Significant Government investment set to transform transport links across the North

Transport links across the North of England will be transformed following two multi-billion-pound rail and road schemes being secured in last week’s Budget.  

The Chancellor and Transport Secretary joined forces on a visit to Manchester yesterday (Thursday, 7 November) to discuss how the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) and long awaited A57 upgrade will better connect people, communities and businesses across the region.  

It comes after last week’s Budget secured funding to deliver both growth-enhancing transport projects that will provide critical connectivity between some of the country’s biggest economic centres, while supporting everyday journeys within the towns and cities in between. 

For rail passengers, the TRU programme will transform the main line from Manchester to York, via Leeds and Huddersfield, into a high performing, reliable, electrified railway with more frequent, faster and greener journeys. 

Journey times between the major cities of Manchester and Leeds will be slashed from 50 to 42 minutes, with up to six fast services every hour. Services from Manchester to York will also be cut by 10 minutes. 

Rachel Reeves and Louise Haigh will welcome the completion of a major milestone that’s already been delivered on the west of the route, with electric trains running between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge. Once complete, the full 70-mile TRU route will be fully electrified, helping save 87,000 tonnes of carbon each year. 

The Cabinet ministers will also hear how the TRU is already supporting thousands of local jobs, with 5,000 people currently working on the project, including over 300 apprentices, helping local people progress their careers in and around their hometowns. 

On top of this, the Chancellor has announced works on the long awaited A57 Link Road upgrade will start in the coming weeks, giving certainty to road users that the scheme and its benefits will finally start to be delivered.

For too long, residents and road users have suffered from slow journey times, congestion and rat-running around surrounding roads which in turn has stunted economic growth across the region.  

Once this £250million upgrade is complete, the A57 upgrade will be transformational to road users and businesses across the North of England. Journey times between Manchester and Sheffield will drastically decrease and local communities will benefit from not only better connectivity, but also reduced noise and pollution.   

The scheme will see the creation of two new links roads and will be integral to growing the region’s economy, making jobs more accessible but also accelerating the delivery of goods.   

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:

“Investment in our transport infrastructure is vital to delivering our growth mission. Without improvements to our roads and rail we won’t be able to create jobs and boost business, which is why I prioritised projects like the Transpennine Route Upgrade and the long awaited A57 upgrade in the Budget last week.

“Securing the delivery of these two important schemes brings our key Northern economic centres closer together. This Government is ending fourteen years of neglect of the north, instead bolstering the region’s immense growth power to benefit the whole country.”