Politicians in the North are to draw up a blueprint for how rail services in the region can be improved and an accessible, reliable and modern railway system put in place.
A meeting of Transport for the North’s Rail North Committee in Bradford yesterday heard that government plans for rail reform offered a huge chance to align the railway to local priorities, such as housing, and to simplify ticketing.
And it said plans would be put in place to make sure ambitions would be turned into realities with Transport for the North helping to shape decisions for the region’s railways.
The move comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce more funding to improve the North’s creaking transport infrastructure. Today’s Spending Review will build on the announcement of billions of pounds of investment in light rail systems in Northern cities. This is to be followed by a 10-year national infrastructure investment plan.
RNC Chairman Mayor Andy Burnham said: “This shows that we are serious about taking greater control over our own rail services. For too long decisions have been taken about services and investment by people who don’t live in the North and don’t use its transport system.
“Devolution is about correcting that and making sure that Northerners are at the heart of crucial decision-making.”
Hundreds of new trains are to be bought for the North’s rail network to update the ageing fleets currently being used. Northern is to buy 450 trains, which will replace two-thirds of its existing fleet over the next ten years, while TransPennine will buy a further 29.
The meeting also heard that TransPennine trains saw cancellations in March drop to just two per cent and has seen 12 per cent year-on-year passenger growth.
Image credit: Northern
