The Government has announced an extra £317m investment into the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) to improve train journeys across the North.
There will also be spending from the New Stations Fund to build a new station at Thorpe Park in Leeds.
Responding to the investment commitment, Tim Wood, Interim Chief Executive at Transport for the North, said: “It’s great to see the next round of funding unlocked for major work on this route to commence at pace. It will deliver improvements both east and west of Leeds with works this summer set to support future electrification, an increase in train speeds across the Pennines and upgrades to the aging infrastructure for the benefit of passengers.
“This is really welcomed news and a key part of Transport for the North’s investment programme to transform our rail network. However, we still need clarity on the full proposal for the Transpennine Route Upgrade and we will work with Government collaboratively to achieve more capacity and resilience in this major rail artery.”
“We now look forward to Government publishing the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands. Having a clear, committed rail investment programme is a key pillar of the levelling-up agenda and its publication as soon as possible is critical if we are to avoid delays to major programmes like TRU, Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 in the North.
“We continue to believe that TRU should be wholly electrified and be fully gauge cleared for W10/W12 to support the growth in freight movements from our Northern ports so supporting the North as a whole to reach its true economical potential.”