Northern Powerhouse Rail meeting should be in public – The Yorkshire Post says

Hold this aspect of tomorrow’s board meeting in public, even if this means defying the apparent wishes of Ministers, so online viewers can ascertain the legitimacy of these concerns and how best to make the North’s case.

And while there are occasions when such forums have to go into closed session for reasons of confidentiality, this is not one of them. Quite the opposite. This is, arguably, one of TfN’s most important meetings ever – one where it had been expected to finalise its £39bn Northern Powerhouse Rail plan before submitting it.

Yet the fact that the Government now want to delay this process until its own Integrated Rail Plan is published has led to fresh fears about the sincerity of Ministerial intentions.

The context is this. Rail services virtually collapsed here three years ago – the culmination of decades of under-investment in a Victorian network and the botched introduction of a new timetable.

This prompted The Yorkshire Post and other newspapers to launch the agenda-setting One North campaign that persuaded the Government to overhaul the region’s rail infrastructure.

Yet, while everyone is respectful of Covid’s impact, there’s a growing sense that it will be projects here – and not elsewhere – that are scaled back.

And to those critics who say fewer people will be using the train in future – whether it be commuter services or HS2 – high-speed rail is about providing genuinely world-class transport infrastructure that enables this region to fulfil its potential as the place to live and work.

That remains the objective. It is also an issue of trust as progress slows and the process becomes more convoluted – Northern Powerhouse Rail and the promise a new line across the Pennines was the reason why so-called ‘red wall’ voters backed Boris Johnson’s government in December 2019.

And, because of this background, and the tensions between the Government and TfN, those concerned should have nothing to fear from this meeting being in public – provided Northern Powerhouse Rail is still on track. That’s the question.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.