Government rejects claims Northern Powerhouse Rail project has been mothballed

The former Prime Minister announced £36 billion in funding for roads, buses and railways after scrapping the northern leg of HS2.

At the time, Mr Sunak was criticised as Network North included projects in Plymouth, Bristol and Felixstowe, with Labour describing it as a “back of the fag packet plan”.

But this included Northern Powerhouse Rail, the long-planned high-speed line from Liverpool to Leeds with a new station in Bradford, which has been seen as key to improving connectivity across the North.

Previous Transport Secretary Louise Haigh had embarked on a review of all major capital projects pledged by the previous government, with the results set to be announced this spring.

However, the Sunday Times reported that only projects committed to in last year’s Budget, including the TransPennine Route Upgrade, would get funding before the next election.

The Government however rejected this, with a spokesperson saying: “We do not recognise these claims.

“This government is committed to delivering the infrastructure this country needs, and at Autumn Budget we set out plans to kickstart economic growth by getting Britain moving, securing the development and delivery of high-growth transport infrastructure projects including HS2, the TransPennine Route Upgrade and East West Rail.”

A source told The Yorkshire Post that new Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was just as committed to improving connectivity in the North as the Sheffield Heeley MP, Ms Haigh.

Ms Alexander is speaking today at the Department for Transport Operator’s conference in Manchester, her first major speech in the brief.

She will highlight the case of Northern and say that public ownership of railways is not a “silver bullet” for better performance.

In 2020, the government took over Northern as an “operator of last resort” after stripping the franchise from Arriva due to performance issues.

Timetable changes in 2018 led to rail chaos, and a significant increase in delays and cancellations.

The Office of Rail and Road recently found that 80 per cent of Northern train cancellations were caused by the operator, the most of any train company.

Late last year, Northern bosses admitted that the operator’s performance has been declining since 2015, and claimed it will take another three years to get services up to a respectable level.

Now, all rail operators are set to follow Northern and come back under public control, under a new law passed by Labour.

Referencing Northern, Ms Alexander will say: “We can change the name of the holding company or the livery on the side of the train, but none of that guarantees a changed experience for the person on the platform.

“I am clear that a new organisation must mean a new way of working, ending the blame game and maximising social and environmental good."

The Transport Secretary wants to use the opportunity provided by bringing services under one roof to create more integrated services, show performance data at stations and reform fares and ticketing.

She is expected to say: “I expect operators and Network Rail to work closer together: to rip out duplication, simplify the management of track and train and create greater accountability.

“We must move faster on reforming fares and ticketing. That means getting on with the best price guarantee, more trials of pay as you go, and new ways to drive up revenue.”