The annual update of the ‘Northern transport strategy’ has been completed in partnership with Transport for the North, setting out progress and next steps in improving transport across the whole of the north in the areas of railways, roads, smart ticketing, freight and local and international connectivity.
New developments are:
- over £1 billion investment to upgrade rail infrastructure, including the electrification programme, track, station and signalling improvements;
- progress on the Northern Powerhouse rail
- £2.9 billion commitment to road improvements for the 5 year period to 2020 including:
- improving access to the Port of Immingham
- improving the A1 Western Bypass
- upgrading key sections of the M60, M1 and M6 to smart motorways
- 3 studies looking at dramatically improving east-west road connections
- that smart ticketing, subject to approval, will be rolled out step by step across the north over a 9 year period
See also article East-west Northern Powerhouse Rail options revealed in Rail Technology Magazine.