If you look at Europe from the perspective of the North and have to hand a map of established High Speed Rail schemes across our continent, it won’t take you long to work out that here in Greater Manchester we’re getting short-changed in terms of connectivity not just to London, but also to our cultural and economic partners in France, Germany, and Belgium too.

Established High Speed routes track across France, Italy, Germany, Spain and north towards Scandinavia but as they run under La Manche and arrive here in Britain, the tracks stop abruptly at London and go no further. The same map, incidentally, highlights the ludicrously slow speeds we suffer between Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester.

Those with longer memories will remember the giant blue shed on the approach into Piccadilly station which used to proclaim 'L'Eurostar habite ici' to passengers, long after the direct service courtesy of HS1 had failed, but with HS2 on the horizon and with the promise of a contentintal connection on the horizon, are there lessons to learn from the cities and regions that already benefit from High Speed Rail?

At an event today in London, the Independent Transport Commission (ITC) launched it’s latest report on the prospects for High Speed Rail (HSR) in Britain and on this occasion it has highlighted how, with the right sort of strategic planning, investment in HSR can act as a powerful catalyst for the economic regeneration of our cities and regions.

Based on a series of insights from across Europe, ‘Ambitions and Opportunities: Understanding the Spatial Effects of High Speed Rail’ launched with contributions from the Transport Secretary, Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP; the Chairman of HS2 Ltd, Sir David Higgins; André Delpont, special adviser for Bordeaux Euratlantique; and regional council leaders, including Cllr Sir Albert Bore.

A starting point for the report is that the ITC wants to move the debate on HSR beyond ‘if’ or ‘why’ but towards a ‘how’, based on solid research and sound evidence. Their main focus for this study has been on lessons from the past experience of HSR investment in Europe and the UK’s High-Speed One (HS1) line. Offering a broad sweep of well-researched case studies, the summary conclusion is that when it comes to economic agglomeration, urban renewal and the releasing of capacity on slower routes, HSR has proved a significant driver, from King’s Cross, to Gare de Lyon, to Rotterdam Central and a number of other key locations.

"Our research on the impacts of high-speed rail in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, has shown that, far from being a white elephant, there are very many examples where investment in HSR has been the catalyst for significant urban and regional renewal."

"Our research on the impacts of high-speed rail in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, has shown that, far from being a white elephant, there are very many examples where investment in HSR has been the catalyst for significant urban and regional renewal,” said John Worthington, Independent Transport Commissioner and Chairman of the HSR working group.

"This has happened when HSR has been properly integrated with the local transport network, when co-operation has been strong between all interest groups, and when cities have planned ahead and understood that regeneration is a long-term process. 

"We hope that this report will act as a call-to-arms for the UK's cities and regions and will, through the lessons it contains, help them to grasp the opportunities that HSR investment offers,” he concluded. 

Set alongside recent moves to increase devolution for our Northern cities, and the ‘One North’ vision for the cities of Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester, the report shows how planning now for the arrival of HSR will pay dividends, particularly if, like the latest Metrolink extensions here in Greater Manchester, work on the ground can be accelerated and the scheme delivered early.

The report highlights the positive impact on placemaking, the regeneration of run-down areas and the agglomeration effect that occurs as city regional economies increase their reach.

The ITC report highlights the positive impact on placemaking, the regeneration of run-down areas and, critically for Greater Manchester, the agglomeration effect that occurs as city regional economies increase their reach in terms of realistic journey times for commuting or business.

Lessons from Europe

To gather insights for the report the ITC team conducted a series of study visits to key locations in Britain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, speaking to local stakeholders and finding out what’s worked, and what hasn’t worked across the city regions, wider conurbations and peripheral city stations impacted by HSR schemes:

• At King’s Cross and East London the report connects HS1 to the 2012 Olympic bid and the experience of Thames Gateway, where the impact on the local area of King’s Cross has been largely positive but where the connectivity to the Gateway could have been better planned with a clearer vision.
• Around Paris Rive Gauche, the study looks at the regeneration schemes around the TGV stations Gare d’Austerlitz and Gare de Lyon. Key insights included the importance of having a grand strategic vision and developing this incrementally, so that redevelopment can adapt over time.
• In the Randstad, Netherlands, the study team found collaborative planning and an holistic economic and spatial strategy has helped the area implement a coherent transport plan and focus on key projects.The area has also benefitted from ensuring good local connectivity to HSR stations; thinking of the rail system as a network rather than a series of lines.
• In Liège, eastern Belgium, the Santiago Calatrava designed HSR station has become a symbol of pride for the whole region. At the same time, it was clear that physical and social regeneration is also needed to maximise the transformative effect of an iconic HSR station.
• And in a lesson for anyone not signed up to the ‘cities first’ approach to economic development, the report cites the experience of Avignon as giving insights for planning out of town HSR stations. The ITC report states that it has proved difficult to turn the area surrounding the station into an economic zone, and it has become a giant car park because there were initially no local public transport links. The Avignon project has been saved partially by an elegant station design, rapid links to Paris, and a wealthy passenger base of tourists and people with second homes in Provence.

Beyond the case studies the ITC puts forward a number of recommendations and conclusions for city regions like Greater Manchester, that need to put plans in place for the arrival of HSR, starting with three key principles for governance and delivery:

• Build resilience with a masterplan that allows for adaptation over time;
• Evaluate a project on the basis of its ability to provide seamless connectivity; and
• Instil a culture of collaboration between central and local government, as well as between the developers and local citizens and civic groups.

The report also sets out the roles different groups might have to play in realising the opportunities of HSR, again based on what’s worked elsewhere:

• Central government needs to provide strategic guidance and provide certainty with the appropriate investment to build national HSR infrastructure;
• Cities and their regions can provide the leader-ship to initiate urban regeneration, and develop an urban masterplan (here the ITC cites the Core Cities and Key Cities networks as being critical);
• Providers and developers ought to foster collaboration between different suppliers and com- munity bodies, and establish strong networks of communication; and
• Civil society and citizens have a responsibility [sic] to be pro-active in contributing their vision for their local place. As the potential users of HSR infrastructure, their views ought to be used to shape its planning and production.

So the overarching message is that good things can happen when the high speed tracks arrive in town but even if you have got a sparkly station designed by a superstar architect (will Ian Simpson be tasked with our HSR terminus?) you need to plan ahead and pull together to make the most of HSR. With the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework  recently closed for consultation and largely focused on housing growth with only two paragraphs highlighting the potential of HSR, it may be that Greater Manchester still has some work - and planning - to do if it’s to unlock the potential of HS2 when, it finally, arrives.

Main image of Liège-Guillemins station designed by Santiago Calatrava courtesy of Flickr user Stijn Hosdez under a Creative Commons licence. Map of HSR schemes across Europe courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.