Yet many in the rail industry argue that the narrative of gold for London and crumbs for the north masks a different picture. Political consensus over Crossrail 2 led to development funding being announced in the 2016 budget, and a preferred route lodged by Transport for London. A meeting between old foes Grayling and London mayor Sadiq Khan on 18 July at City Hall was unexpectedly productive. TfN is putting together Northern Powerhouse Rail, a set of strategic, step-by-step interventions designed to eventually knit into a fast, connected coast-to-coast railway. What we’re trying to achieve is genuinely transformational: to have 1.3 million northerners within an hour’s rail travel from four of the north’s major cities.

Source: The Guardian August 26, 2017 15:00 UTC