Pressure is mounting for a £15bn Government investment in a Transport for London style body to ‘fire up’ the Northern economy.
A report from think tank IPPR North has today called on chancellor George Osborne to use the Coalition’s final Budget to fund a multi-billion pound refurbishment of the North’s ‘creaking’ transport network.
Creation of a body called Transport for the North (TfN) would see local authorities in the North West, Yorkshire and Humber and the North East taking responsibility for rail, road, sea and air transport alongside priorities for infrastructure investment.
The think tank anticipates such a body could also help introduce contactless, cross boundary ticketing system for the North.
Ed Cox, director of IPPR North, said The body would be at the ‘vanguard of a coherent economic plan’ to invigorate the Northern powerhouse, which has in recent months become a central goal of the Coalition.
‘Northern transport infrastructure is dated, poorly integrated and lacking the large-scale investment it needs,’ he added.
‘Devolving transport powers and budget to the North will help transform the region’s growth prospects and rebalance the economy. What we now need to see is the warm words on Northern growth translated into firm commitments to make this vision for a modern transport network a reality.’
Chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, Stephen Joseph, said the IPPR North’s report showed how devolution away from Westminster could ‘kick-start not just the creation of a modern, integrated transport network, but also one which is genuinely sustainable - reducing the reliance on cars and the need for controversial and environmentally damaging road projects’.
