The government has failed to say how it will speed up a series of critical North East transport upgrades that it pledged would be “accelerated as fast as possible” – including the revamp of the Tyne Bridge and dualling of the A1.
A number of major infrastructure improvements across the region were promised a boost under the ill-fated Growth Plan unveiled by the now-sacked Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng last month. But the Department for Transport (DfT) has been unable to give any details on what will actually be done to “accelerate” the projects.
Easington MP Grahame Morris has urged the government to produce more than “warm words”, while local councils are understood to be similarly in the dark over the plans. The £40m restoration of the Tyne Bridge and Central Motorway, the Northumberland Line railway reopening, upgrades to the northern transpennine A66, and the dualling of the A1 between Morpeth and Ellingham were all named within the mini-budget’s 114-strong list of transport infrastructure schemes to be sped up.
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With the government funding for the long-awaited Tyne Bridge and Central Motorway works having been confirmed earlier this year and required inspection works on the iconic crossing since starting, the Chronicle asked the DfT to clarify how the project could be sped up and whether the works would be completed to a faster timescale than the current 2026 target date. The government did not directly answer those questions and responded: "We are building a new era for Britain and unleashing our potential for growth by targeting more than 100 rail and road schemes for acceleration.
“By reducing unnecessary burdens on planning processes and speeding up infrastructure, we can give our economy the freedom to boost growth. The quicker we can deliver projects, the quicker we can help millions of people and businesses, and build up every corner of the UK.”
Newcastle City Council confirmed it had not received any information from the government on how the Tyne Bridge works would be accelerated.
The DfT was also asked if the decision on whether to proceed with the dualling of the A1 would be brought forward, given that the verdict had previously been pushed back to December this year, and if the timescale for the reopening of the Northumberland Line would be changed. Work has already begun to restore passenger services to the railway, between Ashington and Newcastle, and the first trains are due to run in December 2023.
The DfT said that the review of the A1 dualling plan was “still ongoing” and that further details on the Northumberland Line “will come in due course”.
Mr Morris, a member of the House of Commons transport select committee, said that the projects listed within the Growth Plan were “absolutely key” to the economic future of the North East. He added: “If this is going to have tangible meaning, then we need more than warm words, we need firm financial commitments.”
The Labour MP for Easington said that he remained “optimistic” that promises made to the North East around transport upgrades would be kept, given that Berwick MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan is the new transport secretary and is “fully aware” of their importance.
When asked about any acceleration of the project to dual the remaining single carriageway sections of the A66 between Penrith and Scotch Corner, the DfT pointed to the announcements by National Highways last week of four contractors signing on to deliver the £1.3bn upgrade. National Highways said it would “continue to find opportunities to streamline delivery” of the scheme, which is due for completion in 2029 having already had its construction time halved following a government review in 2020.
Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPS) was also listed for acceleration in the Growth Plan, with Liz Truss having pledged during the Tory leadership campaign to build the flagship rail project in full. A commitment to a full delivery of NPR would include upgrades to the East Coast Main Line north of York and the reopening of the mothballed Leamside Line, between Pelaw in Gateshead and Tursdale in County Durham.
Having seen the government U-turn on the core of Ms Truss’ economic agenda over recent days, Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon warned on Tuesday that her pledges on the rail scheme now had “absolutely no credibility”.
Asked by Mr Morris about the government’s commitment to NPR and the Leamside Line at a Commons transport committee on Wednesday morning, Ms Trevelyan replied: “I can give you the absolute assurance that I will work as hard as I can. It is very clear to everybody that they have a North East MP as their secretary of state and my commitment to ensure that, while investment everywhere is important, bringing up the long term lack of investment in many parts of the North is something I am absolutely focused on.”
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