Five cities in the north of England have announced plans to invest approximately £15bn to improve UK’s transportation network.
The cities, which comprise Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield, have presented the improvement plan in a One North report. The cities are also planning to extend HS2 services northwards from Newcastle to Edinburgh.
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Newcastle City Council chief executive Pat Ritchie said: "One North is a demonstration that the great Northern cities can work together to shape transport plans, which would transform the economic competitiveness of the north; linking people to jobs, goods to customers and our businesses to international markets.
"Ensuring that Newcastle and the North East are part of an integrated approach to transport is essential to delivering our vision for economic growth in the region."
According to the report, a new Transpennine route and a faster route to Newcastle will be built to boost capacity.
The investment will also see the development of a new rail line between Newcastle and the Darlington area, which will operate faster trains.
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By GlobalDataUK Chancellor George Osborne said that the proposed high-speed rail link between Manchester and Leeds will cost approximately £7bn.
Apart from railway infrastructure, a part of the proposed investment will also be used in road infrastructure improvements.
Image: Newcastle Central Station. Photo: courtesy of Dr Neil Clifton.
