Northern Powerhouse Rail will be a test of Government resolve on transport in the region
The region has waited far too long for high speed rail to be delivered in this part of the world. Many European countries have managed to press ahead with high speed rail and are reaping the benefits that come with such investment. But overly centralised decision making has held the North back. That must change and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) is the opportunity to signal such a change.
This newspaper has long advocated for NPR and indeed HS2. While the Government looks increasingly unlikely to change course on the HS2 betrayal, the Northern Growth Strategy setting out transport improvements, with NPR at its heart, will be cautiously welcomed.
Promises have been made before, only for them to be broken. The Government’s phased approach may be too conservative for some and leaders on the other side of the Pennines will be nervous about the first phase focusing solely on Yorkshire.
It is important now that the Government delivers promised improved connections between Sheffield and Leeds, Leeds and York, and Leeds and Bradford. Failure to do so would rapidly erode confidence here and in the North West.
At the heart of improvement plans, though, has to be the delivery of NPR in a meaningful way. The final phase promises improved connections across the Pennines between Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York.
Rail passengers have long been left frustrated by poor connectivity from east to west. The Yorkshire Post previously forced two former Transport Secretaries to explain themselves over the torrid service levels passengers across the North have had to tolerate.
It is a misnomer that high speed rail is just about faster trains. It is just as much about capacity on the existing network. Increased capacity that could pave the way for not just more passenger trains but also freight operations.