| Re: Northern Powerhouse Rail - plans for east to west high speed rail links delayed again Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 19:02, 25th September 2025 |     |
From the BBC:
Prime Minister 'remains committed' to Northern Powerhouse Rail
The Prime Minister has said his government "remains committed" to Northern Powerhouse Rail amid recent uncertainty over the major infrastructure project.
It comes after plans to extend high-speed rail across the north of England were delayed further, which the BBC understands was due to concerns over long-term costs.
Sir Keir Starmer said he wanted to "get it right" following the scrapping of HS2's northern phases. "While I do understand the frustration, I think that anyone who looks at the mess the last government made of HS2 would say getting it right matters rather than taking decisions that unravel like HS2," he added.
Northern Powerhouse Rail aims to cut journey times between northern towns and cities, including those in Yorkshire. It would include infrastructure upgrades and new lines but is a plan that numerous politicians have failed to deliver.
The prime minister said £3.5bn had been invested into the upgrade of the existing line, which was announced in the last budget.
On losing ground to Reform in Yorkshire, Sir Keir said people needed to decide whether they wanted the "toxic divide" that he says that party offers.
"You can have patriotic national renewal with Labour – or the politics of grievance which is Reform – where they want to trade on the problems not fix the problems because if we were to fix the problems their whole reason to exist dies away," he said. "We need to make our argument about what we're doing, also we need to remind people what we have done. It takes time to unpick 14 years of failure."
The Prime Minister has said his government "remains committed" to Northern Powerhouse Rail amid recent uncertainty over the major infrastructure project.
It comes after plans to extend high-speed rail across the north of England were delayed further, which the BBC understands was due to concerns over long-term costs.
Sir Keir Starmer said he wanted to "get it right" following the scrapping of HS2's northern phases. "While I do understand the frustration, I think that anyone who looks at the mess the last government made of HS2 would say getting it right matters rather than taking decisions that unravel like HS2," he added.
Northern Powerhouse Rail aims to cut journey times between northern towns and cities, including those in Yorkshire. It would include infrastructure upgrades and new lines but is a plan that numerous politicians have failed to deliver.
The prime minister said £3.5bn had been invested into the upgrade of the existing line, which was announced in the last budget.
On losing ground to Reform in Yorkshire, Sir Keir said people needed to decide whether they wanted the "toxic divide" that he says that party offers.
"You can have patriotic national renewal with Labour – or the politics of grievance which is Reform – where they want to trade on the problems not fix the problems because if we were to fix the problems their whole reason to exist dies away," he said. "We need to make our argument about what we're doing, also we need to remind people what we have done. It takes time to unpick 14 years of failure."
| Re: Northern Powerhouse Rail - plans for east to west high speed rail links delayed again Posted by infoman at 03:28, 25th September 2025 | |
Maybe the instillation of ticket gates/barriers at Preston Doncaster Rotherham Barnsley Chesterfield and Sheffield
might help collect the revenue that is being lost.
| Re: Northern Powerhouse Rail - plans for east to west high speed rail links delayed again Posted by John D at 19:47, 24th September 2025 | |
Again, due to cost.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckge94030g7o
That won't go down well in Liverpool (which is where Labour conference is being held in few days time)
Starmer does seem to know how to alienate North, whilst being London centric in his thinking.
| Re: Northern Powerhouse Rail - plans for east to west high speed rail links delayed again Posted by TaplowGreen at 18:09, 24th September 2025 | |
Again, due to cost.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckge94030g7o
| Re: Northern Powerhouse Rail - plans for east to west high speed rail links delayed again Posted by Kernow Otter at 22:59, 9th September 2025 | |
Have long thought that the better use of funds would be to 'level up' the whole of the network before embarking on new builds. Electrification, line speed improvements, fully regional freight facilities, service frequency....
When everywhere is at the same level, then perhaps invest in high speed lines.
| Re: Northern Powerhouse Rail - plans for east to west high speed rail links delayed again Posted by eightonedee at 22:33, 9th September 2025 | |
"Across Europe, every other country connects its big cities by modern high-speed rail," said Greater Manchester's Labour mayor. "
Hmmm....the German purpose-built lines is very much a patchwork of partial links, with Munich lacking any complete high-speed line to any other major city. Better than the UK, but still nothing like France or Spain, for example.
| Northern Powerhouse Rail - plans for east to west high speed rail links delayed again Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 15:14, 9th September 2025 | |
From the BBC:
Reform 'would scrap' high-speed northern rail line
A Reform UK government would scrap plans to build the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) link, its deputy leader has said.
In a report to the right-leaning Policy Exchange think tank, Richard Tice said companies considering bidding for contracts to build east-to-west high-speed rail links should "not bother".
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham rejected Tice's comments and suggested Reform UK wanted a "second-class railway" for the north of England.
The government also said northern England had been stuck with "second-rate" transport links for too long, and that this was "leaving communities cut off and holding back growth".
The NPR is a project to boost rail services going east to west across northern England, and was first proposed by former Tory chancellor George Osbourne in 2014 before being shelved under Boris Johnson's administration.
Labour is expected to announce the return of the scheme within the next few weeks.
Tice said a Reform UK government would "spend the money instead on things the country needs more". Citing the "billions in overspending" related to HS2, he described the government's expected commitment to more high-speed rail links as "insanity".
The Policy Exchange report proposed a set of alternative schemes, including a Manchester version of London's Elizabeth Line. It predicted NPR would be an "even greater train crash" than HS2, as a new line between Liverpool and Manchester could cost £30bn.
Researchers warned journeys between the cities on this line would take one minute longer than the fastest current services - which are 34 minutes - because it would also serve Manchester Airport.
Policy Exchange claimed the "crisis in HS2 is even worse than ministers admit", as the "true cost" for the line between London and Birmingham is "up to 22%" higher than the amount declared to Parliament.
A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: "We do not recognise these claims. HS2 Ltd is committed to the highest levels of transparency and our accounts are extensively audited by the National Audit Office."
Tice said: "Even as the historic disaster of HS2 blows through more billions in overspending and more years of delay, even as it sucks money from things the country actually needs, even as taxes on people and business rise, ministers are about to commit to further high-speed rail schemes which could make HS2's problems and price tag look trivial."
But Burnham said Tice and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage were both "creatures of the London establishment" and he was not "surprised in the slightest" to hear of their opposition to NPR. "Across Europe, every other country connects its big cities by modern high-speed rail," said Greater Manchester's Labour mayor. "But, like the Conservatives before them, the Reform party seems to believe that this should be a privilege only conferred on the southern half of the UK. We have higher ambitions for the North than them."
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "The North has been stuck with second-rate transport for too long, leaving communities cut off and holding back growth. The government is delivering the transport infrastructure needed for faster and more reliable journeys to create jobs and deliver stronger growth – such as the Transpennine Route Upgrade which is already delivering more efficient journeys between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York. We will set out our ambitions for Northern Powerhouse Rail in the near future."
A Reform UK government would scrap plans to build the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) link, its deputy leader has said.
In a report to the right-leaning Policy Exchange think tank, Richard Tice said companies considering bidding for contracts to build east-to-west high-speed rail links should "not bother".
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham rejected Tice's comments and suggested Reform UK wanted a "second-class railway" for the north of England.
The government also said northern England had been stuck with "second-rate" transport links for too long, and that this was "leaving communities cut off and holding back growth".
The NPR is a project to boost rail services going east to west across northern England, and was first proposed by former Tory chancellor George Osbourne in 2014 before being shelved under Boris Johnson's administration.
Labour is expected to announce the return of the scheme within the next few weeks.
Tice said a Reform UK government would "spend the money instead on things the country needs more". Citing the "billions in overspending" related to HS2, he described the government's expected commitment to more high-speed rail links as "insanity".
The Policy Exchange report proposed a set of alternative schemes, including a Manchester version of London's Elizabeth Line. It predicted NPR would be an "even greater train crash" than HS2, as a new line between Liverpool and Manchester could cost £30bn.
Researchers warned journeys between the cities on this line would take one minute longer than the fastest current services - which are 34 minutes - because it would also serve Manchester Airport.
Policy Exchange claimed the "crisis in HS2 is even worse than ministers admit", as the "true cost" for the line between London and Birmingham is "up to 22%" higher than the amount declared to Parliament.
A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: "We do not recognise these claims. HS2 Ltd is committed to the highest levels of transparency and our accounts are extensively audited by the National Audit Office."
Tice said: "Even as the historic disaster of HS2 blows through more billions in overspending and more years of delay, even as it sucks money from things the country actually needs, even as taxes on people and business rise, ministers are about to commit to further high-speed rail schemes which could make HS2's problems and price tag look trivial."
But Burnham said Tice and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage were both "creatures of the London establishment" and he was not "surprised in the slightest" to hear of their opposition to NPR. "Across Europe, every other country connects its big cities by modern high-speed rail," said Greater Manchester's Labour mayor. "But, like the Conservatives before them, the Reform party seems to believe that this should be a privilege only conferred on the southern half of the UK. We have higher ambitions for the North than them."
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "The North has been stuck with second-rate transport for too long, leaving communities cut off and holding back growth. The government is delivering the transport infrastructure needed for faster and more reliable journeys to create jobs and deliver stronger growth – such as the Transpennine Route Upgrade which is already delivering more efficient journeys between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York. We will set out our ambitions for Northern Powerhouse Rail in the near future."
