What do we want? Northern Powerhouse Rail, when do we want it? NOW!
At last, the Government shows some steel!
My wait on the platform has been long, cold, and frankly, exhausting. For decades, the North’s economic potential has been shackled by Victorian-era infrastructure and a "make-do-and-mend" attitude from the powers that be in Whitehall.
So, the Government’s landmark but long awaited commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) promising to connect the great cities of the North is the "full-fat" win we’ve been fighting for. Liverpool and Manchester are the two cities which gave the world its very first intercity railway line; the cities of the North powered the Industrial Revolution and shaped modern Britain. The North now has the powers and potential to lead another.
NPR isn't just about shaving 20 minutes off a commute or improving bells and whistles; it’s a vital, non-negotiable growth policy for a country that wants to remain great.
If we could lift Northern productivity just to match the national average, we would inject a staggering £40 billion a year into the British economy. And from the North West section of the Northern Growth Corridor alone, we’re talking about generating £90 billion in additional GVA by 2040. The North is the engine room for a new Britain, and it starts with a key connection at Manchester Airport.
Connecting our great northern cities is the only way to move from being hostages of failing tracks to a region that rivals Europe’s great economic corridors, like the Rhine-Ruhr or the Randstad. By bringing hundreds of thousands of people within shorter commutes of our city centres, we aren't just moving trains; we are moving lives, unlocking access to high-skilled jobs, and allowing our iconic sport and cultural industries to finally breathe.
However, while we welcome and are excited by the signing of agreements with our great Northern Mayors, there’s a reality we have to confront. Celebratory press releases can’t mask the underlying friction between Northern ambition and Treasury caution.
The Elephant in the Station: 2030
The "elephant in the station" is the timeline. A construction start date of 2030 feels too long away for a region that’s already endured decades of dither and delay. For the commuter stood on a freezing platform in 2026, 2030 isn't a ‘delivery phase’, it's a distant mirage.
Devolution without delivery is a dangerous game. Every year of delay is a year where private investment stays on the sidelines, hesitant to commit to a "Northern Growth Corridor" that exists only on a map.
Why is it taking so long? As Labour Together argue, our planning system is stuck in an adversarial rut. We treat projects as "guilty until proven innocent”. And so developers spend years gold-plating solutions to hypothetical problems or cynical objections just to avoid the "random penalty generator" of judicial review. In the North, we don't have time for this defensive or retro version of planning. We need to build, baby, build and get shovels in the ground now!
If, like me, you are a long term sufferer of NTJT (Northern Train Journey Trauma) - millions of us are - you know there are some simple things that could be done to relieve the daily stress. Better ticketing, better broadband, better timetables, better connections. We need to improve the passenger experience of 2026 to sustain the appetite for the bigger projects of 2030. We need "jam today" while we wait for the heavy machinery of tomorrow.
The Spectre of Reform
And without full-fat devolution, the problem is that our Mayors are salespeople for their areas, not builders. By giving them equal powers as their counterparts in Europe, the Government could fix the 2030 problem and empower the North to build its own future.
Getting those spades in the ground now is a political necessity. A 2030 start date is in the next Parliament. The rise of Reform UK is no longer a sideshow. And the party has already signaled a bonfire of high-speed rail projects.
If the "long grass" of 2030 persists, the Government is handing a powerful weapon over. Reform UK thrives on the gap between populist rhetoric and reality. When a Mayor can only ask for a train rather than order its construction, they look weak, and the system looks broken. A Reform-led future poses a terminal threat to these plans; we simply cannot afford to leave the Northern Growth Corridor to be switched off by the next occupant of Number 10.
A Clarion Call for the North
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves: the North is ready. We have the ambition, we have the agreements, and we have the persistence. But we need more than a "downpayment"; we need delivery.
The Prime Minister said that when he pulls levers, things take too long. Imagine if there was a relentless focus on slashing the barriers to building NPR and connectivity? Spades in the ground before the next General Election, before adversaries can cancel the whole thing because it’s taking too long.
This is a great plan, and the growth plan we need is waiting right there on the platform. We need to keep the communications going and build the narrative- there can be no U Turns here - so we can start the engines now before the populists take the tracks. The North has waited long enough!
