Transport links across the North of England are set to be transformed following two multi-billion-pound rail and road schemes being secured in last week’s Budget, meaning some journey times from Manchester will be slashed. The Chancellor and Transport Secretary joined forces on a visit to Manchester today (Thursday 7th November) to discuss how the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) and long awaited A57 upgrade will better connect people, communities and businesses across the region.
It comes after last week’s Budget secured funding to deliver both growth-enhancing transport projects that will provide critical connectivity between some of the country’s biggest economic centres, while supporting everyday journeys within the towns and cities in between.
For rail passengers, the TRU programme aims to transform the main line from Manchester to York, via Leeds and Huddersfield, into a high performing, reliable, electrified railway with more frequent, faster and greener journeys. Journey times between the major cities of Manchester and Leeds will be slashed from 50 to 42 minutes, with up to six fast services every hour. Services from Manchester to York will also be cut by 10 minutes.
Rachel Reeves and Louise Haigh will welcome the completion of a major milestone that’s already been delivered on the west of the route, with electric trains running between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge. Once complete, the full 70-mile TRU route will be fully electrified, helping save 87,000 tonnes of carbon each year.
The Cabinet ministers will also hear how the TRU is already supporting thousands of local jobs, with 5,000 people currently working on the project, including over 300 apprentices, helping local people progress their careers in and around their hometowns.
On top of this, the Chancellor has announced works on the long awaited A57 Link Road upgrade will start in the coming weeks, giving certainty to road users that the scheme and its benefits will finally start to be delivered. For too long, residents and road users have suffered from slow journey times, congestion and rat-running around surrounding roads which in turn has stunted economic growth across the region.
Once this £250million upgrade is complete, the A57 upgrade will be transformational to road users and businesses across the North of England. Journey times between Manchester and Sheffield will drastically decrease and local communities will benefit from not only better connectivity, but also reduced noise and pollution.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “This major investment in our roads and railways will mean better connections between Greater Manchester and key towns and cities across the Pennines.
“After years of failed promises, it’s a real statement of intent from this new government that will provide quicker, more reliable journeys for millions of people, and help to unlock the enormous potential of the North as an engine for growth.”