1 week Ago
The Chancellor and Transport Secretary have announced plans for two major projects in the North of England. The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) and the A57 upgrade aim to improve road and rail links across the region. The announcement follows the allocation of funds for these projects in the budget last month.
The TRU will transform the main railway line from Manchester to York, via Leeds and Huddersfield, into a "high-performing, reliable, electrified railway". This will result in "more frequent, faster, and greener journeys". The upgrade will reduce travel times between Manchester and Leeds from 50 to 42 minutes, with up to six services every hour.
The journey from Manchester to York will also be cut by 10 minutes. Electric trains are already running between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge. Once completed, the full 70-mile TRU route will be fully electrified, saving 87,000 tonnes of carbon each year.
The project is currently employing 5,000 people, including over 300 apprentices, providing a boost to local employment . The Chancellor also announced that work on the "long-awaited" £250m A57 Link Road upgrade will begin in the coming weeks. This project will create two new link roads and is expected to "drastically decrease" journey times between Manchester and Sheffield.
The upgrade will also "reduce noise and pollution", aiming to improve the quality of life for local communities. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: "Investment in our transport infrastructure is vital to delivering our growth mission. "Without improvements to our roads and rail we won’t be able to create jobs and boost business, which is why I prioritised projects like the Transpennine Route Upgrade and the long-awaited A57 upgrade in the budget.
" Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: "Reliable, well-connected transport links are crucial to driving up productivity and unlocking opportunities for jobs, education and businesses across our towns and cities. "But for too long, the North’s transport infrastructure has been neglected." The 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.
" Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines said: "This vital project will transform connectivity across the north delivering a significant economic boost for the region, and it's going well." In addition to these projects, the budget also committed further funding to improve local road networks. This includes a £500m increase for highway maintenance to support everyday journeys and help authorities fix up to an additional one million potholes every year.
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