Despite dodging questions on the postponing of the Transpennine rail electrification during Prime Minister’s questions, yesterday’s budget saw at least some commitment to the  Northern Powerhouse with the Chancellor announcing the strengthening of Transport for the North (TfN).

TfN will be made a statutory body with statutory duties, underpinned by £30m of additional funding for the next three years and will appoint an interim chief executive and executive team by the autumn and a chair by the end of the year.

The Chancellor committed to the an Oyster card for the North of England integrating ticketing across bus, tram, metro and rail services throughout the region.

The Chancellor also announced £5.8m for the A66 Highways Maintenance Scheme in Bolton as part of a further round of the “pinchpoint” fund which addresses local congestion and bottlenecks and £3m for Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council to make structural improvements.

The government, says the treasury, remains absolutely committed to pushing forward with plans for delivering High Speed 2 (HS2) to the North by the early 2030s, and will bring forward a Hybrid Bill for the first stage of Phase 2 in this parliament.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here