The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has promised that major rail improvements across the north of England will transform the region and boost the UK economy, more than a decade after such a project was first proposed
Speaking to BBC breakfast earlier she said that passengers should start seeing improvements there earlier because “we’re not going to wait until the whole line is built for people to be able to see the benefits”.
“This is actually going to happen. It’s going to improve your train links.” she said to The North’s commuters adding
“This is not decades into the future and we are not going to wait until the whole line is built for people to be able to see the benefits. We are learning lessons from things like HS2.”
Earlier Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell gave her approval of the announcement
The commitment to Northern Powerhouse rail – and the northern growth plan which underpins it – is game-changing. I strongly welcome it and the Labour government for backing it.
For too long, the deep regional inequalities and efforts to address them have been held back by years of underinvestment, indecision and false promise.
To unlock opportunity, inclusive growth and improved quality of life, we need to better connect our great northern cities and towns. That’s where we get the big gains.
Critical to these gains is an underground, through station at Manchester Piccadilly which would future proof capacity and reliability for generations to come. Also connectivity to Manchester Airport with flights all around the world, will unlock new trade and investment to wider regions, like Sheffield and Liverpool.
