Transport for the North (TfN) - a regulatory body covering transport throughout the north of England - has been created in a bid to improve the transport connections between cities in the region.
TfN will develop plans for road, rail and freight links between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Hull and Newcastle, as well its passenger transport remit.
Included in the strategy are plans to improve key roads, including upgrading parts of the M6, M1 and M62 to four lanes and improving the A1 to continuous motorway standard between London and Newcastle.
A road tunnel under the Peak District is also outlined in the plan, in a bid to improve east-west road connections.
TfN will produce what the government describes as a "multi-modal freight and logistics” strategy for the north of England, and will look to improve private sector investments in freight and port development.
Minister for transport Patrick Mcloughlin said: “Creating a Northern powerhouse of jobs, investment and prosperity, is a key objective of the government’s long term economic plan.
“We are planning for transport and growth in a new joined-up way. We [have] set out a comprehensive strategy for the northern economy which will help the north pool its strengths. TfN gives the north a powerful new voice.”
Chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne said: “Connecting up the great cities of the North is at the heart of our plan to build a Northern Powerhouse. This report has the potential to revolutionise transport in the North and we will work closely with TfN to help make it a reality.”
- Motortransport.co.uk's business blog, The Hub, analyses the Northern powerhouse in more detail.
