A consultation on the future of the region’s rail service has been launched by the Government.
Rail passengers in the north of England are being asked what improvements they want to see for services across the regions.
The Government is launching the consultation as it considers how the Northern and TransPennine franchises can best make use of the massive investment being rolled out across the network.
Routes across the region will benefit from extensive electrification and upgrades over the next five years as part of the Government’s £1 billion investment in the northern network – this will add up to 700 extra trains every day and 44 million additional passengers a year.
The Government claims this will mean better journeys, improved connections and more modern trains for passengers and business commuters, travelling between the key strategic cities of Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Manchester and Newcastle and onwards to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
“To make sure we make the most of this investment and deliver a railway that is truly world class and boosts our economy it is vital that we hear the views of the people who use these services,” said rail minister Stephen Hammond.
“This is further proof of our commitment to put passengers at the heart of our railways,” he added.
Both the TransPennine Expresss and Northern franchises are to be awarded by February 2016.
The consultation will run until August 18.
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