TfN calls on new government to commit to transport investment

Sub-national transport body, Transport for the North (TfN) has written to new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, calling for her government to commit to investment in the region’s infrastructure.

TfN’s Board has set out in their correspondence key priorities for transport investment that will boost economic growth in the North of England, and deliver progress towards levelling up. The organisation is calling for commitment not just to large scale projects such as HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail, but also for improvements to the region’s congested local rail network that can unlock freight and passenger capacity.

In addition to infrastructure investment, TfN Chair, Lord McLoughlin, also invited the government to confirm rail fares will be frozen to 2022 prices, extend COVID-19 support schemes for rail and bus operators as passenger numbers continue to recover, and develop a driver training academy to combat staff shortages on the railways that have led to severe cuts to services on the West Coast Mainline.

 Lord McLoughlin, Chair of Transport for the North said in his letter to Prime Minister Liz Truss:

“Millions of people across the North rely entirely on public transport and are at real risk of further disadvantage.

“In recent months, the North has led the recovery of rail patronage and accepted tough compromises to service patterns to keep our transport networks operational. Without further support, a further decline in confidence and sense of managed decline feels inevitable and cannot be allowed to occur.

“We welcomed your strong commitment to seeing Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) constructed in full, as you set out in Leeds. We have developed clear and agreed plans for the network, costed at £43bn, including our preferences for a mix of new lines and major upgrades as a network spanning from Liverpool in the west to Hull in the east, and from Newcastle in the north to Sheffield in the south.

“Confirmation in the September budget will send a clear signal to the North about the government’s intentions to reverse decisions taken in the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), including the Eastern Leg of HS2. The Transport Select Committee concluded that the proposals published in the IRP fail to achieve the long-term step change for the rail network across the North.”