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Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
Business
Jon Robinson

Journey times could be cut as government makes £9bn TransPennine promise

The government has said journey times will be slashed as it more than trebled the funding to update TransPennine routes in the North to £9bn.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has upped the amount from the £2.9bn that was revealed in the Integrated Rail Plan last November.

The government added the move will help reduce carbon emissions by up to 87,000 tons per year and "set the foundations" for Northern Powerhouse Rail.

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It added that the full route will be fitted with the latest technology from complete electrification and full digital signalling, to increased capacity along the route for passenger and freight services between Huddersfield and Westtown in Dewsbury, doubling tracks from two to four.

A further £959m of funding has been released to progress the next phase of TRU between Manchester and York. That will be spent on the remaining electrification of the railway between Stalybridge and Manchester and creating shorter journey times.

The government added that the increased funding will also help Northern Powerhouse Rail "potentially doubling" the amount of direct construction jobs from 2,000 to up to 4,000.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "Through our record breaking Integrated Rail Plan, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to redesign the railways and it’s only right that we deliver this in line with the best quality technology at our disposal.

"By trebling the overall investment in the TRU, I’m ensuring the North is at the forefront of the government’s levelling up agenda and guaranteeing passengers gold standard services set to deliver greener, faster and reliable services through Northern Powerhouse Rail, electrification and additional train tracks."

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