Passengers using rail in the North set to increase, report states

30-45 per cent rises could be seen by 2019.

The draft Northern Route Utilisation Secretary report states that the number of passengers using rail in the North is set to soar over the next ten and twenty years.

It is published by Network Rail and reports that 30-45 per cent rises by 2019 could see hundreds of thousands more people arriving in cities like Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle at peak times.

The report makes a series of recommendations for targeted investment in the railways of the north which are needed to cope with the extra passengers and will support sustainable economic growth.

Network Rail is proposing a number of projects to help meet this demand, including the Northern Hub, which would allow 3.5 million more passengers to travel across the north every year and new platforms at Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester Airport stations.

Also, upgrading the freight lines between Immingham, Scunthorpe and Knottingley and a rolling programme of electrification including the Midland Mainline between Sheffield and London St Pancras International.

Network Rail’s director of planning and development, Paul Plummer, said: "The railways of the north are nearly full and our report shows that many more people will be travelling on trains in the north in ten and twenty years time."

"Infrastructure investment is key to sustainable economic growth. With businesses and commuters in the north relying on rail and so many more people choosing to travel by train, continued investment in rail in the north is a necessity, not a luxury."

Further information:
Network Rail