Plans to slash journey times between major northern cities with investment in high speed rail, developing new east-west road connections including a road tunnel under the Peak District and introducing Oyster-style smart travel cards and simpler fares across the North.  

The Chancellor George Osborne and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin will be in the North West today to launch the first Northern Transport Strategy report and are promising to revolutionise travel in the North, including a new ‘TransNorth’ rail system and new road investments.

As part of building a Northern Powerhouse, the Chancellor established Transport for the North (TfN) to bring together northern transport authorities, and tasked it with working with Government to create the first ever comprehensive transport strategy for the region, covering roads, rail, freight, airports and smart ticketing.

Building on the concept of High Speed 3, the report sets out a long term strategy to connect the great cities of the north with a network of high quality rail connections. This ‘TransNorth’ network – with sections capable of speeds up to 140mph – would link Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and Hull. With such a network journey times between Liverpool and Manchester could be as low as 20 minutes; Manchester to Sheffield and Leeds could both be 30 minutes; Leeds to Hull could be just 45, and Sheffield to Hull 50 minutes. Journey times from Manchester to Newcastle could be cut by 25%.

Also on the agenda, The Government is promising to deliver HS2, in the North sooner by preparing a dedicated hybrid Bill to lay during the next Parliament. 

This is with a view to bringing HS2 to Crewe sooner than planned, subject to further analysis and final decisions on preferred route. It will also look at the case for accelerating the construction of the route between Leeds and Sheffield, and allowing it to be used by for fast regional train services. 

There immediate action to simplify rail fares across the North, by streamlining the system of regulated fares. Regulated fares include most commuter fares and some off-peak fares and season tickets. Work will also begin on developing contactless travel cards that can be used across Northern cities as well as on providing simpler, more unified information for passengers, making it easier for them to plan and make their journeys. 

 Major improvements to the North’s road network will continue. There are plans expand the M62 to four lanes between Leeds and Manchester, upgrade the M6 to four lanes, improve the A1 to provide continuous motorway standard between London and Newcastle and widen the M1 to four lane running in Yorkshire and Humber.

 As part of TransNorth, work will begin on better connecting Manchester airport to neighbouring cities in order to boost international links and make the North more globally competitive. There will also be a review for regional airports affected by the recent devolution of air passenger duty.

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said: “Connecting up the great cities of the North is at the heart of our plan to build a ‘northern powerhouse’. This report has the potential to revolutionise transport in the North and we will work closely with Transport for the North to help make it a reality.

“From backing high speed rail to introducing simpler fares right across the North, our ambitious plans for transport means we will deliver a truly national recovery where every part of the country will share in Britain’s prosperity.”  

Treasury analysis has shown that rebalancing the UK economy would be worth an additional £56 billion in nominal terms to the northern economy, or £44 billion in real terms – equal to £1,600 per individual in the North – on top of the £290 billion the region already generates, rivalling the best trade centres in Europe.

To help deliver this, a £12.5 million development budget has been set to progress the proposals included in the report, which sets out the shared vision for the North’s transport infrastructure, integrating committed initiatives and schemes and identifying a host of new transformational priorities.

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