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Boris Johnson will this week unveil a £100 billion package of investment in Northern rail networks in an attempt to accelerate his flagship ‘levelling up’ agenda.
The long-awaited Integrated Rail Plan is expected to be hailed as the most substantial Government investment in trains ever, bringing forward planned upgrades by a decade.
Sources said that the raft of new lines and improvements would cut journey times and increase services across the Midlands and the North, merging separate schemes such as HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the Midlands Engine Rail into one single network.
The package, which has been costed at more than £96 billion, will cut journey times between the North and London and between the major conurbations – the time from Manchester to Leeds on the Transpennine Route is expected to be cut by 20 minutes.
TransPennie Express train crosses the viaduct at Brownhill, Saddleworth, Oldham. The long-awaited Integrated Rail Plan is expected to be hailed as the most substantial Government investment in trains ever, bringing forward planned upgrades by a decade
The Bolton to Wigan route will also be electrified at a cost of
