The UK Department for Transport has today pledged £589
million to ‘kickstart’ work on rail improvements in the North, most of which
will be spent on electrifying the main line between Leeds, Huddersfield and
Manchester.
The improvements will also see tracks on the heavily
congested line double from two to four in places, allowing faster trains to
overtake slower ones, which the DfT says will improve journey times and
reliability for passengers across the region. Enabling all-electric trains to
operate between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and Newcastle could bring
longer and more frequent trains, according to the government.
Work is also under way to tackle bottlenecks at either end
of the route, with Leeds station being resignalled and a new platform being
built.
Other improvements include £20 million to deliver
infrastructure renewals on the Tyne and Wear Metro, following the announcement
of £15 million to upgrade Horden, Darlington and Middlesbrough stations.
In addition to the funding, the DfT is establishing the
Northern Transport Acceleration Council dedicated to speeding up infrastructure
projects and better connecting communities across the North. The council will
ensure leaders in the region have a “direct line” to ministers and has been
formed in an attempt to cut bureaucracy and red tape to deliver more modern and
reliable transport services to passengers. It will hold its first meeting in
September and will be made up of mayors and council leaders, with transport
secretary Grant Shapps as chair.
Rail passengers in the North have long been calling for more
investment in services. The region was one of the worst-hit by a timetable
fiasco in the summer of 2018 that caused widespread disruption for months.
Customers often complain of delays and last-minute cancellations, particularly
on the line between Leeds and Manchester.
Improvement works on the Transpennine route were first announced
in 2011, with a new £2.9 billion scheme confirmed in 2019, but work has since
been stalled.
Speaking about the £589 million kickstart, Shapps said: “People
across the North righly expect action, progress and ambition and this
government is determined to accelerate improvements as we invest billions to
level up the region’s infrastructure. We are determined to build back better at
pace, and this new council will allow us to engage collectively and directly
with elected northern leaders to build the vital projects the region is crying
out for.”
Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, added: “This
feels like a gear change from the government in the delivery of transport improvements
in the North of England and I welcome the new drive that the transport
secretary is bringing to this.
“As we look to recover from Covid-19 and build back better,
I am ready to work in constructive partnership with the government to get
visible transport improvements as quickly as possible. My top priority is to
build a London-style, integrated public transport system in Greater Manchester
and I look forward to working with the secretary pf state on making this vision
a reality.”