The formal revival of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) is set to be a centrepiece of the Labour Party’s policy platform ahead of its conference next month, according to reports.
Government sources told The Guardian that prime minister Keir Starmer, chancellor Rachel Reeves and transport secretary Heidi Alexander would all make speeches about the project before or during the September event.
According to the newspaper, the announcement aims to boost the morale of backbenchers and show commitment to the northern areas of England where the party has traditionally been strong but now faces a challenge from Reform UK.
The Yorkshire Post reported a government source last week suggesting the announcement could take place at the party’s conference.
The rail line connecting Liverpool and Leeds with links to Sheffield and York has been repeatedly announced – and twice cancelled – by ministers since 2015. It has often included a proposed station at Bradford (pictured).
Ben Brittain, director of public affairs at the Association for Consultancy and Engineering, told Construction News that HS2’s Manchester leg should be revived alongside NPR.
He said: “Northern Powerhouse Rail has the potential to catalyse a renaissance in northern England and create an economic powerhouse.
“To maximise the full effect of the rail project, it must be linked to the wider national rail network; any revival of NPR must thus be echoed by a revival of HS2 to Manchester.”
Last month the government announced plans to sell off land between Birmingham and Leeds that had been earmarked for HS2’s eastern leg, but left a section between Crewe and Manchester protected from development.
In January 2024, Starmer said the Labour Party, then in opposition, would not revive HS2’s second phase and was committed to a form of NPR, but that the shape of the project would be decided later.
Introducing her Spending Review in June, Reeves said: “In the coming weeks I will set out this government’s plans to take forward our ambitions for Northern Powerhouse Rail.”
An announcement has yet to be made.
Alexander told the Yorkshire Post last week: “We’re working through some detail following the Spending Review allocations, but we know to get the country’s economy firing on all cylinders we need to support local economies in places like Manchester, Leeds and York, and we will be saying more in due course.”
The scheme appears in the recently released National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority’s (NISTA’s) published infrastructure pipeline.
Its project summary is described as “increasing connectivity and agglomeration across the North of England from west to east”, without any specific detail included.
Earlier this week, it was given a red rating in NISTA’s annual report on the viability of publicly funded projects, meaning “successful delivery of the project appears to be unachievable”.
The body, which replaced the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and National Infrastructure Commission, said red ratings are often given to projects in their early stages.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We are investing in the North and delivering transformational projects across the region, such as the multibillion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade, and we will set out our ambitions for Northern Powerhouse Rail in the near future.
“Reliable and affordable public transport links are essential for supporting jobs and driving economic growth, and key to our Plan for Change, and we continue to work with local leaders to improve rail connectivity.”
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Ian Weinfass