To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to begin a new levelling up assessment of the Integrated Rail Plan with Transport for the North.
Answered on
23 February 2022
The Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) was underpinned by a clear evidence base, as set out in the technical annex. This analysis drew on some of Transport for the North’s (TfN) own work on Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), and provided an assessment of the options considered against the IRP’s strategic objectives. The economic impact of each option can be considered fundamentally from the journey times, connectivity, and capacity set out in the multi-criteria tables. TfN will continue to provide strategic advice to the Department in its role as NPR co-sponsor to support the Government’s ambitions to level-up the country. Levelling up is both a strategic and economic objective of the NPR programme and will be further assessed in the NPR Strategic Outline Business Case.