Sector - Public Sector

Rail investment trebles in the north

28 Jul 22

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has announced a major boost to funding for rail route upgrades in the north.

Additional funding will be invested in upgrading the TransPennine route to deliver a gold standard rail network, with digital signalling technology, electrification of the full route and building additional tracks for passenger and freight services.

By trebling the investment for TransPennine route upgrades (TRU), investment in the route will see journey time slashed and carbon emissions reduced by up to 87,000 tonnes per year.

The increase in funding, from £2.9Bn to more than £9Bn, is set to strengthen TRU and Northern Powerhouse Rail, transforming an already ambitious project to a ‘gold standard’ and delivering on the government’s priority of Levelling Up the country.

A further £959M of funding has been released to progress the next phase of TRU between Manchester and York.

Funding will also facilitate Northern Powerhouse Rail potentially doubling the amount of direct construction jobs from 2,000 to up to 4,000, taking thousands of lorries off our roads and delivering better journeys, sooner for passengers across the north.

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps said: “Through our record-breaking integrated rail plan, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to redesign the railways and it’s only right that we deliver this in line with the best quality technology at our disposal.

“By trebling the overall investment in the TRU, I’m ensuring the north is at the forefront of the government’s Levelling Up agenda and guaranteeing passengers gold standard services set to deliver greener, faster and reliable services through Northern Powerhouse Rail, electrification and additional train tracks.”

The TransPennine route upgrade, announced in November 2021 as part of the integrated rail plan, will be hitting the tracks from 2025 – boosting economic growth and creating local skilled jobs.