PM: North will no longer be held to ransom by broken transport system
Source: gov.uk (2025-03-28)

The Prime Minister has announced more funding to deliver the largest rail investment in the North in decades.

Major package of investment to revive Victorian-era transport system in the North, which comes as government spends more than double as much money per head on local transport in North than the South, including London

Nearly £1.7 billion boost for local buses, roads and trams in the North this year, and supported with further £415 million to reboot key railways across the Pennines, £270 million investment in bus services and £330 million in road maintenance across the North

Prime Minister backs regional mayors to accelerate growth plans in their area through radical devolution agenda – bringing a new tram network to West Yorkshire, a new station to Merseyside and an improved transport hub to Bury

Through its Plan for Change, this government is investing in the North after years of broken promises and delivering on manifesto to boost growth for everyone, everywhere

People across the North will no longer be held back by a broken transport system and empty promises, the Prime Minister has said as he announces more funding to deliver the largest rail investment in the North in decades.

For far too long, working people have been hamstrung by a transport system that no longer works for them. Doctors’ appointments are missed, children late to school, work meetings missed thanks to delays or cancellations. These are the real-world impacts which lead to an insecurity and instability for working people. The Prime Minister will make clear today that his government will not stand by and watch while this blight continues to disrupt the lives of working people.

After years of false promises and under delivery, the government is rolling up its sleeves and delivering change working families will feel. The Prime Minister will today set out plans to make the Liverpool-Hull corridor an economic superpower – rivalling the Oxford-Cambridge arc – kickstarted with £1.7 billion this year.

This transformatory package to reboot the North’s creaking transport system means government more than double on local transport in the North compared to the South and London, delivering on its Plan for Change to boost living standards and provide security and certainty for working people across the country.

This comes on top of funding announced today:

For the key rail line between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York, which has been plagued by disruptions and delays for years without a plan to fix it. The route will now be supported with £415 million in funding from government to restore its failing services.

For local leaders to unleash their areas’ untapped potential with over £1 billion for the North to improve the transport services people use every day – backing regional mayors and ensuring decisions about the North sit with those who call it home. This comes alongside £270 million investment in bus services and £330 million in road maintenance across the North.

The funding, delivered working hand in hand with local leaders, will have a transformative impact on people’s lives, connecting the great towns and cities of the North that have been cut off from each other for far too long, holding back its potential.

The Prime Minister will make clear that these measures will better connect the North to support its thriving industries, unlocking growth in key sectors like Sheffield’s nuclear industry, booming fintech in Leeds, and cutting-edge life sciences in Liverpool. It will also support leading universities left hamstrung by poor connectivity while commuter towns and cities near London benefit from world-leading transport infrastructure.

On a visit to a factory in the North of England today, the Prime Minister is expected to say that today’s funding boost must see local leaders speed up delivery of key projects in their areas, which will transform the lives of working families.

This includes:

A Mass Transit system for West Yorkshire progressing, with the next stage of the business case expected in the Autumn – bringing growth to the largest city in Europe without a metro transport system.

A new Merseyrail station in the Baltic Triangle – better connecting the city to ‘Britain’s coolest neighbourhood’ – starting works this Autumn and complete by Spring 2028.

The Bury Interchange redevelopment fast-tracked with £80 million to improve bus and tram connectivity across Greater Manchester.

Today’s announcement will provide stability for the North following years of uncertainty and broken promises. This administration is choosing a new way of governing, empowering local leaders who have skin in the game to make the changes that working people want to see in their area.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

The North is home to a wealth of talent and ingenuity. But for too long, it has been held to ransom by a Victorian-era transport system which has stifled its potential. I lived in Leeds for years, I get that this has real-world impacts – missed appointments, children late to school, work meetings rescheduled – all leading to insecurity and instability for working people.

My government won’t stand by and watch. We are rolling up our sleeves, and today’s downpayment for growth is a vote of confidence in the North’s world-beating industries. The film studios in Bradford, life sciences in Liverpool, the fintech industry in Leeds – it is time they had a government on their side to get the North motoring again.

After years of false promises and under delivery, this government is delivering real change for the North. We are spending double as much on local transport in the North than the South, all done hand-in-hand with our mayors and local leaders. Through our Plan for Change, we are upgrading transport in the North, we are correcting years of unfairness that has gone before, and we are better linking our historic towns and cities. That means boosting living standards, putting more money in the pockets of working people, and restoring pride to communities.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:

The transport system outside of London and the South East has been plagued by delays and cancellations, frustrated by strikes and failing infrastructure because upgrades that were promised were never delivered.

That ends with our Plan for Change, because reliable and affordable public transport links are essential for kickstarting economic growth and putting more money in people’s pockets across the Midlands and the North.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said:

For too long, the North has been left behind and relied on a crumbling transport system that’s not fit to serve the great towns and cities it’s home to.

The Government’s Plan for Change will end that and schemes like the TransPennine Route Upgrade will bolster the region’s neglected potential and make travelling between these historic Northern towns and cities quicker, easier and greener.

Once the TransPennine Route Upgrade is completed, 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, while journey times from Manchester to York will be reduced by ten minutes.

The City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements are already supporting major transport schemes in city regions across England, including the Wednesbury Brierly Hill Metro expansion in the West Midlands and the renewal of the Sheffield Supertram.

Today’s announcement builds on the government’s pro-growth agenda for the North, including more funding to fix potholes, landmark planning changes to turbocharge house building, and Government backing for major regeneration around Old Trafford.