The Guardian view on Labour's plan for railways in the north: a slow train coming | Editorial

"In areas starved of the kind of investment taken for granted in the south-east, the miserable state of northern England's railways has long been a source of anger and indignation. One analysis of Treasury figures found that the equivalent of seven Elizabeth lines could have been built in the north, if levels of funding devoted to London's transport needs had been replicated there."

"Instead, an estimated 140bn shortfall means that the 35-mile trip from Liverpool to Manchester can take more than twice as long as the 42-mile journey from London to Reading. Plans to resuscitate the Northern Powerhouse Rail project (NPR), unveiled on Tuesday by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, are therefore welcome and overdue. The government has committed to developing a three-stage plan to upgrade rail connections from the west coast to the north-east."

"No doubt mindful of the political threat posed to Labour by Reform in red wall seats, Sir Keir Starmer hailed the moment as a turning point, observing that northerners had been let down by broken promises in the past. That is something of an understatement. Since George Osborne first mooted a high-speed rail connection across the Pennines in 2014, the NPR train has barely left the station."

Northern England has suffered chronic underinvestment in rail, producing slow, unreliable services and substantial infrastructure decay. Treasury analysis shows funding disparities large enough that seven Elizabeth lines could have been built in the north, while an estimated 140bn shortfall contributes to journeys such as Liverpool–Manchester taking more than twice the time of comparable southern trips. The government has committed to a three-stage Northern Powerhouse Rail upgrade, including a new Bradford station, backed by Labour figures as a potential turning point. Past initiatives stalled—HS2 halted at Birmingham and HS3 remained unfunded—leaving scepticism amid hopes that new investment will finally modernize aging rolling stock and Victorian infrastructure.

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