Strategic Transport Plan
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For the first time, civic and business leaders from across the North have come together to outline our vision for the future.
Our Strategic Transport Plan outlines how strategic investment in transport could support up to £100 billion growth in GVA and create an additional 850,000 jobs by 2050.
The Plan will rebalance decades of underinvestment and transform the lives of people in the North.
The STP outlines how strategic investment in transport could unlock inclusive and sustainable transformative economic growth. In the accompanying Investment Programme, we identified the transport projects which should be funded to deliver this step-change.
At a glance STP
Our Strategic Transport Plan has won widespread praise and recognition, and scooped the prestigious Transport Planning Award at the 2020 CIHT Awards. Judges commented that the entry was:
Learn more“An outstanding project with a clear vision to provide a strategic travel plan for a complex area. The scheme was grounded in engagement and produced a good evidence base with clear benefits to society.”
“I am clear that our focus needs to be on working with our partners and with Government to implement our Strategic Transport Plan for the North.”
The submission of our Strategic Transport Plan Innovation saw TfN fulfil one of the key functions under our statutory powers and marked a pivotal moment for the North. For the first time, the North has an investment blueprint – backed by our civic and business leaders – aimed at unleashing new levels of opportunity for future generations.
An effective, efficient Northern transport network is a fundamental part of everyday life – connecting people to jobs, health, education and leisure opportunities, connecting businesses to each other and employees; and allowing the efficient movement of goods and services.
A transport system that is fit-for-purpose with strong North-South and East-West connections will be the backbone of a strong economy for the North and for the UK.
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Evidence and research plays an integral role in providing the strategic and economic context for individual schemes within our Investment Programme, as well as supporting the priorities of Northern leaders set through the Northern Transport Charter.
Learn moreOur policy positions outline the work we carry out with Partners and stakeholders across the North to deliver the Strategic Transport Plan (STP). They clearly set out the challenges and opportunities for us to add value across a range of policy areas. These positions are used to inform statutory advice when required, ensure a consistent approach across our workstreams and help us turn our policies into action. As agreed by the Board, these statements will be embedded within the revised STP, which we aim to adopt by Spring 2024.
Our position is not a spatial plan itself, instead providing a framework for partners to consider the transport objectives of the Strategic Transport Plan within their own spatial plans and development strategies.
Policy Position Statement | Spatial Planning
A key element of delivering on our wider vision for the North is to understand and deliver upon the needs of rural communities, ensuring transport networks support good access to jobs, education and services for people living in rural areas, including those without access to a private car.
Policy Position Statement | Rural mobilityTransport for the North supports the ambition to make cycling and walking a natural choice for shorter journeys and will work with Local Transport Authority partners who have responsibility for local transport strategies and managing their local transport infrastructure.
Policy Position Statement | Active Travel
Our ambition is to support the development and delivery of improved multimodal hubs at key national and international gateways in the North.
We will work with partners to ensure journeys include better integration across all transport modes, with a focus on elements such as efficiency, inclusive design, and quality.
Our position for international connectivity and aviation has been developed in the context of several key themes and related workstreams. This includes our Freight and Logistics Strategy, Decarbonisation Strategy and our wider policy development work to support the refresh of the STP.
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Improving health and wellbeing can improve employment rates, raise educational attainment, and increase productivity. Conversely, unemployment is associated with poor mental and physical health.
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This document highlights the importance of enabling travel by foot and bicycle. It also identifies TfN's role, links to workstreams and TfN's suggested role in Active Travel
This document identifies the need to join-up transport options across different modes. The potential role of TfN in achieving better integration between Strategic Road Network
This policy position recognises there are different types of rural areas across the North, and identifies the need for a place-based and targeted approach for individual rural
In developing our position on spatial planning, our objective is to support partners in adopting a place-based approach to the development of local plans and strategies, as we
TfN’s position for international connectivity and aviation has been developed in the context of the impact of Covid-19, decarbonising transport, optimising the green econom
The transport and health policy position sets out the health challenge that exists around the transport system in the North, the links between this challenge and other key pol
To align with the Strategic Transport Plan, and make use of enhancements to the Analytical Framework, we are refreshing our Future Travel Scenarios to consider a broader range of drivers of change, including policies on sustainability and reducing carbon emissions; technology change and uptake; social behavioural change; and spatial planning policy.
The Future Scenarios will be applied within our Analytical Framework, to ensure agility and resilience of our Investment Programme through a greater understanding of social, economic and environmental challenges and opportunities across different plausible future states.
Our Future Travel Scenarios will also provide a visionary tool to help us understand strategic solutions which can ensure an inclusive and sustainable future transport system.
Future Travel Scenarios
Decarbonisation describes the process of reducing, and ultimately removing, Greenhouse Gas emissions produced as a by-product of the functioning of an economy.
At Transport for the North, we’re committed to a Northern Transport Decarbonisation Strategy, and recognise the need to push ahead with pilot projects using hydrogen and battery power on the rail network.
Decarbonisation agendaTransport is vital social infrastructure, providing access to work and education opportunities, key services, community life, leisure, and recreation.
And while digital service access is expanding, our ability to fulfil our needs and aspirations remains linked to our ability to travel and access transport resources.
Because of this, inequalities in access to transport contribute to poverty and economic deprivation, inequalities in health and wellbeing, and social isolation.
Social Inclusion Strategy
Please click on the links below to download the publications
The capability and capacity provided by TfN is greatly valued by its members and is seen as something that needs to be retained and nurtured. This Business Plan builds on tho
Leaders of the North have agreed on a preferred network for Northern Powerhouse Rail – a huge upgrade to the North’s railways which will unlock the prosperity of the regio
This outlines a pipeline of transport interventions to better connect the whole of the North, with a short, medium and long-term plan for investment.
Setting out the key messages on the case for investment in transport and our work programmes
Transforming journeys in the North | The case for investment in roads: Transport for the North's pan-Northern bid to the National Roads Fund
The first time the North has come together to outline the robust case for transformational transport investment across all of the North, to rebalance the UK economy
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