【导读】一项成功的基础设施建设将会促进一个地区的经济发展，而英国北部地区的铁路建设计划似乎即将再一次印证这一点。
Railways in the north
北方铁路
Manchester united
”曼联“
A good, cheap infrastructure project that should transform a region
又好又省的基础设施建设能够改变一个地区
Mar 16th 2013 | MANCHESTER |From the print edition
FOR £33 billion ($49 billion) and a 20-year wait, Britain is to get a high-speed rail line connecting London to the north of England. For £32 billion-odd less than that sum, it gets the Northern Hub【1】. Far less controversial or glamorous—the funding process was a bit like a church-roof appeal at first, says Chris Fletcher of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce—the project is a terrific example of the kind of infrastructure that Britain badly needs to build.
筹集了330亿英镑（490亿美元）经费，等待了20年，现在，英国终将开始建设一条连接伦敦与英格兰北部地区的高速铁路。其中的320亿英镑—少于总预算——花在了北部交通枢纽项目上。克里斯·弗莱彻，曼彻斯特商会的一员，表示：”融资过程一开始有点像为教堂修缮屋顶募集。“因为这项工程是英国亟需建设的基础设施中的典型，所以没有引起争议或惊起波澜。
It consists of a series of schemes aimed at improving railway travel around Manchester, the north of England’s most successful city. One of them, the building of a short curved section of track known as the “Ordsall chord” (see map), might appear humdrum. But in providing the missing link in a loop between Piccadilly and Victoria, the main stations, it completes a direct line through the city that connects the airport in the south with suburbs to the north. New platforms will be built at Piccadilly and at the airport. Capacity will also be added elsewhere to cut journey times to cities such as Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle. Network Rail, the owner and operator of Britain’s railway infrastructure, reckons the Northern Hub’s £600m improvements will deliver a boost to the economy four times that sum.
这项工程由一系列旨在提升曼彻斯特周边铁路运力的规划组成，而曼市是英格兰北部最繁荣的城市。其中的一项名为“Ordsall chord”（见地图）的规划，一条蜿蜒的短线路建设，可能看起来有些乏味。但它能够补上两个主站——皮卡迪利街站与维多利亚大街——之间缺失的一环，从而使得南部的机场与北部的郊区间的线路得以贯通。机场与皮卡迪利大街站都将建设新的站台。工程还将着力于降低利物浦、谢菲尔德、纽卡斯尔等城市间的旅行时间。英国铁路基建的所有方与运营方认为，北方交通枢纽项目所花费的6亿英镑投资将带来四倍于投资额的经济增长。
Whereas HS2, Britain’s planned high-speed rail line, will connect the north of England to the south, the Northern Hub cements lateral links between northern cities. Many of them need attention. Research by the London School of Economics found that around 40% less commuting journeys are made between Leeds and Manchester, the north’s burgeoning commercial centres, than their proximity and status would imply. Integrate them more closely, as the Northern Hub will, by adding two more trains an hour (making six in total) and reducing journey times, and the labour pool ought to grow, making it easier to do business.
相比于HS2——英国所规划的连通英格兰南北部的高速铁路——北方交通枢纽项目更侧重于联结北部城市。许多北方城市需要被关注。伦敦经济学院所进行的调查表明大约40%的通勤旅行是在利兹到曼彻斯特——两个快速发展的北方商业中心——之间往来，考虑到他们的经济地位，这数量有些偏少。而北方交通枢纽项目将能够使每小时增开两班列车（总共六班），缩短旅行时间，从而使这两个城市之间的联系更紧密，同时扩展劳动力资源，使得商业运行更顺利。
Two new electrification projects being undertaken in concert with the hub complement it. These run in the north-west from Manchester to Liverpool and to Blackpool, and across the Pennines from Manchester to Leeds. Electric trains allow for greener, cheaper travel than their diesel cousins, and have more seats. Because they can accelerate and stop more quickly, they also speed up journeys.
随着枢纽项目的完工，两项新的电力机车项目也将开始建设。从曼彻斯特到利物浦与布莱克浦，以及跨过奔宁山脉，从曼彻斯特到利兹，列车将行驶在这两条西北部线路上。相比内燃机车，电力机车将更绿色更经济，且有更多的座位。由于电力机车能够更轻松地加速减速，所以旅行时间也被大大缩短。
All these projects should be finished by 2019, long before HS2. It is vital for the upgraded regional network to dovetail with the high-speed rail line, as the latter’s benefits are only fully realised if passengers can be efficiently delivered to its stations from local areas.
到2019年前这些项目都将完工，远早于HS2。对于升级地区铁路网络并使其与高速铁路对接，枢纽项目至关重要，因为高速铁路的便利，只有在乘客能够快速从本地抵达站点时方能体现。
The Northern Hub may be a case study in how infrastructure spending can boost an economy. A 2006 study of Britain’s transport system by Sir Rod Eddington, a former head of British Airways, advised the government to prioritise congested urban areas, key inter-urban corridors and international gateways. The Northern Hub tackles all three.
北方交通枢纽项目可能成为基础设施投资刺激经济发展的一个例子。罗德·爱丁顿爵士，英国航空公司的前任高层，曾于2006年对英国交通运输系统进行调查，并且建议政府优先建设拥挤的城市地区的、城市之间的、以及国际的通道。北方交通枢纽项目实践了上述三点建议。
It also demonstrates the importance of regional unity. The project can be traced back to 2004, when the north’s three regional development agencies (all since abolished) began a collaboration aimed at improving the area’s economy. This “Northern Way” ended up focusing on transport. Network Rail responded to its promptings with proposals to remove some of the bottlenecks around Manchester. It is often difficult for the north to get its voice heard, says Ed Cox of IPPR North, a think-tank. The consensus behind the Northern Hub made it hard to ignore.
这同时也证明了地区联合之重要。北方交通枢纽项目的建设可以追溯到2004年，三个北方地区发展机构（都已撤除）开始就发展本地区经济展开合作。这项”北方行动“最终达成了发展地区交通的共识。铁路网络公司对消除曼市周边线路瓶颈的提议做出了积极回应。”来自北方的声音常被忽视“，智库”Ed Cox of IPPR North“如是说。但关于北方枢纽项目的舆论共识使得它很难再被忽视。
The Northern Way’s success in pushing for better transport has led to calls for a permanent transfer of decision-making to a regional outfit. With the two northern rail franchises, Northern and TransPennine, due to be relet in the next couple of years, one option, already pitched to the Department for Transport, would be for their operations to be combined and devolved to a new body.
”北方行动“在争取更好的交通条件方面的成功已经引起了一种呼声，要求将决策权永久下放至地区机构。已经有一项提议被提交至交通部，要求未来几年内将迎来续租截止期的“北部“与”跨奔宁山“这两项铁路专营权能够合并，并且移交至新的主体。
That is a question for the future. For now, there is broad satisfaction that a transport project designed expressly to invigorate the north’s economy is about to pull out of the station.
这是一项未来的问题。现在，专用于刺激北方经济，且被广泛认可的，北部交通枢纽号”列车“，正在驶出站台。
From the print edition: Europe
