The Yorkshire Post says: May's missed chance on rail - PM fails to set policy in motion

Speaking exclusively to The Yorkshire Post, Theresa May stopped short of saying transport bosses here should be given the same powers as their London counterparts, though she insisted the Government remains committed to funding major infrastructure projects, saying it was providing “the biggest investment in transport in the North for a generation.”

It remains unclear exactly how far this commitment will go. It was only last month that a draft 30-year vision was proposed aimed at overhauling the region’s creaking road and rail network.

However, when asked what assurances she could give that the transport vision will actually be delivered, Mrs May said yesterday that Transport for the North (TfN) was still “taking views” on this grand “vision.”

It’s a far cry from November when the North became the first region in the country to receive specific transport powers from the Government, backed with £260m of funding. This landmark announcement appeared to signal an end to the mixed messages coming out of Downing Street that were stalling progress and inject some much-needed impetus into the northern transport agenda.

At the time, Jim O’Neill, one of the leading architects of the Northern Powerhouse project and a former Treasury Minister, said it was crucial that TfN should be on an equal footing with the capital when it comes to funding powers. This, though, has yet to happen.

All of which may well leave Yorkshire’s beleaguered commuters wondering exactly what will end up being delivered. What is needed now is action rather than words.