastructure stretching from Merseyside to the Pennines and linking to Yorkshire and the Humber could deliver massive growth which would boost the national economy.

Mr Burnham said that outdated infrastructure linking our great cities risks limiting our potential and widening the productivity gap with London and the south East. The Government has given its backing to the Oxford-Cambridge Arc to boost economic output in the South and we can say with confidence that the Northern Arc is our answer to reaping the rewards of growth here and offer an even bigger prize for the UK plc.

Economists Metro Dynamics found that better rail connectivity along the M62 corridor could boost the economy in the north by millions more than the Oxford-Cambridge investment.

The Chamber’s External Affairs Director, David Hooper, said: “The Chamber has been lobbying Transport for the North, the Government and the rail industry for the Hullapool line for years now, so we welcome Mr Burnham getting on board to try to make things happen at last.

“Lord David Blunkett’s rail review ahead of the spending review was presented by three Yorkshire Mayors to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in York earlier this month to put forward the initial findings, so let’s hope we can at last have some welcome news.”