Liz Truss has pledged to spend a further £26 billion on building a high-speed rail line across the Red Wall seats.
The Conservative leader candidate has said he will fully build Northern Powerhouse Rail, marking a major setback to Boris Johnson’s piecemeal upgrade programme.
Northern Powerhouse Rail, called ‘HS3’, is a £43 billion railway line that runs from Liverpool to Hull, reaching Totton, the East Midlands and Leeds in the north.
It was originally designed to connect with the now defunct HS2 eastern spur. Mrs Truss has ruled out overturning the decision to scrap the £32bn eastern part to Leeds.
Despite his own leadership commitment to the works, Mr Johnson’s government subsequently downgraded Northern Powerhouse Rail to upgrades that will cost £17bn.
Ms Truss’ commitment to build the program in full will cost an extra £26 billion.
The Foreign Secretary told Northern Agenda that the scheme would “bring better jobs” to Red Wall constituencies.
“I want to build an aspirational nation that unlocks opportunity for everyone, no matter where you live or where you grow up. We need to drive growth and business investment to bring new and better jobs to the North,” she said.
“We will build Northern Powerhouse Rail to connect communities and unlock potential across the North. This is how we will deliver better jobs in the North and tackle productivity.”
Ms Truss’ commitment to the rail comes despite the Government’s claims that the works scored the lowest for “affordability and value for money”.
But internal civil service documents found it would deliver the “biggest increase in connectivity and capacity” of all the options considered.
Local mayors from across the North of England last night published a letter backing Mrs Truss’s commitment, saying the rail line was “crucial to unlocking the full potential of the Northern economy in the 21st century and bringing us on par with the South “.
The £98bn HS2 project was originally designed in a ‘Y’ shape with London at the bottom. The eastern spur to Leeds and Sheffield, estimated to cost £32 billion and long referred to as the “scapegoat” of the Whitehall project, was abandoned last year.
Hugh Merriman, chairman of the committee, said: “The Prime Minister promised that with Northern Powerhouse Rail he would do for the North what he did for Londoners with Crossrail. Instead, much of the track will be an upgrade of an existing line.”
Earlier this week, the Commons Transport Committee called on ministers to rethink the axing of the eastern leg of HS2.
Conservative MP Hugh Merriman, chair of the committee, said: “The business of HS2 was based on going east to Leeds. Now he stops in the East Midlands without realizing how much money has been saved.
“Those we spoke to from the cities of Leeds and Bradford, in particular, do not recognize that the finalized plans live up to either the promises they believe have been made or the Prime Minister’s stated objectives.
“For these cities and the taxpayer as a whole, the government needs to demonstrate the rationale for its decisions. An investment of this significant amount must be based on the best evidence and the best value for money.
“This should bring the greatest overall benefit to rail services, the economy, the environment and communities in the North and Midlands.”
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