£530m investment into rail transport in north of England

Date: 18/2/2010

Network Rail has announced a £530 million investment into rail transport in the north of England through improved stations and faster, more frequent services.

Plans unveiled by the rail operator as part of the Northern Hub study include a 40 per cent increase in the number of trains each day – 700 extra services – across the region, capacity for a further 3.5 million passengers a year, and quicker, more frequent services for Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield.

Network Rail's chief executive Iain Coucher said: "Through better connections, faster services and improved stations we want to trigger wider growth in the north which in turn will support local jobs and businesses.

"Our ambitious vision includes miles of track, new platforms and electrification to keep driving up passenger demand while keeping freight on the rails – and lorries off of our already congested roads."

Other plans for the investment include new inter-regional/trans-Pennine services, which would allow six trains an hour to service Leeds and Manchester, with journey times as quick as 43 minutes.

The operator expects the plans to be implemented from 2014.