Reports this morning claim that Northern Powerhouse Rail will not be delivered on time and on budget after it has been classed as a one of a number of so-called “red-rated” projects across Whitehall
The which is due to link five of Britain’s major northern cities — including Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester — with a new electrified rail line at a cost of £30.6 billion is due to be signed off by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves before the Labour Party Conference in September.
However there are now fears that as with HS2, cost overruns could now delay the project
The analysis by The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (Nista) found that red-rated projects accounted for 20 per cent of total liabilities, up from 12 per cent the year before, which was the previous high.
Red means: “Successful delivery of the project appears to be unachievable. There are major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable. The project may need re-scoping and/or its overall viability reassessed.”
Last week the Guardian reported that Transport secretary Heidi Alexander will make the rail link project central to her conference speech
