page_title: Transport for the North
section_title: Strategic Transport Plan
hierarchical_section_title: Transport for the North / Strategic Transport Plan
caption_attribution_description: English: Old and new, 802201 sits on a break at Hull Platform 2 before doing a test run from Hull to London Kings Cross, specifically calling at Howden, my guess this run was for HT testing.
context_page_description: Transport for the North is the first statutory sub-national transport body in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 2018 to make the case for strategic transport improvements across the North of England. TfN brings together the North's twenty local transport authorities and business leaders together with Network Rail, Highways England, and HS2 and works with Central Government. The organisation has offices in Manchester and Leeds.
context_section_description: The TfN Board approved the Strategic Transport Plan in February 2019 following consultation between January – April 2018. 
  The Plan sets out the case for investment in transport across the North by 2050, along with the key strategic transport infrastructure requirements. The work is being informed by the Northern Powerhouse Independent Economic Review (NPIER). This analysis has shown that the North of England has significant potential, and could generate:
  £92 billion (15%) increase in GVA.
  850,000 additional jobs.
  4% higher productivity than in a business as usual scenario.
  The objectives of the Strategic Transport Plan are to:
  Increasing efficiency, reliability, integration, and resilience in the transport system
  Transforming economic performance
  Improving inclusivity, health, and access to opportunities for all
  Promoting and enhancing the built, historic, and natural environment
  TfN programmes of work include:
  Northern Powerhouse Rail - a £39 billion major strategic rail programme, transforming connectivity between the key economic centres of the North, including Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Hull, Newcastle and Liverpool – and the North's largest international airport, Manchester Airport. TfN's analysis suggests that it could increase the number of people within one hour of four of the largest cities in the North from less than 10,000 to 1.3 million. TfN have also stated that Northern Powerhouse Rail could bring Manchester Airport within 90 minutes reach of 3 million more people.
  The Strategic Transport Plan has set out an 'emerging vision' for Northern Powerhouse Rail, and will be delivered over a 30-year programme. This vision is:
  A new line linking Leeds and Manchester via Bradford, including the option for a Bradford city centre station
  A new twin-track line linking Liverpool to HS2 and onwards to Manchester, via Warrington and Manchester Airport
  Significant upgrades and integration with HS2 linking Leeds and Sheffield
  Significant upgrades between Sheffield, Leeds and Hull
  Significant upgrades of the Hope Valley corridor between Manchester and Sheffield
  Significant upgrades between Newcastle and Leeds
  Journey times and service frequency
  The current expected service frequencies and journey times between Northern Cities from Northern Powerhouse Rail:
  The Strategic Transport Plan sets out that using planned HS2 infrastructure, junctions could be built to support Northern Powerhouse Rail services. These could be on the:
  HS2 mainline for Leeds – North East services
  HS2 Leeds spur to facilitate through services via existing Leeds station
  HS2 mainline for Sheffield – Leeds services
  HS2 Manchester spur for Manchester – Liverpool services
  South facing junction on HS2 mainline for London – Liverpool services
  The Strategic Outline Business Case has been submitted to Government, with further investment decisions likely to be made in the Comprehensive Spending Review. An additional £37 million of funding has been confirmed for 2019/20.
  Long Term Rail Strategy - TfN has sets out an ambitious vision to transform the North's railway network with new major investment projects and services. Currently, rail is only 1.1% share of total trips in the North, and currently rail passengers are three times higher than 20 years ago, growth of 6.3% per year, while capacity has only increased by an average of 6.45% over the same period.
  Minimum standards for the rail network will include:
  Minimum two trains per hour
  Journey times of at least 80 mph for long-distance services, at least 60 mph for inter-urban services, and at least 40 mph for local and suburban services
  Ensure the rail network accommodates for freight, including longer and heavier trains, and clearance of structures on the network (also known as gauge clearance) as there is not currently a cleared route across the Pennines
  A 50% improvement in the average speed of freight services by 2028
  Rail connections to serve each of the North's international airports
  Infrastructure to enable a weekday inter-peak level service on Sundays and bank holidays
  The North's major ports in the Nor
caption: New and refurbished Transpennine Express rolling stock at Hull Station
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