News: Government investment to improve rail transport in the North
More reliable electric trains are set to join London to Sheffield after the government announced a £800m electrification and upgrade of the Midland Main Line.
The upgrade will see the creation of a high-capacity "electric spine" running from Yorkshire and the West Midlands to South Coast ports allowing more reliable electric trains to cut journey times and boost capacity for passengers and freight.
The main work will involve the electrification from Sheffield, through Nottingham, Derby and Leicester, to Bedford, completing the full electrification of the Midland Main Line out of London St Pancras.
The upgrade was part of a £9.4bn programme of improvements to the rail network announced by Rotherham-born Transport Secretary, Justin Greening. She said: "These plans to increase capacity and shorten journey times on intercity, commuter and freight services are, alongside our plans for high speed rail, absolutely key to securing our country's prosperity in the decades ahead."
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg added: "This is the biggest expansion in railways in over 150 years, with more than £9bn of investment across the country.
"The "Electric Spine" will make a significant difference for passengers linking London, the Midlands and Yorkshire in a much more efficient rail line, connecting the South and North more effectively than ever before."
Another boost for South Yorkshire was the announcement of the completetion of the "Northern Hub" cluster of rail enhancements with the approval of £322m of outstanding track and capacity upgrades across Manchester city centre, Manchester Airport and across to Liverpool.
Earlier this year, the Chancellor announced an additional £130m for quicker journeys between Manchester and Sheffield, Bradford via Preston and Preston, and increased capacity on the Hope Valley line to Sheffield and the East Midlands.
It was hoped that the Northern Hub would lead to a faster journey time of 40 minutes between Sheffield and Manchester and trains every 20 minutes between Sheffield and Manchester.
The Northen Hub also has the potential to bring faster services to the redeveloped Rotherham Central and an extra train every hour throughout the day to Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool.
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said: "I am pleased that the Northern Hub will be funded in full as part of the Government's plans, which is a significant boost for the major towns and cities of the North, helping to rebalance the UK economy and enabling growth and regeneration throughout the regions."
The announced investments are for the period 2014 to 2019.
Northern Hub website
Images: Network Rail
The upgrade will see the creation of a high-capacity "electric spine" running from Yorkshire and the West Midlands to South Coast ports allowing more reliable electric trains to cut journey times and boost capacity for passengers and freight.
The main work will involve the electrification from Sheffield, through Nottingham, Derby and Leicester, to Bedford, completing the full electrification of the Midland Main Line out of London St Pancras.
The upgrade was part of a £9.4bn programme of improvements to the rail network announced by Rotherham-born Transport Secretary, Justin Greening. She said: "These plans to increase capacity and shorten journey times on intercity, commuter and freight services are, alongside our plans for high speed rail, absolutely key to securing our country's prosperity in the decades ahead."
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg added: "This is the biggest expansion in railways in over 150 years, with more than £9bn of investment across the country.
"The "Electric Spine" will make a significant difference for passengers linking London, the Midlands and Yorkshire in a much more efficient rail line, connecting the South and North more effectively than ever before."
Another boost for South Yorkshire was the announcement of the completetion of the "Northern Hub" cluster of rail enhancements with the approval of £322m of outstanding track and capacity upgrades across Manchester city centre, Manchester Airport and across to Liverpool.
Earlier this year, the Chancellor announced an additional £130m for quicker journeys between Manchester and Sheffield, Bradford via Preston and Preston, and increased capacity on the Hope Valley line to Sheffield and the East Midlands.
It was hoped that the Northern Hub would lead to a faster journey time of 40 minutes between Sheffield and Manchester and trains every 20 minutes between Sheffield and Manchester.
The Northen Hub also has the potential to bring faster services to the redeveloped Rotherham Central and an extra train every hour throughout the day to Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool.
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said: "I am pleased that the Northern Hub will be funded in full as part of the Government's plans, which is a significant boost for the major towns and cities of the North, helping to rebalance the UK economy and enabling growth and regeneration throughout the regions."
The announced investments are for the period 2014 to 2019.
Northern Hub website
Images: Network Rail
1 comments:
South Yorkshire based companies involved or looking to get involved in the rail industry can attend our up-coming free supply chain event: http://www.rido.org.uk/rido-news/archive/2012/takeyourplaceintherailsupplychain
Post a Comment