Hammond rail pledge '˜needs to be followed by billions more'

CHANCELLOR PHILIP Hammond has been told he will need to find billions more to fix the North's transport plans after he promised new rail investment.

Council and business leaders called on Mr Hammond to go further in his Budget later this year after he pledged £300m to ensure the new HS2 line between Yorkshire to London is properly connected to future projects including the proposed trans-Pennine Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) scheme.

Mr Hammond’s promise, made at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, followed a summer of criticism and questions over the Government’s commitment to upgrading transport in the North of England.

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Ed Cox, director of the IPPR North thinktank, welcomed Mr Hammond’s commitment but described the money put forward as a “drop in the ocean”.

Philip Hammond speaking in ManchesterPhilip Hammond speaking in Manchester
Philip Hammond speaking in Manchester

He said: “At the Autumn Budget in November we need to hear a real commitment to the fresh billions to get northern infrastructure to where it needs to be for the country to prosper: that means 21st century train lines and the modern trains to run on them, alongside a workforce that’s highly-trained and highly-educated so they can do the high-skill, high-wage jobs the North can generate.”

The Government continues to face pressure to make clear its plans for the North’s existing rail network alongside the building of longer term schemes such as HS2 and NPR.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has been criticised for suggesting the full electrification of the main trans-Pennine rail line between Leeds and Manchester may not go ahead and bi-mode trains operating on electric and diesel could be used instead.

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He has insisted no final decision has yet been taken and the priority is better services for passengers rather than how trains are powered.

Philip Hammond speaking in ManchesterPhilip Hammond speaking in Manchester
Philip Hammond speaking in Manchester

West Yorkshire Combined Authority chairman Susan Hinchcliffe described Mr Hammond’s announcement as a “helpful start”.

She added: “But the investment the North needs in its transport infrastructure runs into billions.

“Transport for the North are working on their plans for the whole of the North. Once they have submitted these to Government there will be an expectation of much greater levels of investment.

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“In the meantime the trans-Pennine upgrade and Calder Valley remain priorities for us in West Yorkshire alongside HS2 and NPR.”

But Mr Hammond’s predecessor, George Osborne, applauded the commitment at the end of a summer which saw calls for action from across the North.

He said: “It’s very welcome that the Chancellor has listened to communities and businesses across the North calling for this downpayment on Northern Powerhouse Rail - and it demonstrates the impact the North can have when we act in partnership and speak with one voice.”

Mark Goldstone, head of policy at the West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said his organisation had “always maintained the view that high speed rail infrastructure has to be built as a network rather than individual parts if we are to capture the full economic benefit.”

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In his speech, Mr Hammond promised the Government remained committed to the ’northern powerhouse’ idea coined by Mr Osborne.

He told the conference that “ensuring our regional economies are firing on all cylinders will help to close the gap in living standards and raise our national performance”.

He continued: “That’s why we are committed to the Northern Powerhouse project to join the great cities of the North into a single connected market with a population to rival London’s.”

The Department for Transport was unable to supply more details of how the £300m for rail would be spent and was referring questions to the Conservative Party which also had no details.