High speed rail beyond Leeds and Manchester must be fully developed, says Sunak

Mr Sunak said the Government had “ambitions beyond” the high speed route connecting the North’s two biggest cities which Boris Johnson backed last year, but stopped short of saying the scheme would be definitely be extended to other parts of the North.

It comes after the chief executive of strategic transport body Transport for the North said he was “disappointed” that the flagship NPR scheme “continues to be talked about only in terms of the Manchester to Leeds leg”.

Northern transport leaders have called on Mr Sunak to ensure the east-west rail line is delivered in full after he only referred to part of the project in the Budget.

The Chancellor spoke of his “commitment” to funding the “Manchester-Leeds leg” of the scheme as well as promising that West Yorkshire would get a share of a £4.2bn fund to promote ‘intra-city’ travel.

Speaking in Leeds last week, Mr Sunak was asked by The Yorkshire Post if he would support extending the project beyond Leeds and Manchester. He replied: “We’re looking at all the proposals for Northern Powerhouse Rail, lots of different parts of it are fleshed out to different degrees.

“That’s why we’ve given Transport for the North £100 million pounds to actually fully develop these things but they need to be fully developed, that’s responsible and right. We’re very committed to improving transport infrastructure across the North.

“But we started with this intracity deal for the West Yorkshire authority which is hugely significant.

“Manchester-Leeds is hugely significant, we’ve got ambitions that go beyond that, and we just need those plans to be developed properly.”

Northern leaders warned in February that the Government must invest in “shovel-ready” local rail projects, while Northern Powerhouse Rail is seen as “crucial” for levelling up the UK economy in a region where it takes longer to travel coast-to-coast by train than it takes to get to Paris on Eurostar from London.

The Treasury has agreed up to £500,000 to support Bradford to develop plans to maximise the benefits of Northern Powerhouse rail connections.

The scheme is now being considered as part of a wider High Speed North review alongside the North-South HS2 line, which will now be built in full after the Prime Minister backed it last month.

A spokesman for TfN said: “Northern leaders have made clear where they stand on the Integrated Rail Plan – it should allow for transport funding to be devolved to Northern decision-makers. Transport by the North, for the North.

“Northern Powerhouse Rail is a network, not just a line between Manchester and Leeds, and we have always said that this transformative rail project must be delivered in full. It is being developed as a full network and all routes are being progressed equally.

“Indeed it is the upgraded lines – from Sheffield to Hull, Leeds to Hull, and Leeds to Newcastle – which could be started in 2024 and delivered first as the lines are already there.

“The success of the High Speed Rail project will include Transport for the North having a co-client role across projects within the IRP and accelerating the delivery of infrastructure in the North as a central goal.”