As noted in our leader article, the North of England has been under the spotlight recently with concerns being raised that the promised transport revolution for the area is failing to move with sufficient speed. Despite this, the scale of the proposed developments remains undiminished. The flagship Northern Powerhouse for Rail will see £39bn of improved rail links across the North. With an intended completion date of 2040, the project will provide major upgrades including faster and more frequent links between Liverpool and Manchester together with integrated hub stations at both Liverpool City Centre and at Manchester Airport. Whilst the recently published Oakervee review supported a Y-shaped network linking HS2 to Leeds, it remains to be seen whether the Integrated Rail Plan, due to be published by the end of 2021, will limit the scale of this extension.

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