THE British government announced on January 14 its plans for a revived Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) programme to invest in the rail network in northern England, with the objective of increasing capacity and cutting journey times between the five largest cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Sheffield.

The government says that investing in better rail services will help to increase the productivity of these cities to the national average. NPR is one of the central building blocks of the government’s plan for northern England which is due to be published this spring.

A funding cap of £45bn will be set for NPR, including £1.1bn up to 2029-30 allocated from existing budgets. The government says it will learn lessons from Phase 1 of the HS2 project currently under construction between London and Birmingham, and will work closely with local partners “to ensure that planning processes are carried out efficiently, and approvals are streamlined to reduce delays and prevent projects going over-budget.”

Phase 1 of NPR will be delivered in the 2030s and will prioritise upgrades and electrification on the Leeds - Sheffield, Leeds - York and Leeds - Bradford lines, according to the government. The Leeds - York line is currently being electrified under the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) programme, while Leeds - Sheffield formed part of the £19.6bn investment package for northern England promised by the previous Conservative administration when it cancelled HS2 Phase 2 from Birmingham to Manchester in October 2023.

Funding will also be provided for developing the business case for reopening the Leamside Line between Durham and Newcastle, which would complement the East Coast Main Line (ECML) between those two cities.

Phase 2

Under Phase 2 of NPR a new line would be built between Liverpool and Manchester, with three new stations at Warrington Bank Quay Low Level, Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly. Delivery is due to start in the 2030s, and in the meantime £115m will be spent to extend platforms at the existing Manchester Airport station under a project approved on January 14.

Phase 3 of NPR will focus on improvements to the Manchester - Sheffield and Manchester - Leeds lines, while exploring options for Manchester - Bradford.

To maximise the benefits of NPR, the government has also announced its long-term objective to build a new line from Birmingham to Manchester in order to relieve the West Coast Main Line (WCML). The government stresses that this will not revive HS2 Phase 2, although land purchased for this project will be retained as a feasibility study is conducted with local partners to determine the scope, specifications and timescale of the new project.

“This new era of investment will reignite the economy across Liverpool and Manchester, helping their iconic sport and cultural industries to thrive, and cementing Manchester Airport as the gateway to the north,” says transport secretary, Heidi Alexander.”

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