£15bn transport boost for North

Councillor Andrew Fender

TRANSPORT for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has welcomed a £15 billion plan that will see major improvements in transport across the North — turning it into an economic powerhouse.

Chancellor George Osborne yesterday presented the One North report — compiled by cities including Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds — which proposes a 125mph trans-Pennine rail link.

Plans for the new rail link aim to cut journey times between Newcastle, Sheffield and Manchester and come just two months after Mr Osborne said Northern cities should be a powerhouse of the economy.

Access

The investment plan, launched at an event in Beetham Tower, Manchester yesterday, will be set out over the next 15 years and calls for improved access to ports, spending on motorways and new freight and logistics terminals.

Councillor Andrew Fender, chairman of the TfGM committee, said: “We have achieved a great deal in recent years thanks to Greater Manchester’s commitment to substantial long-term investment in transport and our innovative system of governance, but it is vital that we continue to build on that momentum if we are truly going to realise our potential as a region.”
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