Northern Powerhouse Rail

Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) is a proposed major rail programme designed to substantially enhance the economic potential of the North of England. The project aims to transform rail services between major Northern cities, improving journey times and frequencies using new and significantly upgraded railway lines in the region. The current proposals, announced in January 2026, include improving connectivity between Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford, and York; a new route between Liverpool and Manchester via Warrington and Manchester Airport; and improved trans-Pennine connections between Manchester and Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, and York, building on the Transpennine Route Upgrade. The project has a funding cap of £45billion.

The project has been subject to significant changes in scope since its conception in 2014. The original scheme proposed a new high-speed rail line between Liverpool and Leeds via Bradford, with a section of line shared with High Speed 2 (HS2) between Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly station. However, in 2021, the scheme was significantly curtailed in the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands (IRP). The IRP proposed a shorter new line from Warrington via Manchester to Marsden, with the remaining route to Liverpool and Leeds using upgraded existing lines. The project was subject to further uncertainty during the Truss and Sunak governments, particularly after the cancellation of HS2 Phase 2 in October 2023, which adversely affected the business case for NPR. The current proposals were announced in January 2026 after a protracted internal review.