Northern Powerhouse Rail - What could go wrong?

Northern Powerhouse Rail, or NPR, was announced by the Government to much fanfare on 14 January 2026. Up to £45 billion will be invested in the creaking railway infrastructure of the North. A new line between Birmingham and Manchester is going to be under consideration. Years of dither and delay ends now, trumpeted the Secretary of State for Transport.

Many cheered for joy but a few scratched their heads. Surely the £11 billion Transpennine Route Upgrade has been underway for a few years, and won’t that provide the baseline on which much of NPR between Manchester and Yorkshire will be built in any scenario? And why is a new line from Birmingham to Manchester such a great thing when the Government say it will be decades away and yet HS2 had planned to build it next before Rishi Sunak cancelled it?

In this explainer video we look at the history of NPR from the first announcement by George Osborne over a decade ago, and note that what is planned today is something of a pale imitation of the original vision. We also draw the inevitable conclusion that although todays slightly trimmed back vision may still be worth pursuing, the notion of £45 billion having been firmly committed is wide of the mark; business cases must still be produced and funding bid for in future spending reviews.

There is still a long way to go on this journey, even if we have taken the first step.


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Credits:
Presenters - Nigel Harris (@railnigel on X) & Richard Bowker CBE (@SRichardBowker). General Manager: Stef Foster (@stefatrail)

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