The government is set to unveil a blueprint for how £13 billion of government investment in transport will help create the Northern Powerhouse today (11 August 2015).
The Northern Powerhouse is a one-nation drive to close the economic gap between north and south by helping the region unleash its full power and create a balanced, healthier economy.
Making transport better by improving the links that bind the north together is integral to this enterprise. It will bring cities and regions closer together and strengthen connections – Liverpool to Hull, the north west to Yorkshire, the north east and the Midlands – making it easier for hard working people and businesses to access markets or deploy their skills. The blueprint shows how transport links across the north are being transformed by government investment.
The government will also announce an independent review by leading entrepreneur and businesswoman Michelle Mone OBE, to encourage further business start-ups and entrepreneurship in disadvantaged communities, including in the north.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin (pictured) said: “This one nation government is determined to close the economic gap between North and South. Investing in transport – something that successive governments have failed to do sufficiently – is vital to making that happen.
“We had a choice – building the infrastructure our country needs, or letting our transport system become a brake on growth and opportunity. We have chosen to invest for the future.
“Across the north, that investment is already having a huge impact, with programmes underway to upgrade our railways and our roads. We are determined to keep the momentum going.”
Commercial secretary at the Treasury Lord O’Neill said: "?Investing in first class transport infrastructure is a key part of our commitment to create a Northern Powerhouse.
"Our investment is helping to better connect the region, building a strong Northern economy, and it is great to see the huge progress already underway.”
The Transport Secretary will visit the Farnworth Tunnel, where major work has started to provide faster, better journeys between Manchester, Bolton and Preston by the end of 2016. The work involves re-drilling the existing tunnel – using a machine bigger than those used on the Crossrail and Channel Tunnel projects – so that the rail line can be electrified, and faster, greener electric trains can be introduced. The work is part of Network Rail’s North of England programme, an investment of over £1 billion to improve the region’s railways, allowing hundreds more trains to run and providing space for millions more passengers a year.
He will then travel to Merseyside, to open the new A5758 Broom’s Cross Road between Thornton and Switch Island. Backed by £14.5 million of DfT funding, the road will relieve congestion in the area and improve highway access between Southport and the north-west motorway system.
Roads Minister Andrew Jones will be in the north east on Tuesday to see progress on over £60 million of improvements to the A1 from Coal House to Metro Centre. When completed in 2016, almost four miles of the A1 will be widened to three lanes, relieving congestion on one of the busiest roads in the country. Mr Jones is also visiting the A1 in Northumberland to see where a further £291 million will be invested to add capacity, meaning that for the first time there will be a dual carriageway from London to Ellingham, 34 miles north of Newcastle.
The projects that ministers will see are among a range of improvements for the region, many of which are already underway.
