'Ambition we've been crying out for' - Northern Powerhouse Rail plans reveal new Liverpool to Manchester line
Liverpool is among the areas in the North of England included in the government’s latest major growth plan for the north – with Northern Powerhouse Rail at the centre.
The new growth drive aims to “strengthen connections” between some of the fastest growing city regions in the country – connecting Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Huddersfield, Warrington, York and improved services to Newcastle and Hull – to drive productivity and create “tens of thousands” of jobs.
Described by the government as “the biggest transformation to travel in the North in a generation”, Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged more than a billion pound to Northern Powerhouse Rail over the Spending Review period, with a funding cap of £45 billion for the programme in total.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Northern communities have “been let down by broken promises” but that Northern Powerhouse Rail will deliver “lasting change” for “millions” of people.
The funding will allow progress on planning, development, and design work to be made which will the Chancellor said will “unlock benefits for the people of the North from the 2030s”.
The first phase of the programme will involve improved connections on existing lines on between Sheffield and Leeds, between Leeds and York, and between Leeds and Bradford, while the second phase will involve a new route between Liverpool and Manchester via Manchester Airport and Warrington, using a combination of new and existing lines.
The third phase involves better connections eastwards from Manchester to Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York.
The scheme is backed by Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, who described it as “the kind of ambition we’ve been crying out for”.
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He said: “Two hundred years ago, we built the world’s first passenger railway between Liverpool and Manchester – and changed history. After more than a decade of dither, delay and broken promises, this is the start of a new era, with a genuinely strategic approach and a government finally backing Northern Powerhouse Rail in full.
“A creaking rail system has held the North back for too long. Our journeys aren’t just slower – our growth has been slower too. Poor connectivity doesn’t just hold people back – it holds our economy back. It limits our productivity, restricts freight capacity, and chokes off opportunity.
“Today that changes. This is the kind of ambition we’ve been crying out for. Not another empty slogan or back of a fag packet plan but real investment, delivered in a proper partnership with local leaders that will unleash our latent potential and unlock growth in all of our communities right across the great North.”
Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said: “A reliable commute, a secure job, a thriving town centre – these are all things that everyone should expect. But over and over again people in Northern communities, from Liverpool and Manchester to York and Newcastle have been let down by broken promises.
“This cycle has to end. No more paying lip service to the potential of the North, but backing it to the hilt That’s why this government is rolling up its sleeves to deliver real, lasting change for millions of people through Northern Powerhouse Rail: a major new rail network across the North that will deliver faster, more frequent services.
“This investment is proof we’re putting our money where our mouth is, working with local leaders to deliver the transport links that will help working people do what they need to in life – getting to work, taking the kids to school, or days out with the family.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, added: “Our transformative plans will create jobs, build homes and unlock opportunities for businesses to invest. That’s how we deliver economic growth, a renewed Britain and more money in working people’s pockets.”