Following the Prime Minister’s announcement today that he would be funding the Manchester – Leeds section of Northern Powerhouse Rail as part of a commitment to delivering the whole network, Barry White, Chief Executive at Transport for the North, said;
“The fact that the Prime Minister has today firmly committed to delivering a Northern Powerhouse Rail network is a major leap forward for the North. One our business and political leaders have been working tirelessly to secure for several years.
“Just days into his premiership, Boris Johnson is here in the North promising to invest in our creaking infrastructure. Not just the Manchester to Leeds line, but a whole network from Liverpool to Hull, and from Sheffield up to Newcastle, connecting the towns and cities in between.
“As Transport for the North, we’ll work with the new Government to make that a reality as quickly as we can. Any agreement later this year must include funding commitments for work on the whole network, including new lines and significant upgrades, and it must be made jointly with the North, as Boris Johnson promised.
“Following decades of underinvestment, our plans are bold, ambitious, and would deliver a radical rail network for our towns and cities.
“With the Prime Minister committing to power up the north and rebalance the economy – investment in Northern Powerhouse Rail as well as a raft of local improvements as part of an infrastructure pipeline must now come forward.”