Chancellor Philip Hammond has announced further investment in the UK rail network and an extra £300m to improve rail links in northern England
Plans to electrify the whole Trans-Pennine route have been in doubt.
However, the new funding will be used to ensure HS2 rail network will link to faster trains between Liverpool and Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and York – the Northern Powerhouse rail.
Hammond will also assign £100m from existing budgets for 33 road schemes.
The Northern Powerhouse rail network is being drawn up by local authorities and business leaders to create connections between Rebuilding the UK’s infrastructure at Civils Expo 2017
and cities not directly on its route. It is expected to rely on ‘bi-mode’ trains that can run on diesel and electric power.
Hammond said: “This investment will go towards ensuring HS2 infrastructure can link up with future Northern Powerhouse and Midlands rail projects – helping the towns and cities of the North reach their full potential.”
The new road projects include ten in north-east England, 13 in north-west England and ten in Yorkshire and Humber.
The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has welcomed Hammond’s announcement.
Dr Nelson Ogunshakin OBE, chief executive of ACE said: “This is a very welcome announcement by the Chancellor that shows the government recognises the importance of infrastructure investment and is listening to the industry.
“ACE has been lobbying the Treasury for a commitment to northern rail in the budget and we have been successful in our endeavour. The rebalancing of the UK economy is vital for the long term prosperity of the UK and ACE will continue to make the case that we can only continue to be a world leading economy if we invest and maintain a world class infrastructure network.”
By 2020 the UK will have spent more than £13bn on improving and modernising transport links across the Northern Powerhouse, representing record investment in Northern transport.
