A multi-billion pound blueprint for northern transport has today unveiled detailed plans for high-speed rail links between cities, road upgrades and smart ticketing.
The first transport strategy from Transport for the North (TfN) – the new body formed of city leaders – proposes slashing journey times between urban areas through new high speed links and sweeping upgrades of roads into smart motorways.
Allocation of £12.5bn to progress the vision for transport infrastructure is designed to build greater momentum behind chancellor George Osborne’s plan for a ‘northern powerhouse’.
Ministers confirmed that TfN would expand its role to become a representative body for the whole of the north of England, being led by an independent chair from this autumn and potentially gaining a multi-year funding commitment from the Government.
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin vowed to accelerate delivery of the northern branch of high-speed rail line HS2 through a dedicated hybrid Bill to lay during the next Parliament.
Proposals included in the strategy include a ‘TransNorth’ network of high speed rail connections, joining Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and Hull with routes capable of reaching speeds of 140mph.
Immediate action will be taken to streamline ticketing and fares, develop contactless travel cards and draw up proposals for a fares structure to integrate costs and eliminate differences that exist between areas.
Sir Richard Leese, chair of the TfN partnership board and leader of Manchester City Council, said: ‘Our cities are individually strong, and increasingly have the tools to grow, but by working together they can be stronger than the sum of their parts. But what is absolutely vital is securing long-term, cross-party support around our investment plans which run for at least the next 15 years, and the delivery can't change with every election.’
Chancellor George Osborne, said: ‘From backing high speed rail to introducing simpler fares right across the north, our ambitious plans for transport means we will deliver a truly national recovery where every part of the country will share in Britain’s prosperity.’
Ed Cox, director at think tank IPPR North, welcomed the ‘encouraging’ ambition of the plans but questioned why five year infrastructure budgets had not been devolved to TfN ‘allowing it to determine its own appraisal processes and ending the in-built bias towards funding infrastructure schemes in London’.
