Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 30 January (HL13616), whether they will publish a map of the exact route of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project; and whether that route is electrified.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Northern Powerhouse Rail is expected to run on a core electrified railway between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, and York, with onward services to Newcastle, Hull, and Chester for North Wales.
A schematic map was published as part of the Northern Growth Strategy: Case for Change command paper. Where relevant, public consultations, covering more detail on route alignment, will take place in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Kingston upon Hull will be connected to Bradford and Leeds with a new rail service as part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Our plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) commit to regular onward services east of Leeds to Hull. Specific NPR service patterns will be confirmed in due course as the programme develops.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the exact route of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project is; and which cities it will run between.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Northern Powerhouse Rail will deliver turn-up-and-go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York, with regular services to Newcastle, Hull and Chester for North Wales. The first phase of work East of the Pennines will largely be upgrades to existing lines, including electrification. The government is taking forward work on the High Speed Rail (Crewe-Manchester) Bill to seek powers for the section of route into Manchester via Manchester Airport. Options for further sections of new route, including connections to Liverpool, will be assessed with local leaders in the coming months, in advance of any public consultation.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the expected date is for the start of the development of the first phase of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project; and when they expect the necessary planning and permissions to allow construction to begin will be completed.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Government has allocated £1.1bn funding for Northern Powerhouse Rail in this Parliament to undertake development and consenting work. The first phase, focusing on electrification and upgrades East of the Pennines, is expected to be delivered during the 2030s.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Northern Powerhouse Rail on rail connectivity, journey times, frequency and rolling stock between Blackpool and Manchester.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Northern Powerhouse Rail will deliver turn up and go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York, with onward services to Newcastle, Hull and Chester for North Wales.
The scheme is expected to provide connectivity and growth benefits across the wider region. Government will work with local leaders to develop the details before decisions are made on future journey times and frequencies.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what arrangements will be made to provide alternative rail services during the Northern Powerhouse Rail project construction period.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government will seek to minimise impacts for passengers during major construction work. No decisions have been taken at this stage of the programme. As with the Transpennine Route Upgrade, we would expect to adopt a collaborative approach between train operators to keep services running for the public during major works.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Lancashire County Council and district councils in Fylde and Wyre on the design and delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) will deliver turn up and go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York. The economic rationale for NPR is to enable these areas to function as a single high productivity growth corridor. The Government has worked closely with local leaders in these areas and will continue to do so in taking the design and delivery of NPR forward.
The Government will still consider future rail improvement schemes more widely for areas such as Lancashire, for example through the future rail network enhancement programme, and it will engage with local leaders and Members on their priorities in the normal way.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how Members representing Lancashire constituencies will be consulted as Northern Powerhouse Rail proposals are developed.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) will deliver turn up and go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York. The economic rationale for NPR is to enable these areas to function as a single high productivity growth corridor. The Government has worked closely with local leaders in these areas and will continue to do so in taking the design and delivery of NPR forward.
The Government will still consider future rail improvement schemes more widely for areas such as Lancashire, for example through the future rail network enhancement programme, and it will engage with local leaders and Members on their priorities in the normal way.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding has been allocated to the Bradford Rail Programme; and what further funding is planned to support (a) engineering and (b) design work during the Spending Review period.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has allocated £1.1bn funding for Northern Powerhouse Rail in this SR period. This is the first funding allocation within the overall £45bn lifetime cap for the programme.
This funding will drive forward development work for the programme including taking forward the design for a new station in Bradford, subject to the business case process, with decisions expected in Summer 2026.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the (1) development, and (2) construction, cost of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project; and what is the expected year of completion of that project.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government will provide up to £45 billion of funding to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail turn-up-and-go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York.
This £45 billion does not constitute a formal cost estimate for the programme but is a funding cap that both demonstrates our commitment and ambition, whilst ensuring NPR remains an affordable and efficient programme. Three phases of delivery will see major construction work in the 2030s, continuing through to the 2040s.