Chancellor Rachel Reeves said plans to improve rail travel across England will ‘reverse years of chronic underinvestment.’
Yesterday (13th January), the government announced a £45bn scheme to boost train links between northern towns and cities. An initial £1.1bn has been earmarked for the design and preparation.
The project, known as Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), will be delivered in three stages. The first stage begins with ongoing upgrades to TransPennine routes, which will be extended to a new station in Bradford.
The second stage will create a new line connecting Liverpool and Manchester. The route will pass via Manchester Airport and Warrington, partly following the cancelled HS2 high-speed rail plan and which could allow for a future link to Birmingham.
The third stage will further improve connections across the Pennines, linking Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, York and Sheffield.
Work is expected to start in the 2030s but not be completed until at least 2045. Any new line between Manchester and Birmingham would begin only after the NPR is finished.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the project was ‘proof we’re putting our money where our mouth is, working with local leaders to deliver the transport links that will help working people do what they need to in life.’
He added that people in the region had ‘been let down by broken promises. This cycle has to end. No more paying lip service to the potential of the North, but backing it to the hilt.’
Mayors have been warned that they may need to raise local funding for parts of the scheme. The Treasury has capped total spending at £45bn to avoid the huge overspend that affected HS2.
Greater Manchester leaders have welcomed the announcement. Mayor Andy Burnham said the plans could even include an underground station in Manchester city centre.
‘Finally, we have a government with an ambitious vision for the North, firm commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail and an openness to an underground station in Manchester city centre,’ Burnham said. ‘A modernised Manchester Piccadilly could become the Kings Cross of the North, acting as a catalyst for major growth in our city region and beyond.
‘Over the past decade, we’ve become the UK’s fastest growing city region, but underinvestment in rail infrastructure has long acted as a brake on further growth.’
Manchester Airport, the UK’s biggest outside London, will also get a new station on the line. Chris Woodroofe, managing director of Manchester Airport, said: ‘This is a welcome and long overdue step towards the creation of a highly productive and internationally competitive Northern growth corridor.
‘By placing Manchester Airport at the heart of a full Northern Powerhouse Rail Network, people and businesses across the region will have the direct access they deserve to the world.
‘The project will deliver the public investment needed to turbo-charge Manchester Airports Groups’ £1.3bn transformation of Manchester Airport. It will unlock the full capacity of Manchester’s existing two full-length runways – capacity that is available now.’
Image: Sam/UnSplash
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