Plans to overhaul transport across the North of England with multi-billion-pound rail schemes have been laid out by the Government. The Northern Transport Strategy report talks about a “northern powerhouse” and contains a long-term plan to improve road links and cut train travel times between major cities.

Published by the Government and the newly formed Transport for the North (TfN), it sets out a range of options to upgrade existing rail lines or build new lines between key locations. Proposed new routes include: Leeds to Newcastle, with a travel time of about 50min; Sheffield to Manchester plus Manchester to Leeds in about 30min; and Liverpool to Manchester in about 20min.

The report also sets out such ideas as developing new east-west road connections, a road tunnel under the Peak District, and introducing smart travel cards and simpler fares across the North. Furthermore, the Government has said that it will prepare a hybrid bill — to be laid before the next Parliament — with a view to bringing the high-speed HS2 line to Crewe sooner than planned and also looking at the case for accelerating the construction of the route between Leeds and Sheffield. The bill will also include plans for widening sections of the M1, M6 and M62 motorways, and there are plans for better connections to Manchester Airport and improvements to the A1.