Transport for the North and Mayor of Greater Manchester react to announcement for Northern Powerhouse Rail

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester

Transport for the North has welcomed the announcement of funding to ensure that Northern Powerhouse Rail can connect seamlessly with HS2, future-proofing the railways of the North of England. This will ensure that as much of the North as possible benefits from this major infrastructure investment.

"Providing fast, frequent and reliable rail services across the North is vital to the economy of the whole of the United Kingdom", says TfN.

When planning the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme TfN  says it has been mindful of the importance both of accommodating future demand and making the most of infrastructure investment that has already been committed, particularly HS2.

This announcement is a significant step forward in TfN’s plans for the development of Northern Powerhouse Rail. It will enable much-needed transformational rail connections for the north to be delivered cheaper, faster and with less disruption.

TfN says it is look forward to continuing to work with the government and partners to ensure that future growth in services is planned for when designing these vital connections. This will include further work on the arrangements at Manchester Piccadilly and is pleased that "the Chancellor recognises the importance of keeping all options open".

TfN says this will "ensure that there is enough capacity and flexibility to provide for both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail services, and to allow for growth throughout the 21st century and beyond".

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester said: "I welcome this announcement by the Chancellor but it is only a first step towards providing the investment that the North needs and was promised.

"At best this investment will only deliver benefits in the future. However the travelling public in the North is having to put up with sub-standard rail services right now. Electrification across the Pennines was promised in 2011 but today the Chancellor was silent on this. People here deserve a better answer on when Manchester to Leeds services will improve.

"Today’s announcement would not have been made if the North had not got organised and found its voice over the summer. We won't put up with clapped out trains and congested roads any longer. Until we have a clear plan for the investment required to build a Northern Powerhouse we were promised, the voice of the North will only get stronger."