- The Government has pledged £3.9 billion for a rail project which will improve connectivity in northern England.
- The cash injection will accelerate the Transpennine Route Upgrade between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, and York – which will bring faster and more frequent journeys, the Government said.
- It has already invested £3 billion into the project which is expected to deliver electrified tracks by the middle of the decade.
- The announcement comes after the planned HS2 route between Birmingham and Manchester was axed earlier this year.
- In November, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he would “repurpose” the money for the proposed HS2 route to deliver mass transit in Leeds.
- Rail Minister Huw Merriman said: “The Transpennine Route Upgrade represents the first major step in delivering transformed east-west connectivity in the north and I’m delighted to announce this multibillion-pound funding boost to move to the next stage of delivery.
- “Today’s announcement demonstrates this Government’s commitment to delivering its Network North plan which will improve journeys, help to level up regions and grow the economy.”
- The funding will be invested in doubling the number of tracks from two to four between Huddersfield and Ravensthorpe, allowing faster trains to overtake slower stopping services and freight journeys.
- Once complete in the mid-2030s, the upgrade will offer up to eight trains per hour, hundreds of extra seats and cut journey times between Manchester and York by 10 minutes, the Government said.
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