Integrated Rail Plan is disappointing for some but not all is bleak up north

The Government’s funding announcement is a far cry from the dark days of low investment for the north in the 1970s and 1980s, and represents a significant vote of confidence in rail, believes Graham Cross

We finally got the Government’s long awaited Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands last month, which sets the strategic direction for investing in the railway to achieve levelling up. The 164-page plan was greeted with significant criticism from those who saw it as a retraction from previous government commitments and political pledges from prime minister Boris Johnson. 

But, if we look beyond the politics, what does this £96bn plan running to the 2040s mean for the...

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