Foundations for growth

The Department for Transport says its figures show that spending in the north over the next three years will actually be higher than London and the south of England.

It says that between 2018 and 2021, it will be investing £831 per head on road and rail upgrades in the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber – more than £30 more per head than London and the south at £799.

Government minister Baroness Sugg said: “We are investing more than £13 billion to improve connections across the north between 2015 and 2020, getting people to their work, family and friends, quicker and easier than before.

“This investment demonstrates the government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse, which will help unlock economic growth and much-needed housing across the region”.

The DfT says more than £1bn is being spent on improving the north’s rail network with further investment through the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises to deliver room for 40,000 more passengers to travel on over 2,000 more services a week.

The government also plans to invest a further £3 billion upgrading the Transpennine rail route, better connecting Manchester, Leeds and York.

And as part of the government’s commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), it says Transport for the North has been given £60m to develop proposals for the scheme, alongside investing £300m to ensure HS2 can accommodate future NPR services.

The final section of the M62 upgrade between Leeds and Manchester is expected to start construction in 2019-20, leading to quicker, safer and more reliable journeys.

The DfT also points to Sheffield’s new tram-train project and the A6 Manchester Airport Relief Road as its commitment to infrastructure development.

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