Liz Truss urged to deliver on promise to build Northern Powerhouse Rail ‘in full’

The Government sparked a backlash in November, when it announced plans for the multi-billion pound rail network had been scaled back.

Transport for the North, which had been preparing the business case for the project, called for a new high-speed line to be built between Leeds and Manchester, with a stop in Bradford, another new line from Warrington to Liverpool and upgrades to existing lines across the North.

The Government, which took charge of the project in November, instead opted to spend £17.2bn on building a 40-mile line between Warrington and Marsden, claiming this option would be more cost effective and delivered sooner.

However, Ms Truss said she was “completely committed” to ensuring Northern Powerhouse Rail is built as originally planned, when she visited Leeds in July during her campaign to become leader of the Conservative Party.

Patrick McLoughlin, Chair of Transport for the North, has written to the new Prime Minister and urged her to deliver on that promise.

“We welcomed your strong commitment to seeing Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) constructed in full, as you set out in Leeds,” he wrote.

“We have developed clear and agreed plans for the network, costed at £43bn, including our preferences for a mix of new lines and major upgrades as a network spanning from Liverpool in the west to Hull in the east, and from Newcastle in the north to Sheffield in the south.”

“Confirmation in the September budget will send a clear signal to the North about the Government’s intentions to reverse decisions taken in the Integrated Rail Plan.”

Mr McLoughlin, who is also a Conservative peer in the House of Lords, said Ms Truss should also revert back to the original plans for HS2 and ensure the eastern leg reaches Leeds.

Ms Truss has previously said she will not bring back the original plans for the high-speed network, which is expected to cost more than £100bn.

However, the Integrated Rail Plan states that £100m will be spent on a study that will “look at the most effective way to run HS2 trains to Leeds” and find “the most optimal solution” for capacity issues at Leeds Station

The launch of the long-awaited s tudy, known as the Leeds Area Study, has been delayed after the Treasury reportedly questioned the cost.

Transport for the North has revealed the study is expected to take 18 months to two years to complete, but it cannot begin until new Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan publishes the terms of reference.