Scaling back northern rail projects is bad for the whole country

The Budget and the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) next week has been billed as a way to measure this government’s commitment to “levelling up” and “building back better” after the pandemic. But these vague and ill-defined slogans and soundbites won’t be worth the limitless bluster that has been deployed to promote them, if there is no substance to actually back them up.

The major concern for communities like mine in the north, and other members of Transport for the North, is that the reports last week of a “betrayal” for the north, if true, not only risks “levelling down” the north, but it will further unbalance our country’s economy.

Northern leaders will hold this prime minister to his words. Only this month in Manchester in his party conference speech, he was adamant that he “will do Northern Powerhouse Rail”. But doing Northern Powerhouse Rail on the cheap is not doing Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR). Given he was clear that transport is “one of the supreme leveller-uppers”, if he is committed to “levelling up” the north then he shouldn’t be shying away from a £40bn vision for NPR. And the north needs commitment to exactly that in the delayed Integrated Rail Plan now, more than ever, to secure economic recovery and to ensure that we Build Back Fairer.

Across the north and across parties, working with government, we’ve been resolute in shaping this transformational programme, which has been agreed in the north, by the north. It will connect people with places, businesses with opportunities: it will act as a vital catalyst for wider investment in our economy.

The new levelling up minister Michael Gove recently said that strengthening local leadership to “drive real change” is one of his four pillars for defining the government’s agenda. The way that Transport for the North has made decisions locally is the gold standard for this, and the successful delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail, in full, would be undeniable proof of these aims being delivered.

For me, levelling up is also about improving access to opportunity, and Northern Powerhouse Rail will be a key vehicle to this destination. By 2060, the programme could deliver an additional 132,000 jobs and 20,000 additional businesses in the region – this is Building Back Better and only our network can deliver this.

The government also has the urgent responsibility of beginning our journey towards net zero and to build back greener; without networks that provide adequate regional journeys, this just won’t be possible. Northern Powerhouse Rail has the capacity to remove 58,000 car journeys from the north’s roads every day, enabling us to make tangible progress on vital decarbonisation and easing congestion on our roads. It will also create capacity for more freight to be cleanly transported on our railways, removing polluting lorries.

We also need to link our plans for rail into our wider Strategic Transport Plan, which can be effectively delivered through our Northern Transport Charter, which includes provisions for a devolved northern funding settlement. The aim is for Northern Powerhouse Rail to be the centrepiece of our 21st Century rail infrastructure, providing faster, cleaner and convenient journeys.

Let’s also remember that we have made clear our non-negotiables along the way, with our statutory advice informing the government where we need to stand strong to deliver the best possible outcomes for our whole region.

I know the word “investment” can be used spuriously, but this can truly be a once in a generation chance to reduce our carbon emissions, deliver new opportunities, improve public health and accelerate Covid recovery.

We have the plans, the evidence and the ambition. Now is the time to build a new north for future generations after the pain of the pandemic.

Louise Gittins is interim chair of Transport for the North