Prime Minister announces major investment in Northern transport infrastructure

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed a major package of investment into transport services and infrastructure across Northern England.

The announcement includes £1.7 billion funding that will support a Liverpool to Hull corridor that will rival the Oxford-Cambridge arc in economic output. Funding will include £415 million for the key Transpennine rail route from Manchester to York via Leeds and Huddersfield, as well as over £1 billion for Northern mayors to improve local transport services. Also announced is a £270 million investment in bus services, and £330 million for road maintenance across the region.

Due to formally announce plans during a factory visit in region, the Prime Minister will also call on local leaders in the region to accelerate delivery of key transport projects, including a West Yorkshire mass transit system, new Merseyrail station, and new bus and tram interchange in Bury.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has described the investment as “correcting years of unfairness” that has seen per capita government spending on transport in the North lag behind London and the South East and called funding a “vote of confidence in the North’s world-beating industries.”

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander added:

“[S]chemes like the TransPennine Route Upgrade will bolster the region’s neglected potential and make travelling between these historic Northern towns and cities quicker, easier and greener.“

Investment in Northern transport infrastructure follows the pitch made by regional mayors in the region at the MIPIM real estate conference earlier this month, where Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram outlined how improved transport links could deliver a Northern arc of cities that would rival Oxford and Cambridge in generating economic growth.

The announcement also comes as Greater Manchester sets outs greater detail for how the city-region wishes to integrate local commuter rail services into the Bee Network. Plans include tap-and-go payments integrated across the bus and tram network; the ability to set fares, service levels and local standards; and devolution of funding and investment decisions. If approved by government, the first phase of rail services to come under Bee Network control could happen as early as December 2026, with most rail routes in Stockport under local control by the end of the following year.