£2.15bn funding means north ‘no longer held to ransom’ by broken transport system

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is announcing a £2.15bn investment in northern transport today (March 28).

He says it means the north will no longer be “held to ransom” by a broken transport system.

The Prime Minister will today set out plans to make the Liverpool-Hull corridor an economic superpower – rivalling the Oxford-Cambridge arc – kickstarted with £1.7bn this year.

Funding announced today includes:

• For the key rail line between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York, which has been plagued by disruptions and delays for years without a plan to fix it. The route will now be supported with £415m in funding from government to restore its failing services.
• For local leaders to unleash their areas’ untapped potential with more than £1bn for the North to improve the transport services people use every day – backing regional mayors and ensuring decisions about the north sit with those who call it home. This comes alongside £270m investment in bus services and £330m in road maintenance across the North.

The Prime Minister will make clear that these measures will better connect the north to support its thriving industries, unlocking growth in key sectors like Sheffield’s nuclear industry, booming fintech in Leeds, and cutting-edge life sciences in Liverpool.

It will also support leading universities left hamstrung by poor connectivity while commuter towns and cities near London benefit from world-leading transport infrastructure.

On a visit to a factory in the north of England today, the Prime Minister will say that today’s funding boost must see local leaders speed up delivery of key projects in their areas, which will transform the lives of working families.

This includes:

• A Mass Transit system for West Yorkshire progressing, with the next stage of the business case expected in the autumn – bringing growth to the largest city in Europe without a metro transport system.
• A new Merseyrail station in the Baltic Triangle – better connecting the city to ‘Britain’s coolest neighbourhood’ – starting works this autumn and completed by spring 2028.
• The Bury Interchange redevelopment fast-tracked with £80m to improve bus and tram connectivity across Greater Manchester.

The Government says today’s announcement will provide stability for the north following years of uncertainty and broken promises.

A CGI of the planned Liverpool Baltic station

Sir Keir said: “The north is home to a wealth of talent and ingenuity. But for too long, it has been held to ransom by a Victorian-era transport system which has stifled its potential.

“I lived in Leeds for years, I get that this has real-world impacts – missed appointments, children late to school, work meetings rescheduled – all leading to insecurity and instability for working people.

“My government won’t stand by and watch. We are rolling up our sleeves, and today’s downpayment for growth is a vote of confidence in the north’s world-beating industries.”

He added: “The film studios in Bradford, life sciences in Liverpool, the fintech industry in Leeds – it is time they had a government on their side to get the north motoring again.

“After years of false promises and under-delivery, this government is delivering real change for the north.

“We are spending double as much on local transport in the north than the south, all done hand-in-hand with our mayors and local leaders.

“Through our Plan for Change, we are upgrading transport in the north, we are correcting years of unfairness that has gone before, and we are better linking our historic towns and cities. That means boosting living standards, putting more money in the pockets of working people, and restoring pride to communities.”

Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “For too long, the north has been left behind and relied on a crumbling transport system that’s not fit to serve the great towns and cities it’s home to.

“The Government’s Plan for Change will end that and schemes like the TransPennine Route Upgrade will bolster the region’s neglected potential and make travelling between these historic northern towns and cities quicker, easier and greener.

“Once the TransPennine Route Upgrade is completed, journey times between the major cities of Manchester and Leeds will be slashed from 50 to 42 minutes, with up to six fast services every hour, while journey times from Manchester to York will be reduced by ten minutes.”

While investment is welcome, some elements of today’s package are hardly a surprise to the region, such as the Liverpool Baltic Triangle rail station which has been in the system for several years.

Henri Murison, Northern Powerhouse Partnership

Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “The support from government to become an economic superpower is welcome – but without further commitments from the additional capital funding provided for in the Spring Statement actually being allocated in the 10-year Infrastructure Strategy, the £1.7bn being spent this year and what is committed so far is necessary but not sufficient.

“The existing £13bn of investment committed to by the previous government and continued by this Prime Minister and Chancellor, including the £415m for new trains, will secure improvements across the Pennines between York through Leeds to Manchester on the existing lines including electrification.

“However, we also need additional funding for stations at both ends of the project to get the maximum benefits.

“We also need work to continue on a new station for Bradford and the Hybrid Bill to get trains from Manchester Airport towards Yorkshire because Northern Powerhouse Rail – including new lines as well as upgrades, with benefits from the North West across to Hull and up to the North East – is still needed in the longer term.”