Northern Powerhouse

TfN calls for backing of £5bn Northern Infrastructure Pipeline proposals

12 August 2020Today (12 Aug) Transport for the North has revealed its blueprint for a Northern Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), a 30-year investment plan of infrastructure projects to reinforce greener Northern growth. This £5bn pipeline includes rail, roa...

£200k investment for better mobile connections on our railways

23 July 2020The days of losing internet connection whilst travelling on the train are over as Grant Shapps has today (23rd July) announced a £200,000 investment to launch research into developing an innovative prototype to improve mobile connectivity. ...

£589m for rail upgrades across the North

22 July 2020A multi-million-pound investment has been confirmed today by Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, to kickstart work on the Transpennine main line between Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester. This announcement also comes from the newly established No...

TfN: New Director for Integrated and Smart Travel programme

10 July 2020Transport for the North have today (July 10th) announced the appointment of Jeremy Acklam as the new Director for its Integrated and Smart Travel (IST) programme. Jeremy joins TfN with a strong track record working in the smart travel sector. Mos...

Network Rail backing revolutionary rail ideas

08 July 2020Network Rail is supporting 11 of the 25 winning entrants of the Government’s £9.4m First of a Kind (FOAK) 2020 competition to deliver a better, more dependable and efficient railway for passengers and freight users. Funded by the Depa...

HS2 eastern leg could create up to 150,000 jobs

07 July 2020Leaders in the North and the Midlands are calling for HS2 work to be brought forward as new research shows the eastern leg of the line could create up to 150,000 jobs. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being pushed to back his promise to ‘bui...

£15m funding towards better rail journeys in the North East

29 June 2020The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has announced today (June 29th) that thousands of passengers in the North East of England are set to see more regular, reliable services and better connections thanks to £15m of government investment. ...

HS2 Minister responds to Transport Select Committee

25 June 2020Following a letter from the Transport Select Committee back in May, Andrew Stephenson, HS2 Minister yesterday (June 24th) responded and published his letter of response. Mr. Stephenson began his later by discussing the challenge of transparency....

HS2 minister to host roundtables on integrated rail plan

16 June 2020Andrew Stephenson, HS2 Minister, is hosting a series of virtual meetings with leaders from across the north and Midlands, making sure regional representatives can voice their properties for the integrated rail plan (IRP) and the current plans for...

"Performance, performance, performance" - Rail North Committee meeting

12 May 2020Today (May 12th) Transport for the North’s Rail North Committee met virtually to discuss the Northern trains review and rail recovery post Covid-19.  The discussion began with leader of Leeds City Council, Cllr Judith Blake, state...

Rail Committee North meeting to discuss rail recovery

12 May 2020Transport for the North’s Rail North Committee, which will meet virtually on today (May 12th) and will be live streamed to the public, has set out guidelines for rail operators such as Northern and Transpennine Express on how to run trains w...

Ep.9 Navigating the freight world, Debbie Francis

25 March 2020Debbie Francis, Direct Rail Services, joins us in the RTM Podcast room to discuss the rail industry from a freight perspective. Debbie is a rail fanatic, leading the way in a male dominated area of the rail industry. With hosts Matt Roberts and A...

Lord Berkeley calls for six month delay to HS2

25 March 2020In light of the current coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the nation and the world, Lord Berkeley has published a letter to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps calling for HS2 to be paused for six months. At...

Metrolink Trafford Park Line start date announced

09 March 2020Greater Manchester’s new £350m Trafford Park line will launch on Sunday 22nd March. The date comes directly after the successful completion of the project and delivery of the new line to the operator, KeolisAmey Metrolink, whose drive...

High-speed rail promised for the North by HS2 Minister

27 February 2020At the beginning of February, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that HS2 will go ahead and the London-Birmingham phase will commence immediately. The PM also confirmed that HS2 would be built in the north to Manchester and Leeds which are pa...