Locally, politicians have been highly critical of the Government’s plans
Hull Paragon Interchange(Image: Donna Clifford/HullLive)
The Government’s Department for Transport (DfT) has said Hull will benefit from the newly revealed Northern Powerhouse Rail plans. Locally, leaders have voiced their anger at Hull being excluded from line upgrades, which have long been called for.
Last week, the Government revealed plans for the long-awaited Northern Powerhouse Rail. The up to £45 billion plans seek to transform the rail network across the North, with new and upgraded lines.
After the plans were unveiled, leaders in Hull and East Yorkshire were quick to share their frustration as none of the three stages of work involve any new or ungraded lines in region. Much of this anger stems from the fact that the Hull and East Yorkshire Devolution Deal states: “The Government will bring Hull into Northern Powerhouse Rail, electrifying and improving the line speed between Hull to Leeds and Hull to Sheffield.”
Despite the Devolution Deal having been signed off by this Government, the plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail do not include any such upgrades. Services to and from Hull will instead “continue on existing infrastructure,” the plans state.
Reacting to this, the leader of Hull City Council, Cllr Mike Ross (Liberal Democrat), has accused the Government of “not holding up their side of the deal.” Similarly, the Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, Luke Campbell (Reform UK) added: “Our region has been asking for rail electrification for decades, and I’ve been making the case to the Government since being elected…We’ve waited long enough.”
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In recent days, Cllr Ross has written to the Transport Secretary asking for an urgent meeting to discuss how rail electrification to the city can be included as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail. In his letter, the council leader, expressed his “severe disappointment and frustration” with the announcement and claimed that a previous letter on the issue, sent in November last year, received no reply.
Responding to the considerable frustration in the region, a DfT spokesperson has said: “Hull will benefit from the £11 billion Transpennine Route Upgrade which is well underway and will reduce journey times across the north. While the whole of the North will benefit from faster and more frequent journeys east to west, our plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail commit to regular onward services to Hull, and we will work closely with Mayors to consider improvements to those routes.”