After years of neglect and broken promises, the government’s commitment to reviving the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project is a welcome and long-overdue development. The £45 billion investment plan, unveiled by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, aims to transform the region’s outdated and unreliable rail network, connecting major cities across the North and West.
For far too long, the North has been starved of the kind of transport investment that has been taken for granted in the South-East. Analysis of Treasury figures has found that the equivalent of seven Elizabeth lines could have been built in the North if funding levels had been equitable. Instead, an estimated £140 billion shortfall has meant that a 35-mile journey from Liverpool to Manchester can take more than twice as long as the 42-mile trip from London to Reading.
The government’s three-stage plan to upgrade rail connections from the West Coast to the North-East is a step in the right direction. Labour’s northern mayors have rallied behind the proposals, which include a much-needed new station for Bradford – the country’s worst-connected major city.
However, a discernible undercurrent of cynicism is understandable. While the headline figure of £45 billion is substantial, only £1.1 billion of government money has initially been allocated to develop the modernisation project. Much of the major work will not take place until the 2030s and 40s, and construction on a new Birmingham-to-Manchester line – vital to ease congestion on the West Coast mainline – is only expected to begin 20 years from now.
The economic case for improving the North’s transport infrastructure is inarguable. Future productivity gains resulting from easier mobility could eventually dwarf the cost of upgrading. Just as importantly, in a country where deepening regional inequalities have fuelled resentment, giving the North a respectable rail network can help unify a divided and increasingly polarised nation.
This time, the journey needs to be completed rather than aborted en route. Long-suffering passengers and commuters will be watching closely to ensure that the government’s promises are not once again broken.
