New Norway-like underground tunnel linking two major UK cities could slash journeys by 30 minutes
AN AMBITIOUS new project linking two major cities could cut travel time significantly for drivers.
The project hopes to also boost local economies and better protect the environment.
A 14-mile tunnel has been proposed beneath the Peak District Mountains to make it easier to link Manchester and Sheffield.
The Norway-inspired dual carriageway would send traffic underground and potentially cut driving time by as much as 30 minutes.
In addition to this, the Woodhead railway line between the two cities would be restored after decades of being inactive.
The fast line between Manchester and Sheffield was closed to the public in the 1970s and then entirely in 1981.
Future Works, a group of infrastructure experts, believe this tunnel can be done for just under £2bn and improve the links between key northern cities.
Michael Dnes, the co-founder of Future Works, said he had guilt about not getting this product off the ground years ago when he worked for the Department for Transport.
When he left in 2024, he looked to Norway for a way to get the plan up and running for cheaper than £10bn, the cost of a similar shelved government scheme.
A spokesperson for Future Works, said: “High demand for the route means that the project could pay for itself, without the need for Westminster funding.
“Scandinavian tunnels are often owned by local councils, who recover the costs through tolls. Equally, northern pension funds have hundreds of billions in investment capital that could be mobilised to build the project.
“They aim to create a shovel-ready scheme, and to bring this through the planning system faster than the 10+ year processes that have become the norm in UK planning.
“Work could begin before the end of the decade, with the road and railway open in the mid-2030s.”