A new Trans-Pennine rail route
between Manchester and Leeds will be confirmed today, as the
Prime Minister sets out a domestic agenda to turbo-charge
regional growth and prosperity.
In a speech in Manchester, will reaffirm that one of his
top domestic priorities will be to level out opportunities, and
unlock the potential not just of London and the South East - but
of every corner of the UK.
He is also expected to outline his major
domestic agenda, including investment in education, tackling
crime, boosting connectivity, and improving technology across the
country.
Pledging new intercity rail routes, with
Manchester to Leeds as the first step, the Prime Minister is
expected to say:
“I want to be the PM who does with Northern
Powerhouse Rail what we did with Crossrail in London.
“And today I am going to deliver on my
commitment to that vision with a pledge to fund the Leeds to
Manchester route.
“It will be up to local people and us to come
to an agreement on the exact proposal they want – but I have
tasked officials to accelerate their work on these plans so that
we are ready to do a deal in the autumn.”
Building on his commitment when entering
Downing Street, the Prime Minister will set out his vision to
rebalance power, growth and productivity across the UK.
At the heart of this will be a commitment to
deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail. The first step will be the
Manchester to Leeds route, with detailed plans published this
autumn, following the review into HS2.
The new route is expected to cut journey times
significantly and provide additional capacity for people across
the region.
But the Prime Minister will also be clear that
his focus will not just be about major infrastructure
projects.
He will pledge to “improve the unglamorous
local services which people use every day,” such as buses, saying
it is about “services within cities, not just services between
cities.”
Making clear that today’s announcements are
just the beginning of further work to boost local infrastructure
and services, the Prime Minister will say:
“I want to help local leaders bring their
local services in all our towns and cities up to the standards of
the best.
“And I want that to start now, with
improvements that can happen in the short term, not just big
engineering schemes that will take years.”
