LogisticsHubUK: 'Key 'Northern Powerhouse' Transport Infrastructure Projects Must be Delivered'
Thursday, 5 November 2015
LogisticsHubUK has highlighted the importance of Sheffield City Region as the Northern Powerhouse's Central Logistics Hub, and the need for major new transport infrastructure projects to be delivered, in the partnership's response to Transport for the North's Freight and Logistics Strategy consultation.
Sheffield City Region's Logistics Strengths and Opportunities
In a response submitted jointly with the South Yorkshire Chambers of Commerce, LogisticsHubUK highlights Sheffield City Region's strengths and growth potential as the Northern Powerhouse's central logistics hub, including:- A strategic, central location within both the UK and the Northern Powerhouse
- A highly competitive combination of space for large-scale logistics developments and a low cost base for expanding businesses
- An established and fast-growing cluster of major logistics and distribution businesses, including at least 43 distribution centres
- A large-scale, available logistics workforce, combined with education, skills and knowledge provision from leading higher and further education institutions
- One of the UK's foremost clusters of manufacturing and advanced engineering businesses
- A fast-growing Multimodal Logistics Hub, centred on Doncaster
Sheffield City Region's Fast Growing Multimodal Logistics Hub
LogisticsHubUK's response highlights the scale and growth potential of Sheffield City Region's Multimodal Logistics Hub, centred on Doncaster and including:- iPort Doncaster UK: a £300 million investment in a 337-acre Logistics Park and Strategic Rail Freight Terminal
- Doncaster Sheffield Airport: the UK's newest airport, and a £150 million investment in state-of-the-art passenger and air cargo facilities
- The FARRRS Link Road: a £58 million new link road development, conecting the iPort and airport directly to the motorway network, and transforming the airport's population catchment area from 2016
- Doncaster International Railport: a 5 hectare (50,000 sq m) international rail freight terminal, providing direct freight connectivity to UK and international markets
- Logistics Sites totalling around 12 million sq ft across Sheffield City Region
But Inadequate Transport Infrastructure Will Constrain Freight and Logistics Growth
LogisticsHubUK's response highlights the fact that the North's currently inadequate transport and freight infrastructure will constrain the growth of the Northern Powerhouse.
Major infrastructure constraints highlighted in LogisticsHubUK's response include:
- Inadequate and outdated road infrastructure: notably but not only on key East-West routes within the North
- Serious road and rail capacity constraints and congestion
- Too little investment in the North's transport infrastructure, especially when compared with London
- An imbalance in airport freight and passenger services and capacity between the North and the South of England and, within the North, between the North West and east of the Pennines
Northern Powerhouse Transport Infrastructure Improvements Must be Delivered
In its response, LogisticsHubUK recognises that Transport for the North (in its Northern Powerhouse report) has identified the key transport infrastructure developments that are require to facilitate the Northern Powerhouse's growth and address the problems identified above.
However, the key objective must now be to ensure that these essential projects move beyond the concept stage and are delivered.
Urgently required transport and freight infrastructure improvements highlighted by LogisticsHubUK include:
Road:
- Significantly improved trans-pennine road connections between Sheffield and Manchester city regions, including upgrades to the Woodhead Pass (A628) and potential road and rail tunnels
- Other major road infrastructure projects highlighted in the report to address capacity constraints, including widening and upgrading (to 'smart motorway') of the M62, and upgrading of the A1/A1(M) around Doncaster
- Addressing major 'pinch points' in the North's road network, including delivery of the Mottram Moor Link Road on the approaches to Manchester
- 'Smart road' solutions should also be considered wherever possible, to use existing capacity in more efficient ways
Rail:
- More rail capacity should be freed up for freight use. In particular this could be achieved by delivering HS2 (thereby releasing existing capacity for freight use)
- Dedicated rail freight corridors should be considered to enable 24-hour operations
- Rail freight capacity could be increased by upgrading older/under-utilised lines (e.g. by dualling lines that are currently single-track)
- Rail freight hubs could be developed further, and increasing the length of rail freight terminals could accommodate longer, higher-capacity trains
- Systems should be implemented for the 'smarter' use of rail freight capacity, in addition to new or upgraded capacity
Air:
LogisticsHubUK highlights the fact that air freight in the UK is dominated by London's airports (handling 78% of all capacity) and East Midlands outside London. Manchester dominates in the North, although it handles significantly smaller freight volumes than East Midlands.
In its response, LogisticsHubUK urges Transport for the North to recognise the strategic importance of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), and its significant potential to deliver both increased freight and passenger air capacity for the North.
Recongnising the Strategic Importance of Sheffield City Region's Central Logistics Hub within the Freight and Logistics Strategy
LogisticsHubUK highlights the need for the strategic importance of Sheffield City Region, and the wider 'east of the Pennines' logistics hub to be recognised fully within Transport for the North's Freight and Logistics Strategy.
The LogisticsHubUK Project Team, November 2015
