Plans set out to deliver £45 billion Northern Powerhouse Rail project

The UK Government has announced plans to deliver the long-awaited Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project, improving intercity connections across the North of England.

Plans will include a new rail route between Liverpool and Manchester, running via Manchester Airport and Warrington and improved connections across the Pennines to Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield. Delivery of the project is set to begin in 2030, and proposals include a funding cap of £45 billion to avoid a repeat of spiralling costs associated with delivering HS2.

Government estimates anticipate that Northern Powerhouse Rail would add around £40 billion a year to the UK economy by growing productivity of some of the country’s largest cities.

The first phase of the work will see upgrades across routes in Yorkshire between Leeds, Bradford, York and Sheffield. Plans to upgrade the existing Manchester Airport station with longer platforms have also been approved.

Proposals for the route in the North West, the second phase of plans, include new stations at Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly and Warrington Bank Quay Low Level, while improvements to stations in Liverpool are being considered alongside local leaders as part of major regeneration plans in the city. A third phase of development will focus on connections across the Pennines between Greater Manchester and Leeds, Bradford, and Sheffield.

The government is also setting out a long-term objective to see a full new north-south line from Birmingham to Manchester to connect with Northern Powerhouse Rail.

The announcement has been welcomed by local leaders in the North West.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: 

“Over the past decade, we’ve become the UK’s fastest growing city region, but underinvestment in rail infrastructure has long acted as a brake on further growth. Today marks a significant step forward for Greater Manchester. We’ll now work at pace to prove the case for an underground station and work up detailed designs for the route between Liverpool and Manchester.” 

Huw Merriman, Chair of Liverpool-Manchester Rail Partnership Board, said:

“This is superb news for the North and for the entire country. NPR is a project I’ve long championed, as a former Chair of the Transport Select Committee, Rail Minister and now Chair of the Liverpool Manchester Railway Board, so it is excellent to see the government backing it in full from the outset, enabling proper planning and delivery that learns the lessons of HS2, as well as keeping options open for addressing North–South capacity on the West Coast Mainline.”

Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director of Manchester Airport, said:

“This is a welcome and long overdue step towards the creation of a highly productive and internationally competitive Northern growth corridor. By placing Manchester Airport at the heart of a full Northern Powerhouse Rail Network, people and businesses across the region will have the direct access they deserve to the world.

“That will help high-value industries to thrive and attract investors and visitors to all parts of the North – maximising the region’s contribution to national growth. The project will deliver the public investment needed to turbo-charge MAG’s £1.3bn transformation of Manchester Airport. It will unlock the full capacity of Manchester’s existing two full-length runways – capacity that is available now.

“That is why we look forward to working with Government and regional partners on ways to deliver NPR at the earliest possible opportunity.”

The Chancellor has announced that £1.1 billion has been committed over this Spending Review period to support delivery of NPR, allowing progress on planning, development, and design work to begin.

The entirely new line between Liverpool and Manchester – via Warrington and Manchester Airport – will be delivered as part of the second NPR phase in the 2030s, and work will begin immediately to develop the project plans and business case in more detail.

As part of this, Greater Manchester and government will work together to explore how an underground solution at Manchester Piccadilly would be a catalyst and enabler for major regeneration and economic growth in Greater Manchester and across the North, by unlocking land for redevelopment.