The government has committed to doubling the money being pumped into upgrading rail links between Manchester, Leeds, and York. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced between 9 billion Pounds and 11.5 billion Pounds for the Trans Pennine Route Upgrades, which had been a 2.9 billion project.
Grant said the extra cash would enable the full route to be electrified, cutting journey times to just over an hour. He added that it is the single biggest investment any government has ever made in Britain’s railways and that it would revolutionize the journey across the Pennines.
Critics said the promise had come too late and demanded more action to bring down “rip-off” ticket prices. The improvements, expect to take between 10-15 years, would see a journey from Manchester to Leeds take just over 30 minutes, instead of up to an hour, the government said.
The line, connecting two of the UK’s largest and busiest cities, has long been criticized for its slow speeds and propensity for delays and other problems, in contrast to many key services in the south.
Mr. Shapps said the fresh plans would also see the route fitted with digital signaling as well as an extra track, and would “address this historic lack of balance” between spending in the north and south.
