Rail experts have warned the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic cannot restrict ambitions to level-up the North through green growth.
Speaking during a Labour Party conference fringe webinar, Transport for the North’s Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) Director Tim Wood said the contraction in passenger numbers over the past few months should not impact planning for the rest of the 21st century.
He called for short and long-term projects in the North to be brought together in a continuous pipeline of investment over the next 20 years to rebalance the whole of the British economy.
“Investment in rail infrastructure will help provide long-term certainty and get the economy moving in the wake of the current COVID19 crisis,” he added.
“We cannot let the temporary shock of the pandemic allow us to contract in these decades to come.
“We actually want to get going, get levelling-up the UK, and rail is certainly one of the ways to go forward.”
Tuesday’s fringe event focused on accelerating a green recovery and what will be required to ensure the decarbonisation agenda is a key consideration post-Covid19.
The debate also looked at the importance of freeing up capacity for rail freight, which will reduce the reliance of lorries and the associated carbon emissions from highways.
And Mr Wood said it requires a collaborative approach from transport organisations, councils and private businesses, to deliver on the skills need across the region.
“We stand at a really important moment in the North’s history,” he said.
“The steps we take over the next few year will really help shape our destiny and journeys for decades.”