Northern Powerhouse Rail at 'clear risk' of breaching £45billion funding cap, MPs warn

Northern Powerhouse Rail at 'clear risk' of breaching £45billion funding cap, MPs warn The Public Accounts Committee said the Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme - to boost poor northern rail connections - is in danger of repating the same mistakes as chaos-hit HS2 Plans to overhaul creaking rail services in the North of England risk breaching a £45billion funding cap, MPs have warned. The Public Accounts Committee said the scheme - to boost poor northern rail connections - is in danger of repeating the same mistakes as chaos-hit HS2. MPs on the Committee said that considerable uncertainty hangs over the project, including over key details like journey times, frequency, capacity, the exact route of the new line, who will build these new lines, and how investment in urban and industrial regeneration will be prioritised. Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) was first announced by the Tories in 2014 but “decisions by successive governments have changed its scope and slowed progress”, MPs said. While they welcomed Labour ’s revival of the scheme — with a funding cap of £45billion - they said “they are not confident the Department for Transport has learned all the lessons from past failures.” They added: “The programme also remains at an early stage despite more than 12 years of planning. There is a clear risk that the Department cannot deliver the full programme and benefits within its £45billion funding cap.” The project aims to improve connections on existing routes between Sheffield and Leeds, Leeds and York, and Leeds and Bradford in the 2030s. The second phase of NPR would involve a new route between Liverpool and Manchester via Manchester airport and Warrington, using a combination of new and existing lines. The third and final phase will involve better connections eastward from Manchester to Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York. Clive Betts, Deputy Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “The government’s growth strategy earlier this year signalled that there is still an appetite to finally deliver the transport infrastructure the North so badly needs. “But the spectre of HS2 hangs over Northern Powerhouse Rail. Our Committee has heard troubling echoes of the same mistakes in loose governance that HS2 made early on.” He added: “HS2 have even been brought on board to develop NPR’s own plans. As HS2 has been a casebook example of how not to run a major project, so their involvement in NPR does not fill us with confidence. “Both the Treasury and DfT have questions to answer about the project’s £45bn funding cap. Given the fact that this project has not been fully scoped or designed, it is hard to see how the government was able to arrive at a hard £45bn cap." A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: "Northern Powerhouse Rail will deliver the biggest investment in rail connectivity in a generation, giving the North the transport links it deserves and driving growth, jobs and investment across the region. "NPR will not repeat the mistakes of HS2... and are taking a disciplined, phased approach - completing detailed technical work with all stakeholders before fixing precise choices for major infrastructure. "Since announcing NPR in January, we have worked closely with mayors to take the project forward. New joint partnership forums are already overseeing the next stage of development and Network Rail has begun developing engineering designs."