Government urged to end speculation surrounding Northern Powerhouse Rail

Liz Truss vowed to build the project “in full” during her short stint as Prime Minister, and appeared to commit to Transport for the North’s plan for a £43bn network, with high-speed lines running between Liverpool to Leeds and a new station in Bradford.

Her successor Rishi Sunak has said he will revert to the Department for Transport’s scaled-back proposals, set out by in the Integrated Rail Plan last year, by building one 40-mile line between Warrington and Marsden and upgrading existing lines.

But Northern Powerhouse Rail and other major infrastructure projects are now being reviewed, as Mr Sunak attempts to plug a £50bn gap in public finances with spending cuts and tax hikes, and this has sparked fears that it could be watered down again or scrapped.

Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said Downing Street must put an end to the uncertainty and set out a clear plan, budget and timescale, to send a clear message to millions of passengers who endure frequent delays and cancellations on the North’s outdated rail network.

“Certainty for cities like Leeds, Manchester and Bradford would also unlock investment,” he said.

“There are lots of private developers and others who would deliver projects and schemes on the back of this investment coming.

“All the chopping and changing deters private investment. It’s inherently damaging.”

He also said Chancellor Jeremy Hunt should commit to delivering the project during the Autumn Statement on November 17.

It comes after former Chancellor George Osborne said scrapping the project would be “madness” and “a betrayal of the North”, during an appearance on The Andrew Neil Show.

“There’s no fiscal reason that you have to cancel a big long-term infrastructure project like that,” he said.

“In austerity 1.0, when I was there, we managed to go ahead with HS2, with the Elizabeth Line in London and with the new nuclear power plant in Somerset.”

He also said the project is "vital" to improving rail services running across the North, where the Conservative Party is "defending a lot of seats".

Over the weekend, a number of Northern leaders, including West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, wrote a joint letter, calling on Downing Street to end a cycle of “broken promises on transport investment” and deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail.

The Conservatives vowed to build Northern Powerhouse Rail between Leeds and Manchester in their 2019 manifesto.

Tory Ministers also promised £100m for a study to “look at the most effective way to run HS2 trains to Leeds” and address capacity issues at Leeds Station, when they announced the Eastern Leg of the high-speed rail line would be cut short in November last year, but they have still not revealed when that study will begin.

According to Transport for the North, the study will take 18 months to two years to complete.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “We are committed to delivering what is in the Integrated Rail Plan and there are a number of options for how we deliver high speed services to Leeds, which the Transport Secretary is looking at closely.

“These vital projects will better connect communities and unlock potential across the North, with work already underway on HS2 which is supporting 29,000 jobs.”