The Transport Secretary said plans are starting to be worked up to see how a £12 billion investment will improve rail services between Liverpool and Manchester - including talks over new major train stations.
Mark Harper was in Merseyside today to officially open the region's new Merseyrail station at Headbolt Lane in Kirkby. He also signed a deal with Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, which could pave the way for the region to take ownership of the entire Merseyrail network.
While in Kirkby, the ECHO asked Mr Harper to shed more light on plans announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to provide £12 billion to improve the much maligned rail line between Liverpool and Manchester - which is the source of huge frustration and regular disruption for people from both major North West cities.
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The government has previously said this money will be provided as part of its 'Network North' project, using money saved from its controversial decision to scrap the second leg of the HS2 project between Birmingham and Manchester.
Liverpool City Region Mayor has previously described the £12bn pledge for high speed rail between Liverpool and Manchester as "smoke and mirrors" and a "stab in the dark" from the government, but Mr Harper said it is money the region should be "very excited about."
He told the ECHO: "I understand why people in the North West were disappointed by the HS2 decision. We were very clear that every single penny of the money we save from that decision is going to get spent in the regions that it was going to get spent on. That is just under £20 billion in the North of England.
"Steve's budget (for transport in the Liverpool City Region) has gone up by £600m, that is money he can spend on things he thinks are important for his region."
Mayor Rotheram and his counterpart in Greater Manchester Andy Burnham have both said new rail stations would be required in both cities in order to provide high speed rail between the two and Mr Harper said these areas were up for discussion.
He added: "On the £12bn for the line between Liverpool and Manchester, we have been talking about what exactly that looks like, the ambitions for the stations of the back of that and we want to listen to what local leaders say and work out how we deliver the best possible infrastructure for that £12bn.
"We are going to continue those conversations so that we can work up those plans in detail and start delivering on that project. Being honest with people, it is not going to happen overnight - you can't deliver significant rail infrastructure overnight but the plans are going to start and people will see the plans as they develop and I think it is going to be very exciting for the region."
On the local rail network, the Transport Secretary said the deal signed with Mayor Rotheram today signalled an emphasis on further devolution with regard to the Merseyrail network. It means talks can open up about the city region taking full control of the network - including tracks and stations.
Mr Harper added: "This is a very clear idea of partnership working, we want the Liverpool City Region to set out their ideas for what they want to do and we want to work very seriously with them.
"We have got a rail network to run, he wants to increase the ambition of the Merseyrail network and we've got to make sure those two systems work closely together.
"This Memorandum commits to a proper sense of partnership working and a commitment from me and the Department for Transport that they are going to work seriously with the Liverpool City Region to develop economic growth, jobs and prosperity."
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