Time for the Government to start building Northern Powerhouse Rail - Henri Murison

While I and many others have been hugely disappointed by many of the government’s recent decisions on rail plans for the North of England, it is credit to Huw that he has never shied away from the Bradford question.

He joined Northern business leaders, including myself, in Manchester earlier this week to tell us more about the government’s plans to get on with the new Northern Powerhouse Rail route, which now includes Bradford and Hull.

The city is also getting billions for a new station and, while there are no detailed plans yet, already that promised investment can begin to serve as a catalyst for wider regeneration as part of the city’s Southern Gateway project.

Last week Huw visited Bradford once again to announce £24m in funding for a new platform at Forster Square station, adding five more London trains a day.

Credit should also go to Bradford leader, Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe and the West Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, who have both campaigned tirelessly on these issues. This kind of constructive, non-partisan collaboration between central and local government, alongside the private sector, needs to become the rule, not the exception, when it comes to infrastructure investment.

However, this cannot hide the fact that the government has done serious damage to its own rail plans in recent years. The Department for Transport itself has admitted that Northern Powerhouse Rail and the first phase of HS2 both now deliver a far lower return on investment for taxpayers due to the large gap between Birmingham and Manchester.

With a General Election looming, the government needs to have some good answers ready for Northern voters, who will be wondering why so much of the long-promised investment to improve rail up here is being spent on roads down South.

Alleviating this Northern scepticism means starting construction on Northern Powerhouse Rail as soon as possible, including adding more capacity between York and Newcastle and electrification between Leeds and Sheffield.

Part of the Network North budget should be set aside to get underway on that first section of NPR route between Manchester Airport and Piccadilly, if we are to unlock benefits for the whole of the North as soon as possible. That means ensuring we have the right people to deliver the bill through Parliament. Actions speak louder than words. It’s time to start building.

Henri Murison is chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.