Northern Powerhouse Rail latest as Government promises 'core' line

There appears to be a major distinction between full NPR and core NPR, with the latter not including a station in Bradford. 

Today Chancellor Jeremy Hunt promised to “deliver the core Northern Powerhouse Rail” project as part of the Government’s autumn statement.

Under the original plans, NPR would have seen a high-speed line built between Leeds and Manchester, via a new Bradford station.

There was dismay last November when the Government's long-awaited Integrated Rail Plan confirmed weeks of rumours and leaks that it had been scrapped.

When Liz Truss became Prime Minister, she committed to building NPR in full, with a station in Bradford. 

Today, the Chancellor said the 'core' NPR would be delivered, sparking questions over what that would include.

The 'core' NPR network announced in November last year did not include a stop in Bradford as Northern leaders had been pushing for - and have pushed for since. 

• Read more: Leaders stress rail plans for Bradford should not be scaled back

What has the Government said?

Speaking on infrastructure, Mr Hunt said: “Today I can announce that I am not cutting a penny from our capital budgets in the next two years and maintaining them at that level in cash terms for the following three years.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement (Image: PA)

“This means that although we are not growing our capital budget as planned, it will still increase from £63 billion four years ago to £114 billion next year and £115 billion the year after – and remain at that level.”

Mr Hunt said the Government will “deliver the core Northern Powerhouse Rail, HS2 to Manchester, east west rail, the new hospitals programme, and gigabit broadband rollout”.

He also said he will proceed with round two of the levelling up fund, at least matching the £1.7 billion value of round one.

'A bleak and uncertain future'

Reacting to the announcement, Ms Brabin said: “The Chancellor speaks about a compassionate and balanced approach, but in reality he plunges communities in West Yorkshire into a bleak and uncertain future.

“Our common enemy should be inflation and inequality, yet Jeremy Hunt has taken aim at levelling up with his U-turn on Northern Powerhouse Rail in full, and by forcing local authorities to hike Council Tax to plug the blackhole in their budgets.

“Despite the Chancellor’s rhetoric, record levels of inflation will have a devastating impact on public services as we enter into a recession.”

Henri Murison, chief executive of The Northern Powerhouse Partnership,  said: “Infrastructure investment is non-negotiable for this path and today the Chancellor has rightly rejected calls by anti-growth Conservative backbenchers to cancel HS2.

"Manchester and the wider North West will benefit from the line coming all the way to Manchester Airport and Piccadilly stations. However, there was no mention of the Integrated Rail Plan commitment on the study of how to get HS2 trains to Leeds, which needs to be actioned after a year of delay.

"The government is selling the North short by not committing to Northern Powerhouse Rail all the way across the Pennines through Bradford, as well as on to Hull by an electrified line."

Did Liz Truss promise Northern Powerhouse Rail?

The UK's receding prime minister Liz Truss committed to building NPR in full.

Speaking during her campaign to be prime minister, Ms Truss vowed: “We will build the Northern Powerhouse Rail to link up communities and unlock potential across the North. We will take advantage of the opportunities this will bring by introducing new Investment Zones – full-fat freeports – to encourage industry to set up shop in the North.

“That’s how we will bring better jobs to the North and address productivity.”

The Prime Minister doubled down on her support for NPR during an interview with ITV Calendar.

When asked if that it included a full, new line between Liverpool and Hull, including a stop in Bradford, she said: “It does.”

When asked when it would be delivered, she said the timetable would be set out “in due course.”

She added: “It will stop at Bradford, I’m very clear about that.”

At the time, Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “Today’s announcement by the Prime Minister is a positive step forward and I look forward to constructive conversations with Government about when we can start building."