Transport minister trumpets £13bn Northern Powerhouse boost

A BLUEPRINT for how £13bn of government investment in transport will help create the Northern Powerhouse has been unveiled.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin revealed the plan to make transport better by improving links that bind the north together.

“It will bring cities and regions closer together and strengthen connections – the North West to Yorkshire, the North East and the Midlands – making it easier for hard working people and businesses to access markets or deploy their skills,” he said.

The Government also announced an independent review by entrepreneur and business woman Michelle Mone aimed at encouraging further business start-ups and entrepreneurships in disadvantaged communities, including the North.

McLoughlin said: “This one nation government is determined to close the economic gap between north and south. Investing in transport – something that successive governments have failed to do sufficiently – is vital to making that happen.

“We had a choice – building the infrastructure our country needs, or letting our transport system become a brake on growth and opportunity. We have chosen to invest for the future.

“Across the north, that investment is already having a huge impact, with programmes underway to upgrade our railways and our roads. We are determined to keep the momentum going.”

The news has been welocmed by Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.

Its head of research and policy, Christian Spence said: “This is acollection of already-announced initiative, but nevetheless we welcome the scale of proposed investment in this vital area of the UK economy.

“Bringing all the projects together into a single masterplan may aid the wider understanding of the aims, but without significant commitment to speedy deliver, the businesses, commuters and residents of the north of England may yet be waiting years, if not a decade or more, before they see the tangible benefits of these plans.

“For Manchester, there are announcements for new platforms at Manchester Piccadilly, the rebuilding of Manchester Oxford Road, the Ordsall Chord and the now nearly completed Manchester Victoria restoration.

“Speed and capacity improvements on the Manchester to Sheffield line and Calder Valley line via Rochdale and Todmorden will be welcomed by many, as will the continued – if delayed – commitment to Trans-Pennine electrification.

“Road investments such as M60 and M62 improvements, and improvements to the Woodhead Pass and a new Mottram Moor Link Road are all welcome, but speed of delivery must now receive a laser-like focus from government and its agencies.”

Chairman of KPMG North Chris Hearld added: “It is absolutely right that transport infrastructure is recognised as the linchpin of the Northern Powerhouse, so this new blueprint, which captures those major infrastructure projects which are helping to better connect our northern cities, certainly makes for encouraging reading.

“However, one would hope that this isn’t the sum total of investment in our regional road and rail networks.

“Rather, this should mark the start of a transformative programme, which delivers world-class connectivity between our towns and cities.”
 
“And while it’s also good news that the Government is seeking the views of business on the investment in the Northern Powerhouse as part of the newly created Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group, all leaders across the North must also continue to voice their appetite for significant investment and ensure that this early momentum is sustained.”

Patrick Twist, transport partner at Pinsent Masons in Manchester, echoed the comments, when he said: “The government’s Blueprint for the Northern Powerhouse contains a restatement of the many road and rail investments that are either recently completed, currently underway or planned for the future in the North of England.

“There is nothing new in it and, of course, it comes only a couple of months after Mr McLoughlin, had to announce that the much trumpeted electrification of the Trans-Pennine and Midland Mainline routes was to be “paused”  in the light of delays and cost overruns in Network Rail’s investment programme.”