Truss commits to £25bn railway across the North of England

Liz Truss has confirmed she will build a £25bn railway between Liverpool and Hull despite mounting pressure on the public finances.

The Prime Minister said she would reverse Boris Johnson’s decision to scale back so-called Northern Powerhouse Rail, in what is likely to be her biggest transport spending commitment before the next general election.

During leadership hustings Ms Truss criticised Mr Johnson’s record on levelling up and promised to follow through on a 2019 manifesto pledge to build the electric east-to-west line - dubbed HS3 - in full.

Confirming the plans for the first time since taking office, Ms Truss said that the rail link would also stop in Bradford. Plans for a station in the city were controversially dropped under her predecessor.

In an interview on Monday with ITV Calendar, the prime minister was asked whether her plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail meant “a full new line all the way from Liverpool to Hull with a stop in Bradford?”

She replied: “It does.

“It will stop at Bradford. I'm very clear about that.”

The commitment will raise eyebrows among those that left wondering how Ms Truss plans to pay for the rail link following sweeping tax cuts announced at the end of last month.

Last week, Lord Wolfson, the chief executive of Next, said that another rail link, the £98bn HS2 project, should be scrapped to help manage the nation’s finances.

He said: “At a time when the government is desperately looking to seek for savings, HS2 has got to come under the microscope again, because it's a vast amount of money, who knows how much it is going to cost.

“In terms of the current crisis, if HS2 is not a good investment, then cancelling it will have two positive effects. First of all, it will reduce government debt going forward.

“It will both reduce borrowing but also ease pressures on the supply side of our economy,” he said, adding: “I personally think it is a waste of money.”

But Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: "Getting clarity on what exactly Northern Powerhouse Rail will entail is essential for businesses looking to invest here.

"Putting Bradford on [Northern Powerhouse Rail] would correct one of the biggest mistakes from the Integrated Rail Plan - its young, diverse population and dynamic economy are hugely constrained by woeful transport links.”

Andy Bagnall, chief executive of Rail Partners, which represents train operators, said: “We welcome the commitment to further investment in our rail system – putting in place some of the key missing pieces of the jigsaw from the integrated rail plan and boosting connectivity in the North of the country.

“Rail investment is essential to drive the new economy, help decarbonise the transport sector and meet our net zero obligations.”

Tracy Brabin, Labour metro mayor for West Yorkshire welcomed what she called a "U-turn" by the Government.
 
The Labour leader of Bradford council leader, Susan Hinchcliffe, said: "Today's announcement is a positive step forward."
 
"We won't let up until spades are in the ground and [Northern Powerhouse Rail] is delivered.”