England is set to receive its biggest ever investment into city regional local transport over the next five years in a move labelled by the Chancellor as the ‘Renewal of Britain’.
Travellers across the North, Midlands and South West are soon to see major investment into buses, trams and local train infrastructure in a bid to provide stronger connections throughout the country.
The announcement, which was made by Chancellor Rachel Reeves during a speech in Greater Manchester, involved a pledge of 15.6 billion GBP to be invested into local transport projects across English city regions, including South Yorkshire, the North East, East Midlands and Tees Valley.
The funding comes ahead of the government’s upcoming Spending Review, which is set to be revealed next week, and doubles real-terms increase in capital spending on local transport in city regions by 2029/30 compared to 2024/25.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, said:Today marks a watershed moment on our journey to improving transport across the North and Midlands – opening up access to jobs, growing the economy and driving up quality of life as we deliver our Plan for Change.
For too long, people in the North and Midlands have been locked out of the investment they deserve. With £15.6bn of Government investment, we’re giving local leaders the means to drive cities, towns and communities forward, investing in Britain’s renewal so you and your family are better off.
The spread of funding as part of the investment is expected to include 2.1 billion GBP for the delivery of West Y0rkshire’s Mass Transit system by 2028, with first services aimed to begin by the mid-2030s, as well as the transformation of six transport corridors not covered by the routes including new bus stations at both Bradford and Wakefield.
350 million GBP is expected to be utilised to reform South Yorkshire’s buses, with franchised buses operating in Sheffield, Doncaster and Rotherham by 2027 and across the whole of South Yorkshire by 2029, as well as 2 billion GBP for a new mass transit system connecting Derby and Nottingham involving road, rail and bus improvements across the entirety of the Trent Arc corridor.
Other investments include 100 million GBP for 3 new bus rapid transit routes to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Everton stadium and Anfield, as well as the purchase of a brand-new fleet of buses for the city region’s franchised bus network in St Helens and the Wirral in 2026 before Sefton, Knowsley, North and South Liverpool in 2027.
Mark Casci, Head of Policy and Representation at West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said:This commitment to fund mass transit in West Yorkshire can be a game changer for the region.
West Yorkshire is home to a world-class business community, but the region is held back by poor connectivity which impacts upon our productivity.
By delivering this much needed infrastructure upgrade to the region, West Yorkshire can finally punch its weight and deliver enhanced returns for UK PLC.
The Chancellor is expected to confirm a change in regulatory processes when approaching and evaluating regional investment funding following a review of the Treasury’s Green Book and how it is used.
The full review of the Green Book will be published on 11 June alongside the wider Spending Review.
