Plans for Northern Powerhouse rail could be scaled back as the Government is set to make its much delayed announcement this week accoring to reports
According to the Times Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham has been told to “work positively” with ministers and offer public support to the rail plans
The report says that the Department for Transport will set out a three-phase approach to the project. Upgrades of existing rail infrastructure east of the Pennines would be the priority in phase one, including Leeds-Bradford, Leeds-Sheffield and Leeds-York corridors, as well as looking at stations.
Work on the second phase, a new high-speed line between Liverpool and Manchester, via Manchester airport, would only begin after the Yorkshire upgrades.
Consideration of phase three, which would examine overall better cross-Pennine links, would only begin once significant work on phase two development was complete. Ministers are understood to view Manchester to Bradford and Manchester to Sheffield as central to this.
Northern Mayors have also been told by the Department for Transport that they will be expected to make contributions towards the project.
The plan for a new high-speed railway connecting the cities in the north of England has been promised for over a decade but had started to fade after years of inaction from central government and an announcement expected in last year’s budget was also put on hold with Rachel Reeves announcing a commitment to “the Northern Growth Corridor including Northern Powerhouse Rail”
The Financial Times reported before Xmas that the Government was looking at basic scheme that will feature “‘quicker wins’ such as electrification around Leeds potentially to be progressed first
