Plans drawn up to build world’s fastest Tube line for Northerners Commuters could take just seven minutes to travel between Manchester and Liverpool under futuristic proposals to build the world’s fastest […]

Commuters could take just seven minutes to travel between Manchester and Liverpool under futuristic proposals to build the world’s fastest underground system in Northern England.

A private consortium is drawing up a feasibility study for sending 350mph trains hurtling between the two cities, which were first connected by Stephenson’s Rocket on the world’s first inter-city railway line in 1830.

The underground trains would hover above the track using magnetic levitation and would be propelled forward by electrically charged magnets – travelling 100mph faster than the conventional HS2 line that will connect Manchester to London.

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The Direct City Networks consortium which is drawing up the plans says the “Maglev” line could stretch under the Pennines all the way from Liverpool to Hull and could cut coast to coast journey times to just 29 minutes.

It currently takes an average of 3 hours and 7 minutes to travel from Liverpool to Hull by train – an hour longer than the 2-hour journey from London to Paris by Eurostar.

It currently takes more than three hours to travel from Liverpool to Hull by train – an hour longer than the journey from London to Paris by Eurostar.

A spokesman for Direct City Networks said: “We are in the early stages of feasibility work to produce a costed and robust business case for the creation of a high-speed underground line connecting Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Hull.

”We will continue to work with partners and stakeholders to advance our plans and will be in a position to reveal more details in the very near future.“

The consortium has been working with Hyperloop, the company created by US billionaire Elon Musk that wants to build a 600mph magnetic transport system.

It could cost between £2.2bn and £3.7bn to build the first stage of the line between Manchester and Leeds, but the consortium estimates that it could boost productivity between those two cities by £1.3bn a year and create 48,000 jobs.

Underground ‘pods’

Passengers would travel in ”pods“ or ”capsules“ along an underground tunnel rather than in conventional train carriages, with services running every 60 to 90 seconds.

Maglev trains already operate in Japan and China. The Shanghai Maglev connects the city with Pudong airport and has a top speed of 270mph.

Regional transport body Transport for the North confirmed it has received an initial proposal from DCN but said ”additional development work“ would be needed before the proposal could be given ”more detailed consideration“.

A spokeswoman said: ”Our current priorities include the preparation of a long-term Strategic Transport Plan for the North and development of the Northern Powerhouse Rail proposals, which will identify plans for infrastructure needed to transform the region’s economy by offering fast, frequent and reliable transport around the North for both passengers and freight.”

Conventional HS2 line from London to Manchester…