Northern Powerhouse Rail plans welcomed but big questions remain

"A brief recap: the world's most expensive and long-delayed rail line, HS2, was originally due to speed passengers from London to Birmingham and north on two separate legs to Manchester and Leeds. The northern legs were lopped off in 2023 by Rishi Sunak, the then prime minister, to widespread indignation from Labour leaders. That left Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), a new east-west network originally designed to replace the region's Victorian-era tracks with a fully electrified high-speed line."

"Whitehall officials haunted by the ghost of HS2 have committed only 1.1bn to the project up to 2029, imposing a cap of 45bn on spending thereafter. Any costs over that will have to be funded by northern leaders, most likely through increasing business rates (like the Crossrail levy in London), an as yet nonexistent tourist tax, or borrowing. How much the likes of Greater Manchester and Liverpool will need to stump up is unclear"

Northern Powerhouse Rail has received approval in a scaled-back form alongside a long-term Birmingham–Manchester line envisaged in about 20 years. The programme traces its origins back 11 years and six prime ministers and follows the 2023 removal of HS2's northern legs. Whitehall has committed only 1.1bn through 2029 and imposed a 45bn spending cap thereafter. Any additional costs will fall to northern leaders, likely via higher business rates, a yet-to-exist tourist tax, or borrowing, and are expected to amount to billions. Phase one upgrades lines linking Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford and York with a new Bradford station, targeting completion in the 2030s. Mayors and businesses welcomed the plans but questions persist over scope, funding and timing.

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